VS Code extensions, terminal setups, CLI tools, and developer productivity gear.
My bat review explains why syntax highlighting, automatic paging, and a Git-aware change gutter earned the tool a permanent alias without breaking pipes. For terminal sessions rather than individual files, the Zellij review covers its visible keybindings, pane layouts, session resurrection, and the cases where I still choose tmux.
A hands-on review of bat, the Rust cat clone with syntax highlighting, git integration, and paging. Setup, real workflows, gotchas, and whether it should replace cat.
Jul 29, 2026
A review of eza, the modern ls replacement. Git-aware columns, real tree mode, sane colors, and the two-line alias that made me stop typing plain ls for good.
Jul 27, 2026
A hands-on review of television (the tv command), a fast Rust fuzzy finder TUI. Channels, previewers, shell integration, and how it compares to fzf.
Jul 27, 2026
A review of difftastic, the structural diff tool that understands syntax trees. How it reads code changes, the one git config to wire it in, and where it still falls short.
Jul 24, 2026
The complete developer desk setup guide for 2026. The best desk for programmers, monitors, docks, chairs, and gear that actually earns its footprint.
Jul 23, 2026
Four months running Nushell as a daily driver. Structured pipelines, real tables instead of string parsing, and the honest cost of leaving POSIX behind for a shell that thinks in data.
Jul 22, 2026
git-delta review after a year as my git pager: syntax highlighting, side-by-side diffs, word-level changes, and the exact config that finally made git diff readable.
Jul 20, 2026
Eight months running lazygit as my daily git interface. Staging hunks, interactive rebase, cherry-picks, and the one habit it made obsolete. An honest review from real use.
Jul 17, 2026
A month living in Helix, the Rust modal editor with batteries included and no plugin system. The selection-first model, the built-in LSP, and who it is actually for.
Jul 15, 2026
Six months running fish 4 as my login shell after the Rust rewrite. The out-of-box autosuggestions, the scripting that isn't bash, and the one compatibility tax you pay for all of it.
Jun 24, 2026
Two months running Zed as my daily editor instead of VS Code. The Rust-powered speed is real, the AI agent panel is good, and the extension gaps are the thing that will or won't send you back.
Jun 22, 2026
Yazi vs ranger, tested for three months. Why the async Rust terminal file manager wins on speed, image previews, and bulk rename, plus the exact config to switch.
Jun 17, 2026
Six months running Zellij instead of tmux. The visible keybinding bar, floating panes, WASM plugins, session resurrection, and the honest reasons you might still want tmux.
Jun 15, 2026
Six months running Jujutsu (jj) as my daily VCS on top of git-compatible repos. What it fixes about git, the parts that still bite, and why undo turned out to be the killer feature.
Jun 8, 2026
Six months running mise (formerly rtx) as my only language version manager across Python, Node, Ruby, Go, and Rust. What it gets right, where it bites, and why I uninstalled the four tools it replaced.
Jun 5, 2026
I switched from iTerm2 to Ghostty when 1.0 dropped in late 2024. A year and a half in, here is the honest take on speed, config, the macOS native feel, and the rough edges that still exist.
Jun 1, 2026
Logitech's MX Master 4 adds haptic feedback to the most popular productivity mouse on the planet. After a month of daily coding, here's whether it earned the upgrade from the MX Master 3S.
May 29, 2026
After six months of running uv as my only Python tool, here's an honest look at what it does well, what's still rough, and why I uninstalled four other tools.
May 27, 2026
A review of zoxide — the frecency-ranked smarter cd. What it does, the one config tweak that makes it click, and why it pairs perfectly with fzf and Atuin.
May 25, 2026
Atuin vs fzf for shell history: what the SQLite-backed, syncable, fuzzy-searchable tool does better, where fzf still wins, and the config tweaks that made Atuin stick.
May 22, 2026
A project writeup on switching from a sprawling pile of shell aliases and one-off scripts to a per-project justfile. What just is, what it solves, why it stuck where Makefiles didn't, and the actual workflow I landed on.
May 15, 2026
A practical guide to git worktrees — the built-in git feature that lets you check out multiple branches in parallel directories, with no stash-juggling and no broken dev servers. Setup, workflow, and the few gotchas.
May 12, 2026
Oh My Zsh is the default recommendation for shell customization, and it's slower and more complex than it needs to be. A practical look at what I replaced it with and why the simpler setup is better.
May 8, 2026
Honest opinions on the Linux distributions worth running as a developer in 2026 — Fedora, Ubuntu, Arch, NixOS, Pop!_OS, and Debian, with the trade-offs nobody on Reddit will tell you.
May 7, 2026
Your terminal is where you spend half your day. Pick a good one. A no-nonsense comparison of Ghostty, WezTerm, Alacritty, Kitty, and Warp in 2026.
Apr 28, 2026
Your code lives in git. Everything else is one bad drive away from gone. Five backup solutions — from local NAS to cloud sync — that actually protect your work without slowing you down.
Apr 10, 2026
Your chair matters more than your monitor. Five ergonomic office chairs that actually support you through long coding sessions — from refurbished bargains to buy-it-for-life investments.
Apr 3, 2026
The best docking stations and Thunderbolt hubs for developers. Five picks that turn one cable into a full workstation, from budget USB-C to premium Thunderbolt 4.
Mar 31, 2026
Built-in laptop cameras still look terrible on Zoom. Here are the best external webcams for developers who spend half their day on video calls — from budget picks to broadcast-quality options.
Mar 27, 2026
Your keyboard gets all the attention, but your mouse hand is the one that hurts at 5 PM. Here are five ergonomic mice that actually solve the problem, from vertical designs to trackballs.
Mar 20, 2026
Five keyboards worth typing on all day. From budget-friendly to ergonomic split designs, these are the best mechanical keyboards for software engineers who care about how their tools feel.
Mar 17, 2026
Ultrawide or dual monitors? After years with both setups, here's my honest breakdown of the best monitors for software development in 2026.
Mar 1, 2026
I tested the top noise-cancelling headphones for remote work — here's what actually blocks out kids, dogs, and leaf blowers while keeping you comfortable for 8-hour days.
Mar 1, 2026
After testing 5 standing desks over 3 years, here are the best options for developers who need stability, quiet motors, and enough space for multiple monitors.
Mar 1, 2026
Top 10 VS Code extensions for developer productivity in 2026. AI assistants, git tools, and quality-of-life improvements.
Feb 22, 2026