Software

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A closeup of a black and white cat image being edited in PenPot.
Penpot vs. Canva: Why I switched to a self-hosted alternative

I compared Canva and PenPot for design work and I have a few good reasons to stick to the open-source one.

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A Pixel 10 on a table with the Claude Logo open.
Claude now watermarks your generated text for instant detection

It could discourage slop, but privacy is an issue.

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Laptop screen showing Gmail in a web browser with a filter being applied.
I spent years organizing Gmail the hard way. Filters changed everything

Changing a few Gmail settings can clean up years of emails and create an inbox that manages itself.

Close up of a green and yellow gaming laptop RGB keyboard
5 excellent local LLM projects you can run for free on a slow laptop

As long as you keep it simple, even a slow laptop can run AI.

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An image with a laptop on a countertop next to a stack a books and an apple. The laptop is running AutoCAD..
Students can get these 4 expensive apps for free

Being a student can unlock free access to Microsoft 365, professional design tools, coding software, and other premium apps.

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A terminal window showing output from a program that has moved two files, with a macOS Finder window below showing their location.
This Python drop folder automatically organizes every file I download

Drop a file in a folder and have it processed automatically. It feels like magic, but it’s easy to set up—and there’s masses of further potential.

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Tux, the Linux mascot, using a laptop in front of Cinnamon desktop mountains logo.
5 apps new Linux users should install on day one

Installing Linux is only half the job—you've got to set it up to accommodate your workflow as well.

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A PC monitor with a Linux terminal open showing the FastFetch output for Fedora.
If I were starting over with Linux, here's why I'd choose Fedora

Why Fedora is a Linux dev's favorite, and the daily driver of Linus himself.

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File Converter open in Windows 11 right-click context menu.
File Converter is the right-click menu upgrade every Windows user should install

File Converter makes a daily chore a two-click activity instead.

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How to geek as a doc running on Nextcloud
3 subscription services I killed by moving everything into Nextcloud

I killed Dropbox, Notion, and Google Photos with one self-hosted app.

Laptop screen showing a messy Excel worksheet and the Copilot pane open on the right.
I thought Copilot would clean up my messy Excel spreadsheet—it had other ideas

A simple prompt revealed Copilot's strengths as an auditor but its weaknesses as a spreadsheet cleaner.

Gemma 4 running on a monitor
Gemma 4 and Qwen 3.6 aren't competing—they're solving completely different problems

Your choice between Gemma 4 and Qwen 3.6 depends entirely on where your code runs.

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A Home Assistant notification stating that the black trash cans are by the front door as determined by LLM Vision.
I turned my security cameras into AI assistants with this open-source tool

LLM Vision can analyze the content of your videos.

A safe with some files and a cloud icon with a padlock and an 'x'.
5 things I never back up to the cloud

Cloud storage is convenient, but it's not the safest place for everything

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The CLI for the rembg background removal tool.
I replaced Photoshop's AI background remover with this free open-source alternative

One more subscription service gone for good.

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Four resumes open in spilt screen on my ultrawide monitor.
I had Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini build my resume—our recruiter told me this one was the best

People are using AI to create resumes to get hired. But is it a good idea? And if so, what's the best tool for the job?

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A USB C cord on a table
You shouldn't trust gas station USB cables, and I tested one with this free app to prove it
USB

I tested a gas station charging cable with Ampere to show how the quality is worse.

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Laptop screen showing an Excel table being sorted by a customized list.
Years later, this is still one of my most-used Excel tools

Excel's old-school Custom Lists feature still solves modern problems by automating entries and customizing sorting.

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A Kubuntu Focus laptop screen with the Yakuake terminal emulator for Linux visible and an APT package manager ugprade in progress.
I spent 15 years memorizing terminal commands the hard way—here’s what actually works

If you’re a beginner, it may take years before you encounter these simple tricks. In five minutes, I can make you better.

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A Raspberry Pi in a case lying on top of a Beelink Mini S12 Pro mini PC.
These 5 self-hosted apps run great on your Raspberry Pi—until they don't

Before long, you're going to want to upgrade.

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