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Ask HN: Dev productivity tools you would pay for

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Re: Ask HN: Dev productivity tools you would pay for

#82
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bear.app is close to my ideal app, but since it only works on Apple devices, I have a hard time committing to it. The built in Apple-made Notes.app is inferior in almost all aspects but there is a web interface I can use when I'm on Linux or Windows.

Obsidian works well on all systems. It has folders, markdown notes, and cloud sync. Switched to it from Bear because of Linux and quite happy.

Oh my god. Thanks!!

Re: Ask HN: Dev productivity tools you would pay for

#83

I received a Kinesis keyboard in the mail today - maybe not what OP had in mind but my hand issues were to the point of contemplating leaving computer work. Not sure how much it’ll change with the new keyboard - but my response is ergonomics.

also get a vertical mouse, best $30 buck you'll ever spend

Trackball > vertical for me. I got a Kensington expert. The ball is almost as big as a billiards ball

Re: Ask HN: Dev productivity tools you would pay for

#84

Kagi Search search engine. Unless I’m doing “food near me” type searches, Kagi is 100x better than the garbage heap Google is now. Then Jetbrains. Then one of the ProtonMail subscriptions although I only use the mail and sometimes the VPN for streaming. I still use gmail too mostly for junk mail/signups/loyalty programs but I wanted to support an email service that’s not Google and Fastmail wasn’t doing it for me. Be…

I thought Kagi was a payment processor. Did they pivot?

Re: Ask HN: Dev productivity tools you would pay for

#85

I received a Kinesis keyboard in the mail today - maybe not what OP had in mind but my hand issues were to the point of contemplating leaving computer work. Not sure how much it’ll change with the new keyboard - but my response is ergonomics.

I have an Advantage Pro. 100% this is one of the things I’d spend money on again.

I’ve had it for 10 years now. I’ve been looking at the 360 lately, but just because Im curious. The one I have still works great.

Re: Ask HN: Dev productivity tools you would pay for

#86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

also get a vertical mouse, best $30 buck you'll ever spend

Trackball > vertical for me. I got a Kensington expert. The ball is almost as big as a billiards ball

I also am a trackball user.

Trackman wheel > m570 > Kensington expert.

I’ve tried vertical ones, but it’s just not the same.

Re: Ask HN: Dev productivity tools you would pay for

#87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

interesting, had considered it but hadn't heard much pros about it. does it work well with mac? use a magic mouse at the moment

I revert back to my Magic Mouse because I love the touch gestures, but most can be recreated with vertical mouse. I use the Logitech one, it's nice, but the 1 or 2 finger gestures on the Magic Mouse are too nice and can't be replicated on any other mouse, I always revert back to it. I actually rotate the Magic Mouse, Magic Trackpad and Logitech mx vertical, usually last a few weeks or a month before switching to anot…

I have a trackpad on the left and a trackball on the right. I’m right handed, so I use the mouse for most, but when I need a gesture, the trackpad is there.

Has been working great for years.

Re: Ask HN: Dev productivity tools you would pay for

#88

If on a Mac, most of mine have been mentioned... I would add Better Touch Tool. I use it to launch apps and trigger actions in apps from a global context. I things mapped to the function keys and also presses on areas of the Trackpad. So for example, regardless of what app I'm using at the time, f19 will pop a new iterm window on my monitor that has focus. Ctrl and a numpad key will set the brightness of the monitor…

For windows, I use

cmd+ctrl+alt+left arrow for left half

cmd+ctrl+alt+right arrow right half

cmd+ctrl+alt+up arrow for maximize

cmd+ctrl+alt+down arrow for centering

cmd+ctrl+alt+1/2/3 for thirds

cmd+ctrl+alt+q/p/z/‘/‘ for top left/top right/bottom left/bottom right

There’s a few others, but these are the ones I use the most.

Re: Ask HN: Dev productivity tools you would pay for

#89

iTerm 2, basic Creative Cloud even though I rarely use it, MDN. I'm transitioning from Sublime to VSCode but I'll probably pay for future versions of Sublime because I really like it. I will probably pay for ChatGPT. I don't think it's super useful yet but if it saves me just a few minutes a month that's worth $10 to me easy.

For what it’s worth, instead of googling random code structures or coking up with small functions, I just use chatgpt since I can prompt it for exactly what I want.

I copy it, try it, and just refine it if needed. Sometimes it’s not 100% there, but I just tell it ‘method x doesn’t exist, is there an alternative’ and it just spits out another way or method. It’s been great.

Re: Ask HN: Dev productivity tools you would pay for

#90
post #37

Wallaby.js is so nice for instant as you type evaluation of unit tests. Its magical and improves my productivity immensely. Vitamin R is a great hack for the ADHD brain.

Wallaby.js is a no-brainer tool for writing frontend unit tests. I see a lot of people at work struggle with unit testing. For the productivity boost it gives, it's easily worth the cost.
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