What I actually use every day.

These are the tools and gadgets I use for real work (and not just to look productive).

Workstation

  • 13” MacBook Air, M1, 8GB RAM (2021)

    I do all my development yes, even .NET Core on a MacBook Air M1. No, it’s not a ‘pro’ machine, but honestly, I’ve never hit a wall. Everything runs in Linux Docker containers, not Windows, which is exactly how .NET Core is meant to be used. Bonus: It’s quiet and battery life is unbeatable.

  • iPad 9th Gen as a second display

    I use an iPad Air 9 as a second screen for my Mac yes, you can do that! Macs have a built-in feature (Sidecar) that lets you use your iPad as an extended or mirrored display. Extended mode is way more practical; mirroring is just for presentations or showing off.

    It works *shockingly* well, even wirelessly no cable required. You can plug in with Lightning if you want, but honestly, wireless is just as solid. Fun fact: you don’t even need both devices on the same Wi-Fi network, they can connect directly.

    One note: I’d recommend using a newer, less “boxy” iPad (the ones with slimmer bezels and a more modern aspect ratio) it’s more comfortable for coding and general use. But if you’ve already got a 9th gen lying around, it works just fine!

Development tools

  • JetBrains Rider

    Rider is my go-to IDE for .NET. If you’re on macOS, there’s literally nothing that comes close. Visual Studio for Mac? Let’s not talk about that good riddance. Rider is fast, stable, has real Docker integration, and never makes me wish I was on Windows.

  • JetBrains DataGrip

    My default SQL client for any database Postgres, SQL Server, whatever. It’s smart, quick, and beats every “native” tool I’ve tried. Once you get used to it, everything else feels like using Notepad.

  • Azure Storage Explorer

    The easiest way to deal with Azure blobs, queues, and tables. Cross-platform, no nonsense, just works. Saves hours if you’re working with any kind of Azure storage.

Text Editor

  • Vim (not Nano)

    A little PSA for fellow devs: if you’re still using Nano, no judgment! But do yourself a favor and try vi or vim at least once you might even like it. (And yes, there’s always :q! when you get stuck 😅)
    Seriously, Vim’s everywhere, and once you learn a couple shortcuts, you’ll wonder how you lived without it. But hey, if Nano makes you happy, you do you! ✌️

    Fun fact: when I was 14, I was one of those people who literally pulled the power cord out of the socket after getting stuck in vi.