Software I use in 2025

Because I like lists!

A note, to start: My Mac Studio has largely sat idle or even powered off for most of 2025. I’m not sure why, exactly, but at some point I just found I didn’t enjoy using macOS anymore. It could be as simple as I’m much more used to the things that annoy me on Windows. Whatever the case, I will not be including Mac software below.

I will also not be listing any phone apps.

What I will be listing:

  • Software I use in Windows 11
  • Software I use in Linux Mint
  • Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) I use in both (or even the Mac, should I turn it back on)

Windows 11

  • Browser: Firefox. Backup: Vivaldi.
  • Diary/Journal: Diarium
  • Tasks: TickTick
  • Email: Fastmail (I use the web-based version)
  • Blogging: WordPress (I have tried many alternatives, none have stuck so far)
  • Text Editor: This is complicated. I can’t make up my mind, so I’m dabbling with all of these to varying degrees:
    • Obsidian
    • Notepad (built-in Windows app)
    • Notepad++
    • Zed
  • Messaging: Signal
  • Group chat: Discord
  • Social media: I am only on Mastodon now, I use the Phanpy web app as the client.
  • Music: The built-in Windows Media Player
  • Word Processor: I don’t use one much these days, but when I do, it’s LibreOffice Writer.
  • Fiction writing, with the caveat that I haven’t done much for the past few years:
    • Scrivener
    • novelWriter
  • Photo editing:
    • Affinity Photo
    • Photos (the built-in app)
    • Luminar Neo
  • Drawing: I do this on a tablet now, so nothing here
  • Audio editing: Audacity (I rarely do audio editing, though)
  • Video editing: DaVinci Resolve (I rarely do video editing)
  • RSS reader: Good question! I keep flipping through a bunch.
  • Read later: Folio (browser extension for Firefox)

The apps listed above that are paid:

  • Diarium (one-time purchase through the Microsoft Store)
  • TickTick (optional yearly subscription to open more features)
  • Affinity Photo (one-time purchase. This was before Affinity Studio launched, which is completely free but gates AI features behind a Canva subscription)
  • Luminar Neo (one-time purchase)
  • Scrivener (one-time purchase)

Linux Mint

  • Browser: Firefox. Backup: Vivaldi.
  • Diary/Journal: Zed
  • Tasks: TickTick (web version, as no native Linux version exists)
  • Email: Fastmail (I use the web-based version)
  • Blogging: WordPress
  • Text Editor: This is complicated. I can’t make up my mind, so I’m dabbling with all of these to varying degrees:
    • Obsidian
    • Sublime Text
    • Zed
  • Messaging: Signal
  • Group chat: Discord
  • Social media: I am only on Mastodon now, I use the Phanpy web app as the client.
  • Music: Rhythmbox (included with Mint). Backup: VLC Player.
  • Word Processor: LibreOffice Writer (included with Mint)
  • Fiction writing, with the caveat that I haven’t done much for the past few years:
    • Scrivener (I have the Windows version running through Lutris)
    • novelWriter
  • Photo editing:
    • Pix (included with Mint)
  • Drawing: I do this on a tablet now, so nothing here
  • Audio editing: Audacity (I rarely do audio editing, though)
  • Video editing: I have not done this on Mint.
  • RSS reader: Newsflash
  • Read later: Folio (browser extension for Firefox)

As you can see, there is a lot of overlap with Windows, which shows how much Linux software has matured in recent years. The one place I feel it lags is in photo/graphics editing (no, I will not use Gimp, the interface just repels me, for some reason1Also, they really should just change the name.).

Paid programs in Linux Mint are the same as Windows.

I think I covered all major categories, but if I’ve forgotten something, I’ll edit it in later.

Run 983: New shoes, same old feet

Brunette River, pre-run: mid-fall colours.

A few days ago, I got some Peregrine 15s to replace my increasingly hole-ridden ASICs. They are probably the most reserved-looking runners I’ve had in a while:

Which is fine by me, I don’t mind flashy shoes, but I don’t need them. They definitely feel more cushiony than the ASICs and have toothier lugs, which might come handy during the wet season that will last the next six months, but feel like six years.

Speaking of wet, I didn’t run yesterday because it was raining so hard in the morning and I didn’t have time in the afternoon. I timed my run for this morning when rain was least likely. I was 3/5th right! More precisely, it started to lightly sprinkle around the 3.5 km mark. ?The real rain waited for the walk back, so yay, sort of.

The new shoes were fine. I may have tied them too tight, but they otherwise seemed solid and comfy in that “don’t really notice them” way, which is my preference for trail runners. I find if I notice my shoes when running, it’s usually not for a good reason.

I started out at what I thought was a moderate pace, but turned out to be 5:30/km. I had no idea I was moving this fast, but my body apparently did, because my pace collapse to 4:48/km for the second km before falling into a faster cadence for the remainder and an overall pace of 5:39/km. It was mild and I felt slightly overdressed with two layers, but once the rain started, I think it was the better choice.

There were no issues on the run and only a few other people out, thanks to the dismal gray weather. I did not have to dodge any salmon today.

Now I need to decide if I want to run again tomorrow, as I very rarely run on consecutive days. I will ponder.

Brunnete River, post-run. Opposite direction of the first photo above.

Stats:

Run 983
Average pace: 5:39/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 10:20 a.m.
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 28:27
Weather: Clouds, some light showers
Temp: 11°C
Humidity: 90%
Wind: light
BPM: 147
Weight: 164.6 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,745 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: Saucony Peregrine 15 (5/4/9)

Music: Shuffle mode

I got new shoes and took a picture

Not of the shoes, but of False Creek, as I was there a few days ago. The weather was very pleasant, so I took the time to stroll the area after acquiring said shoes (Peregrine 15s, for running, which feel nice and cushy as new shoes should).

False Creek, with downtown Vancouver and BC Place Stadium in view.

Run 982: A few records and dry shoes

View from Cariboo Dam, pre-run: Mostly clear at this point, and very calm.

I headed out a little later than usual today for no real reason, just a slower start. The weather was around 10C and blessedly, there was no rain in the forecast. I wore two layers, despite little wind, but this still seemed the right choice, as there is a definite chill to the air now. The sun sort of poked out a few times, but it was mostly high cloud.

I was prepared to do my usual bear-avoidance at the lake by sticking to the north side, but another runner headed off clockwise along the south shore just before I started. I figured he could be my bear detector and so I also headed off clockwise for the first time in a while.

When I got the report that conditions were +9 at the 1K mark, I was surprised, but I did have a good opening lap at 5:36/km. I lagged slightly on the next km, then got progressively faster, with another 5:32/km overall finish.

Even better, I broke my 1K and 5K records again (for the Garmin Forerunner 255), as observed below (highlights are mine):

I’m well past the point of trying to get a PR, but it’s still nice when it happens.

The only issue I experienced were my left toes feeling a bit sore, ironically from a massage last night.

Other than that and a few more people because I was out a little later and the weather was benign for a change, it was a fine start to the week.

Still Creek, post-run: So very still.

Stats:

Run 982
Average pace: 5:32/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 11:26 a.m.
Distance: 5.05 km
Time: 27:55
Weather: High cloud and veiled sun
Temp: 10°C
Humidity: 77%
Wind: light
BPM: 142
Weight: 165.1 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,740 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (335/703/1,038)

Music: Savage, Eurythmics

The promise of computing, the reality

The first two paragraphs of the Mastodon post below resonate with me–my first computer was an Atari 400, but my second and “real” computer (the 400 was basically a gaming machine) was a Commodore 64. And I had an Amiga, too. The C64 and Atari 400 were completely offline, my Amiga and Atari ST connected to BBSes via 33.6 baud modem. It wasn’t until I had my first PC that I ventured out onto the internet at large, but even then, circa 1996 or so, the whole world of computers, rapidly evolving in performance and capabilities, still held such tremendous promise. I had absolutely no conception of how it might all be turned against us and exploited by capitalist companies more interested in earning ever-expanding profits, no matter the cost to the world, or the individual. I just enjoyed it in the moment, whether it was doodling with a Koalapad on my C64, writing short stories using ProWrite on my Amiga, or discovering weird blogs on my Windows 98 PC. Or starting my own weird blog (this one, to be specific).

datarama on Mastodon:

@Tattie I think one of the reasons I never really got into retrocomputing – despite nerding out with a C64 or an Amiga sure did feel a lot more fun than computing in the current day – is that what made it feel so great back then was that it felt like I could just make out the contours of the future, and it looked like it would be amazing. So much creativity waiting to be unlocked! We’d make kinds of art not even conceived yet! We’d be making wonderful discoveries!

Now I live in that future, and it fucking sucks. The fruit of all those great discoveries have turned out to be mostly figuring out new ways to spy on people and manipulate them – and now, to declare all-out war against even the concept of human creativity. My C64 still runs (I no longer have a working Amiga), but playing around with it won’t bring back that feeling of a promised future of wonders – all I see is that it turned out to become a present full of horrors instead.

I’m sure part of all this – from a purely personal perspective – is just that I’ve hit the point where I’m supposed to be having my regularly-scheduled midlife crisis. “Did I waste my entire life?” sure does feel to fit the stereotype. I’ve thought about trying to retrain to do something else, but I honestly have no idea what that could even be. I’m disabled, I’m getting old, and there’s not a whole lot I can do that anyone would want to pay me for that isn’t related to software development. (I’m currently an embedded dev; prior to that I taught CS at a community college for ten years.)— datarama (@datarama@hachyderm.io)

I still dabble in retrocomputing and gaming, not because I have any illusions about things being better back then. They were simpler, and that had its own charm, but mostly it’s just straight-up nostalgia for being younger, and for the technology I geeked out on so much growing and improving year after year, with the possibilities of that growth suggesting so many great things to come–even if that fantastic tomorrow ultimately never arrived. Instead, we got Facebook and AI slop. 😛 This isn’t to downplay all the technological advances in computing since the 1980s and 90s, of course. I love great graphics as much as the next person, it’s just a shame so much of it is done now in service of garbage.

But you know what? It’s also not just nostalgia, it’s about looking back on a time when people wanted to make money off computer hardware and software, of course, but many also cared about providing a quality experience, whether it was through improvements to a word processor, a great sequel to a favourite game or better specs on the hardware that made everything run a little bit smoother. And as I noted in my recent reminisce on software stores, we used to have what now seems like a crazy number of not just operating systems, but dedicated hardware for each OS, and many companies–that today wouldn’t think of doing more than developing an app only for iOS (with IAP, ads, or both)–would release a game or program on five different platforms, because none of them were truly dominant (the PC won out in the end, of course).

Some still carry on that spirit of just wanting to make good things (and sometimes make money from it) from the early days of computing–indies, mainly–so it’s not completely gone. We just need to choose what and who we support, to keep the things we valued back in the early days from disappearing.

Happy Halloween 2025 (I guess?)

UPDATE: Someone has indeed managed to set off fireworks. Persistence! I also remembered that stores will be playing Christmas music non-stop for nearly two months, starting tomorrow. This makes me wish Halloween lasted longer.

And good luck trying to set off fireworks in New Westminster tonight, with the ongoing deluge of rain.

Also, here’s a neighbour who is into the spirit (or bones) of the holiday:

Weight loss report, October 2025: Up 3.1 pounds

Yes, it looks bad, like I’ve been secretly eating donuts. But I have remained donut-free.

What happened is: Bodies are weird, and I gained two pounds in the last two days. Has my diet (as in eating regime, not a fad diet) gone off the rails? No, but these things happen, anyway.

Bad: Body fat is over 25% again (I have not remained 100% snack-free)

Good: Muscle mass is up! Probably entirely in my calves, my very sexy calves.

I think I can still get below 160 pounds before the end of the year. I won’t have long to find out!

January 1, 2025: 166.8 pounds

Current: 165.8 pounds
Year to date: Down 1.0 pounds

October 1: 162.7 pounds
October 31: 165.8 pounds (up 3.1 pounds)

Body fat: 
October 1: 24.5%
October 31: 25.3% (up 0.8%)

Skeletal muscle mass:
October 1: 29.2 kg
October 31: 29.5 kg (up 0.3 kg)

BMI:
October 1: 23.3
October 31: 23.7 (up 0.4)

Historical: January 1, 2022: 182.8 pounds

Run 981: The rain and the salmon

Brunette River, pre-run: All the rain.

I tried waiting to see if the rain would ease up, but finally came to the realization that it would not, and headed out around 12:30 p.m. I wore two layers, the second being my running jacket, which I figured would keep me from getting completely soaked all the way through. It worked, barely.

The best thing I can say is that it was relatively mild at 10C, though the rain added a fun layer of chill (I checked after and they “upgraded” today’s weather to an official Rainfall Warning).

As usual, the hood would not stay on, so I just let it flop around. I kept my phone in the belt, which was a better place than a jacket pocket, as it would have gotten a lot more wet there.

It was an Omega Man run–I did not see anyone else over the course of the entire 5 km, a good illustration of how unpleasant the weather was. Even the dog owners were turning to their pugs and saying, “You can go pee on the front lawn today.”

I did have to dodge a salmon, which laid conspicuously in my path around the 4.5 km mark. It as curiously intact, which makes me further wonder how it got onto the trail. But dead salmon tell no tales.

The wayward salmon, now an ex-salmon.

Surprisingly, despite the yucky conditions, I finished with a nearly-identical pace to Wednesday’s run, only one second off at 5:42/km. I lagged on the second km, so if I had maintained there, I would have actually been faster than the previous run. My BPM was also 144. Maybe it gets lower when I resign myself to the conditions.

In any case, I’m glad I kept to the schedule and ran, but it would be nice if the next run was a bit more on the dry side. And with fewer salmon.

Stats:

Run 981
Average pace: 5:42/km
Training status: Maintaining
Location: Brunette River Trail
Start: 12:58 p.m.
Distance: 5.02 km
Time: 28:37
Weather: Steady rain
Temp: 10°C
Humidity: 86%
Wind: light
BPM: 144
Weight: 165.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 6,735 km
Devices: Garmin Forerunner 255 Music, iPhone 12, AirPods (3rd generation)
Shoes: ASICS Trabuco Terra 2 (330/690/1,020)

Music: Shuffle mode