Favorite tools
Introduction
I’m a big tool fan boi. I love finding tools that either help make my life easier, more comfortable, or just cooler. So here’s a list of some of my favorite tools that I use on a daily basis.
LazyGit
I know I know, everyone has they’re preferred git and they aren’t likely to change it, and a terminal, keyboard-based, no mouse git client is a hard sell for most people. but hear me out!
Firstly, it’s incredibly quick. I can stage, commit, push, pull, and do everything else I need to do with git in a fraction of the time it would take me in the terminal.
Secondly, because it’s all in the terminal, I can do everything with my keyboard, and once you master all of the shortcuts, you’ll be flying through your git workflow.
Lastly, it’s just so damn pretty. I mean, look at it! It’s like a little game, and I love it. It makes me feel like a real hacker, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.
Xcodes
Yup, Xcodes, plural, not Xcode. This incredible tool help manage all of your Xcode installations. It’s a simple GUI that allows you to download, install, and switch between different versions of Xcode with ease. No more waiting 4 hours for a download from the App Store, no more downloading zip files and doing the hard work yourself. Just click a button, and you’re good to go. It helps as well that it’s insanely quick because it uses parallel downloading, so getting a version downloaded and installed is a matter of minutes, not hours.
In addition to all that, you can see your installed version AND installed platforms (like which iOS versions you’ve got), so you can clean up the ones you don’t use, and minimize a bit of the insane disk space that Xcode takes up.
Copilot for Xcode
The official Github plugin for copilot. I’ve used Copilot for Swift development before on VSCode, and it was nice but not particularly useful. But in Xcode, it’s a whole different story. It’s lightyears better than the apple intelligence one, in my opinion, and it really speeds up my development.
I think the main bit to have in mind when using it is - this is an assistant, not a boss. It’s there to help you, not to do the work for you. So use it as a tool, not as a crutch. So don’t expect to give it a prompt and have it spit out and entire functioning app, but do you need help with protocol conformance? It’s got you covered. Unit tests? east peasy. It’s a great tool, and I highly recommend it.
Raycast
Oh Raycast, my beloved Raycast. I’ve been using Raycast for a while now, and I can’t imagine my life without it. I know for a fact that i’m not even using it to it’s fullest potential, but even with the small amount that I do use, it’s a game-changer. I use it to quickly open meetings, search file, open apps, and even to do quick calculations. It’s like spotlight, but on steroids. As a matter of fact, I’ve disabled spotlight on my Mac because I never use it anymore.
Not only that, but the built-in paste board has changed my life completely and i don’t know how i ever lived without it. Honestly I cannot recommend Raycast enough, it’s a must-have for any Mac user.
Arc Browser
By now I’m sure most of you have heard of Arc. I know they’re a bit controversial at the moment, given that the CEO has announced that they’re not going to be adding and new features to it, but honestly? I don’t care.
I’ve been using Arc for about 18 months now, since i started working for a company that heavily realized on the Google suite ( think, Google Meet, Google Sheets etc), and a Chromium-based browser was a godsend.
I was a hated of the design first, but not only did it grow on me, I’m at a point where I can’t go back. The smart PR folder for all of my PR tabs, the pinned tabs, the key-board shortcuts (are you seeing a pattern here?), and the built-in ad blocker. It’s just so good.
Plus, it’s written in Swift, which is fun little tidbit that I love to tell people.
So if you haven’t tried Arc yet, I highly recommend it. It’s a great browser, and I’m sure you’ll love it. Or don’t. live your life. But you should try it.
Conclusion
These are just 5 of the tools I use on a daily basis, but there are a ton more than are just as good and cool but haven’t made the cut for this list, like iTerm, Bartender, CleanMyMac, and so many more, but these are the ones that I use every single day, and I can’t imagine my life without them. I’d love to hear what tools you use on a daily basis, and if you have any recommendations for me, so please let me know!