Like a lot of computer users I tend to wonder if some other app or service is one step closer to making my life easier in some fashion. The answer is: almost always no. But I have been a kick lately of trying different browsers and that, in particular, led me to re-think how I approach software. And why it’s so frustrating there are sometimes so few good options.
The most ethical browser (ish)
As part of testing my ARM-based Surface Pro 11 I used Edge for most of my browsing. It’s a pretty good browser. The split pane feature and the ability to install any site, not just those that offer it, as a PWA of sorts is compelling. These two features alone are worth using Edge. And Edge has obvious battery benefits for PC users.
But. It’s Microsoft’s browser and I don’t think anyone gets inherently excited about using that. This is the bummer we face today with operating systems. You can get Microsoft and their monopolistic practices. Or Apple and they’re monopolistic practices. Or Linux, which is a virtual non-starter for everyone.
So I started looking at other browsers to test the battery life. Turns out, it’s not noticeable. You can use Brave, or Firefox, or Vivaldi, or probably a bunch of others. They’re fine. Use what you like.
But I landed on Firefox for two compelling reasons:
- I like supporting the underdog and,
- It’s the only one I feel like I trust.
To be clear, all these browsers hoover in telemetry data. There are some settings you can disable, and Firefox lets you turn them all off. Brave does, too, and has the benefit of being the only browser “out of the box” that scores well on privacy protections without needing additional plugins like uBlock or Privacy Badger. But the guy behind it is homophobic and in bed with crypto bros, so that’s problematic.
But Firefox has generally led the way on ethical, honest browsing practices. There are quibbles, to be sure, like their recent issues with ad networks and having taken large, financially dependent sums of money from Google to be the default search engine. For me, the relatively slower page load and paltry market share aren’t deal-breakers in functionality, and I like the ethos of the company.
Honest note-taking
Obsidian is a clear winner here. Each file lives locally on your disk. The project is open-source, and every file (or note, in Obsidian parlance) just a simple markdown text file, it’s very honest and simple.
The problem with Obsidian is the same problem that impacts most open source software: it’s just plain ugly. There are themes and skins but it’s all fiddly. Like how you can’t sync what plugins you’re using. You just have to remember them so three years from now when you get a new computer it resets.
Notion is fiddly and very proprietary.
Craft is fiddly and also very proprietary.
Both Notion and Craft require a level of poking and prodding I’ve never seen in any UI system before. Nothing moves, behaves, or sits like I expect it to. The distinction between Pages and Databases are, at best, indicated by right-click contextual menus.
Exporting from Craft or Notion gets you a bunch of files with syntax that makes no sense in any other system. Which is arguably terrible considering Notion is on a path to take over the world and Craft doesn’t know who its audience is from one day to the next.
So, Obsidian and it’s fussy, ugly formatting and lousy mobile app it is.
I get with Notion and Craft are so popular, though. They give the illusion of work by letting people “work on the list” instead of working “on” the list of tasks.
Hardware
No good choices here. I use a Surface Pro 11 because Apple thinks it’s better I own all their hardware. I want one device, and the Surface Pro delivers a pen, keyboard, mouse, and touch input on a computer with a 5G radio that’s as light as an iPad with the same battery life (thanks to the new ARM chips).
I don’t love Windows, or Microsoft, or this device. But neither do I love Apple or the constant frustration of doing anything on an iPad.
Fastmail is a solid choice if you like traditional IMAP-style email usable just about anywhere. Windows users are often stuck with Outlook, and while Fastmail works with Outlook, its calendaring and address book syncing services will not.
Me? I use HEY. I don’t love DHH and I sometimes think they’re a little twatty and weirdly opinionated about things that have no business in the workplace at all. But the system works well cross-platform and the email flow and rules it enforces work with my mind.
Fastmail is a better choice for most people, though.
Podcast apps
Overcast is made by an indie dev, so it’s what I use, even if that developer isn’t exactly some guy in a garage anymore. Marco has Tumblr money and lives a life that is far, far distant from the kind of everyday life I strive to live.
Audio/music streaming
Apple Music pays artists more than Spotify.
Spotify is not a $3T company like Apple.
I’m inclined to say Spotify, if only because it’s slightly more excusable that a company without Apple’s resources could define streaming music, pay anything at all, and still seems bent on playing David to Apple’s Goliath despite the fact Spotify has more active monthly users than Apple Music.
Project management
Since I use HEY, I use Basecamp, too, which is all by the same company. Despite the fact neither of these things talk to each other. There is no benefit to this. But I use Basecamp for one primary function NO other project management tool offers: I can add people as “clients” to my projects and they get automated emails anytime I comment, change anything, add anything, or mark any task as design. It’s a huge benefit for me not to have to email a whole separate thing about a slew of small bug fixes or otherwise technical matters.
I have come to appreciate some parts of Basecamp’s click-heavy nature because it forces me to spend time in it “for work” and it does not cloud my task lists “for home”. I used to use Things for everything, but that is siloed and not appropriate for teams. But it’s also cumbersome to sometimes have all your work tasks and home tasks bunched up together.
Design
This one is a terrible choice. Adobe is terrible. Affinity is now owned by Canva, and I dislike Canva because it’s apparent they’re going to take the same path as Adobe and be just as shitty about it.
I use Adobe. But I also teach classes on these tools, so I have my excuse.
