Tools
Honest reviews of software we actually ran. We name what we uninstalled and the free thing that beat it.
entr: the honest review
The one-line file-watcher that reruns your tests on save. Free. Verdict: keep it, but remember it...
ncdu vs gdu: the honest review
Two arrow-key disk browsers that don't just draw the picture — they let you delete inside it. The...
choose: the honest review
The kinder cut/awk for grabbing columns. Free, cargo-only. Verdict: keep it for interactive one-l...
DuckDB: the honest review
The analytics database that's just a file: pip install, no server, SQL straight off a CSV. Free. ...
yq: the honest review
jq for YAML, if you can figure out which of the two identically-named yqs you got. Free. Verdict:...
gron: the honest review
The anti-jq: make JSON greppable with plain grep. Free. Verdict: keep it next to jq, mind the arr...
duf: the honest review
The df replacement that boxes your disks into pretty tables. Free. Verdict: great for a quick 'wh...
pip-audit: the honest review
The dependency scanner that catches genuinely known-vulnerable versions fast, then floods you wit...
hexedit: the honest review
The hex editor hexyl can't be. It actually writes bytes. Free. Verdict: keep it for hand-editing ...
procs: the honest review
The ps replacement that searches by keyword and draws a readable table. Free. Verdict: keep it fo...
dust: the honest review
The du replacement that draws a tree. Free. Verdict: keep it for hunting disk hogs, but learn why...
hexyl: the honest review
The xxd/hexdump replacement that paints bytes by category. Free. Verdict: keep it for reading bin...
hyperfine: the honest review
The command-line benchmarking tool that measures repeatably and warns loudly. Free. Verdict: keep...
sd: the honest review
The friendlier sed for search-and-replace. Free. Verdict: keep it, but respect the in-place defau...
delta: the honest review
The syntax-highlighting pager that makes git diffs readable. Free. Verdict: keep it, but the inst...
zoxide: the honest review
The cd replacement that jumps by 'frecency'. Free. Verdict: a real upgrade that only pays off aft...
eza: the honest review
The ls replacement with colors, a git column, and a tree mode. Free. Verdict: a daily upgrade — l...
bat: the honest review
The cat replacement with syntax highlighting. Free. Verdict: great for reading, learn its two sur...
fd: the honest review
The find replacement with sane defaults. Free. Verdict: keep it, but learn what it hides on purpose.
jq: the honest review
The JSON tool you paste and pray. Free. Verdict: keep it, learn five filters, and quote it right.
fzf: the honest review
A fuzzy finder that quietly rewires Ctrl-R, Ctrl-T, and Alt-C. Free. Verdict: wire up the shell b...
ripgrep: the honest review
Faster search, sane defaults, one surprising default. Free. Verdict: install it today.
Note-taking apps: a to-do list with a subscription, reviewed
Three apps, one verdict, and the markdown folder that quietly outscored all of them.
The VS Code extensions I actually keep installed (and the...
Not 23 extensions. The handful that survive a clean reinstall, plus the CLI one-liner to put them...
VS Code as a Python research IDE: conda envs, Jupyter cel...
A free editor that runs cells, stops on breakpoints, and finds the wrong Python by default. Verdi...