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Updating My Defaults

English Defaults Apps Mac

Rereading the previous list of my default apps, I realized that, in fact, the ones on record are not, really, my default apps anymore. I’m a bit obsessive about this, I’ve probably mentioned it before, and however much more stable I feel about it compared to a few years ago, this list has far too many things that no longer reflect the current state of how I use my Mac. Here I’m listing the apps I’ve changed, and I’ll correct the list as a reminder for the future. Who knows about next year.

  • Mail Server: for a few months now I’ve switched, with fair satisfaction, to Infomaniak email. It’s a Swiss hosting provider, affordable, mindful of privacy (not in the “anonymity” sense that Proton rides on) and of features. The web app works very well, as do the mobile ones; the macOS one leaves something to be desired.

  • Mail Client: on macOS I use the web app, while for iOS and iPadOS I use the mobile apps. I have the same mail configured on Mail.app too, partly because every now and then I like to give it another chance – which it punctually fails to live up to – and partly to get notifications without having to constantly open the web page.

  • Notes: I’ve officially, and serenely, and decisively gone back to Bear. My notes are safe, on Apple’s cloud, and I still lick the display every time I use it. Is it limited, compared to more celebrated alternatives? Yes, probably, but that’s not my problem. For work, instead, I use Obsidian, set up as a second brain with an LLM supporting me in managing my complicated tangle of information. I use the PARA method – slightly customized – on both tools.

  • To-Do: I confirm Todoist, even though for a few months I’d switched back to Things 3. But there’s no history.

  • Cloud File Storage: I use Infomaniak’s kDrive which, surprisingly, is much faster than iCloud on mobile – where I care more about quick access to files. It has a client that syncs with macOS too, and plenty of space. Work files, instead, live on OneDrive.

  • RSS: SmartRSS as client (I wrote about it here), FreshRSS as server (and I wrote about that here).

  • Browser: Safari for personal stuff, Microsoft Edge for work.

  • Bookmarks: Bear, definitely.

  • Read It Later: Bear, but I’ve decided to use the power of postponing a read less and less, because in fact I (almost) never get back to it.

  • Password Management: 1Password (ta-dah!). I tried it a few months ago and, despite the price, I fell in love with it. It’s worth what it costs, no way around it. For work passwords (for the companies I manage), instead, Bitwarden with a self-hosted server.

  • Code Editor: increasingly Visual Studio Code, but every now and then I try to give Lumide a chance.

More, outside the original list

  • LLM: I use Claude, with satisfaction. Every now and then I give Google’s Gemini a shot, but Anthropic, marketing or not, is the one that inspires a bit more trust in me.

  • Terminal: for a few months now I’ve been using Terax. I don’t feel the need for anything else.

  • (S)FTP Client: Cyberduck.

  • Ad-Blocker: NextDNS.

  • Maps: even though, every now and then, I try not to be disappointed by Apple Maps, I don’t think anyone can beat Google Maps; I also often use Waze, on routes I already know, for traffic directions.