So, people have been asking me to write this because I have an entire workflow system that I can’t live without. My setup isn’t necessarily complicated or advanced, but I will attempt to keep this updated. So here you go Harsh 😊

Updated as of Oct 2024 As with any tech setup, mine is constantly evolving. I will link it below if anything is still worth a look when I update this again.

Laptop:

Operating System: MacOS Sonoma on a M3 Pro.

Apps

• 💰Alfred: I have paid for a license for this because I cannot live without the workflows they have. If you want a free alternative, try 🆓 https://www.raycast.com/. I just like Alfred’s UX better and have been using it forever.
  • Calm Notifications
  • Simple Diff
  • Alfred Gallery
  • Thumbnail Navigation
  • Show Workflows (by me! to be hosted on GitHub)
  • Coffee Coffee
  • 2FA-Read Code
  • New File
  • ChatHub
  • Shrieking Chimes
  • Search ALL the docs!
  • Banner Be Gone
  • GitFred
  • Process
  • Workflow Actions
  • Mac Enhancer
  • Alfred Remote
  • System Settings
  • Download Media
  • Homebrew
• 💰BetterTouchTool I use this for trackpad, mouse gestures, and window management. I paid for this, and it replaces many free/paid apps for me.
  • Apps Replaced:
    • 🆓 Rectangle or 💰Magnet are ones I have used, and I think they are basically identical window managers. BTT has most of this, and I’d recommend Rectangle for folks who want window management. Comparison Sheet of Window Management Tools
• 💰 SideNotes is a nice replacement for Apple Notes that supports markdown and syncs with iCloud. Also conveniently accessible to the side of your workspace, I love that you can create different folders for different projects.
• 🆓 OnlySwitch is a nice bunch of quick settings to have at your fingertips.
• 🆓 Hyperduck send links offline to your mac
• 🆓 Ice is a free alternative to 💰Bartender and hides all the annoying stuff like creative cloud and JetBrains while still keeping it accessible. Also supports a second menu bar
• 🆓 Dropshelf free alternative to 💰Dropover.
• 🆓 Stats free alternative to 💰iStatMenus
• 🆓 PearCleaner is a huge improvement over AppCleaner, which I have used and love. Note: I used to use the Setapp iCleanMyMac thing but didn’t feel like the subscription was worth it, considering AppCleaner worked better. I know a lot of people rave about SetApp, but honestly, I’m not a superpower user, and most apps I like I get for free. The few ones I like paying for are one-time lifetime access types.
• 🆓 Via A nice keyboard remapping GUI for your VIA-compatible keyboards. Super nice for configuring my split keyboard.
• 💰 Cork I’ve been trialing this app and really liked the UX. I’m unsure if I’ll keep it since I frequently start from scratch with my laptop.
• 💰 BusyCal or 🆓 ItsyCal, 💰 Fantastical. I’m currently an ItsyCal stan, given it’s free. BusyCal doesn’t integrate with my work calendar; otherwise, I’d pay for it (still trialing). Fantastic used to be my daily driver, but I’m not a huge fan of the subscription model. I love Fantastical and BusyCal for the Natural Language event creation, but I am still searching for my holy grail.
• Mail: I just used the built-in Apple Mail app since my work account is fine.
• Spotify → 🆓 Spicetify
  • I use Spotify to customize my Spotify installation. I’m currently running Catppuccin theme and Anonymized Radios, CatJam Synced, Immersive View, Remove Unplayable songs, Shuffle+, Sleep Timer, Toggle DJ, Dynamic Left Sidebar, Hide Made for You, Nyan Cat Progress Bar (Installed from the Store extension)
• Text Editors: Vim, 🆓Cursor
  • My Vim config is pretty default because I mostly use it for short one-off things
  • I use my 💰 anthropic API key with Claude 3.5 to help me with work. Otherwise, I have JSON linters, Live Preview, Live Share, Color Highlights, Spell Check, and pyenv manager for working with conda. The theme is still quite light. The rest of the extensions are mostly whatever I need to develop.
• Terminal: 🆓 iterm 2,
  • Themes: (OhMyZSH)[https://ohmyz.sh/] and (Starship)[https://starship.rs]
    • I use these OhMyZSH plugins as of now since I recently switched over from fish shell.
    • Cappuccino Latte Everything! Except for my slightly customized powershell prompt, which I will share in my complete dotfiles soon!

Browser

A lot has changed since I first compiled this list. During school, I eventually switched to Chrome due to its poor integration with Firefox for many sites. Now that I’ve graduated, I have switched to using Arc out of curiosity. Do I still love open source? Yes. Is Firefox slowly becoming a pain to use on everything? Also, yes. So, I have given up on that for now. I might switch back to Firefox once the novelty wears off. [Explanation of potential future changes or plans for your tech setup].

• Arc Browser - Referral Link: has some nice features like PiP, freestyle** (not precisely the same but vertical layout with tab groups) tabs, tab groups, split screen, users, and more inbuilt. It’s not sponsored, but it’s generally my favorite.

Browser Extensions

• Ublock Origin If Chrome stops supporting this, I’m throwing hands. Best AdBlocker period.
• Hide Google AI Overviews Self explanatory, they usually suck.
• SponsorBlock also self explanatory.
• Bitwarden my preferred password manager since high school.

Old Stuff

• Anytype: Selfhosted Notion. I’ve been alpha-testing Anytype for a little bit, and I’ve been enjoying it. I’ll stick with the notion since the cloud is much more convenient than manually backing up local stuff. —[Typora:] (https://typora.io/) is my holy grail markdown editor. It has nice LaTeX support. I use the default theme with Github syntax highlighting and Dracula in the dark mode.