Mark Skelton

Software I use, gadgets I love, and other things I recommend.

I create software 40+ hours per week so having the right tools is important to me. Poor tools can result in lower productivity and increased health risk. Here’s a big list of all of my favorite stuff.

Workstation

  • 16” MacBook Pro, M1, 16GB RAM (2021)

    After several years of nursing along an old MacBook, I gave in an bought a new MacBook Pro. This machine is an absolute workhorse and I’ve yet to see the fans kick in. Oh yeah, and if you are considering an upgrade, the 16” is totally worth the extra money.

    apple.com

  • LG 4k Monitor (2x)

    Multiple monitors is the only way to go. Thanks to my work getting rid of some old monitors, I now have the best of both worlds with a large main monitor and a secondary monitor.

    lg.com

  • Kinesis Advantage 360 Pro Keyboard

    Ortholinear split keyboards are the way to go. While $450 looks like a lot on paper, it’s a small price for something that can save your wrist health and improve your productivity. After all, if you are using your keyboard for 8+ hours a day, shouldn’t it be good?

    kinesis-ergo.com

  • Logitech MX Master 3S Mouse

    Not being a gamer, having a fancy mouse seemed like something I wouldn’t do, but I decied to try it to improve ergonimics and efficency, and now there is no turning back. This mouse has by far the greatest scroll wheel I’ve ever used.

    logitech.com

  • Autonomous SmartDesk Core

    I love my standing desk. So much easier to work when I can alternate between sitting and standing, and Autonomous is really high quality for the price.

    autonomous.ai

  • Autonomous ErgoChair Pro

    While certainly as fancy as a Herman Miller chair, this chair get’s the job done and is much better than the kitchen chair I used for three years.

    autonomous.ai

Development tools

  • Neovim

    I used to be a VS Code fanboy, but after using Vim motions for over a year, I switched to Neovim. Not the best tool for beginners, but if you are like me and enjoy spending hours tweaking and improving your Neovim configuration, it’s a great tool.

    neovim.io

  • Kitty

    A “blazingly fast” terminal emulator that works very well with my workflow. Easily configurable with code which makes it much superior to the default macOS terminal.

    sw.kovidgoyal.net

  • Tmux

    Not long into my career, I found that blue light was not great when starring at a computer for long periods of time. While there are built-in night modes on Mac, I find the customization of Flux hard to beat.

    github.com

Productivity

  • 1Password

    By far the best password manager on the market. Totally worth the small price for the security and functionality it provides.

    1password.com

  • Raycast

    I used to use Alfred as a Spotlight replacement, but when Raycast came on the scene, it was a simple decision to switch. Highly extensible thanks to their extension API.

    raycast.com

  • Taskwarrior

    Since I began my transition to Vim, I started to become a terminal junkie. Taskwarrior is an impressive CLI that let’s you manage your todo list entirely from the command line with tons of powerful features.

    taskwarrior.org

  • Shottr

    A better macOS screenshot tool. Not much more to be said, it’s just straight up awesome.

    shottr.cc