---
build_date: 2025-07-06 03:19:23+00:00
title: Uses This
link: https://leonid.belyaev.systems/uses-this.html
---


Tool use is everything and nothing. The most important thing is to get work done.

### i3 Window Manager
Fast, uses screen space effectively.
FOSS.

### Emacs Editor
Runs everywhere (GUI, TUI), highly extensible.
Used with evil-mode. Org-mode for personal organization pretty extensively.
FOSS.

### NixOS Operating System
Declaratively and centrally configured Linux distribution.
Contrast with Ansible, which is more imperative-brained, vs functional.
Useful for re-using configuration between systems, rollback stability.
Comes also with general build system, "flakes", with a focus on purity and reproducibility.
Technically source-based but purity and reproducibility means binary distribution "caching" is widespread.
FOSS.

### `lf` File Manager
Terminal-oriented, customizable, fast.
FOSS.

### ActivityWatch Automatic Time Tracker
Shows you what you do on the computer, without intervention on your part.
Plugins for browsers, editors. Some work on Android.
FOSS.

### Barrier IP KVM
I use this to switch between work and personal computers.
Cross-platform, although I only use it on NixOS.
FOSS.

### Zotero
Primarily billed as a reference/bibliography manager for researchers, but I use it mostly to read documents/books and take highlights on Linux.

### Netbird Mesh VPN
Self-hostable Mesh VPN solution.
Built on top of Wireguard, but with more advanced features like 2FA against an IDP and audit logs.
Clients for many operating systems, incl. Android.

### Requests

None at this time.