Desktop apps I use

Just like former MP Jacob Rees-Mogg showing the world that he doesn’t have a computer in his office, I too shall share my daily workflow. Unlike Mister Rees-Mogg, I know how to use a computer (most of the time).

All apps mentioned here are free and open source and most should be available in most Linux distro repositories.

Web browser

• Firefox: My day-to-day browser of choice, I use the ESR version which usually seems like the least enshittified version, but I’m certainly not happy with how Mozilla have been behaving.
• Lynx: The browser I use to read articles from my RSS reader. It does a great job of bypassing many of the annoyances of the modern web.
• Qutebrowser: I’ve been trying out Qutebrowser lately. Whilst I’m quite enjoying it, the lack of Ublock Origin level ad-blocking, as well as the lack of a in-built password manager are two factors I’m learning to work out.

Password manager

• KeePassXC: One of the best password managers around, it also comes with the package keepassxc-cli which is a command line interface for KeePassXC I’ve been getting used to using.

RSS reader

• Newsboat: I have used many, many RSS readers over the years, and this is by far my favourite. I’ve hooked it in to use the text-only browser Lynx to read articles which don’t publish full articles in the feed and it’s a very pleasant way to catch-up on the web. For those who want a GUI RSS reader, I can recommend NewsFlash. People have been recommending Newsraft but I haven’t got round to giving it a spin.

Graphics

• GIMP: I know many folks detest this for image editing, but it’s the first one I learnt to effectively use and I’ve become familiar with it. Whilst it may not be the best FOSS has to offer, it’s certainly good enough for me.
• Inkscape: I use Inkscape for all my vector-based graphics. It does everything that I need to do as is an excellent piece of FOSS software.
• Pixelorama: simple, intuitive pixel art tool, on Itch and Steam.
• Scribus: Fantastic desktop publishing package. I’ve used this for so many project, including, leaflets, magazines, and even a billboard once.

Video

• Kdenlive: I use the Kdenlive AppImage for all my video editing. It does everything I need and more.
• OBS (Open Broadcaster Software): Screen recorder and livestreaming software, very feature complete.
• SimpleScreenRecorder: Screen recorder, not as full-featured as OBS but a useful lighter recorder.