I was just reflecting on all the programs that I have discovered this year that have really improved my workflow/life and was wanting to share them, and to ask you all what programs are most useful to you?
For me it is:
Dopus - at the centre of most of my work (keeping records; reviewing documents etc.)
Workspacer - amazing open source windows management program. Allows me to have multiple clean workspaces (one per application) to avoid mental clutter. It also plays well with Switcheroo (a free window switching program). Alt Tab Terminator is another great window switcher but it doesn't play well with workspacer.
Obsidian - electron note taking app.I'm still learning it but it seems to have the most utility of any markdown app on windows. Sublime text is also a great notetaking app with less features (more for coding).
Iris (paid) screen brightness modifier (love that you can adjust brightness and level of blue light with hotkeys.
AHK - allow you to create hotkeys for pretty much anything. Helpful in programs like Zotero or Foxit which have terrible presets.
Tampermonkey - broswer add-on that allows you to modify webpages locally. Useful for websites that you have to use but that you would like to be slightly different (e.g. useful for modifying AI websites, github etc.)
Stickies: Notes on the desktop for quick reference; specific notes can be “attached” to windows (will open and close as attached window opens and closes)
BluetoothDevicePairing - console utility to pair Bluetooth devices. I have several laptops and need to connect my mouse and headset between them throughout the day. The utility allows me to automate it with a bat script instead of using the Windows UI.
I recently added Raycast for Windows to my workflow. The beta launched a few days ago, bringing the previously Mac-exclusive app to PC. It allowed me to immediately replace Command Palette, as Raycast natively handles features like currency conversion much better. The design is excellent and keeps improving.
I use a few calculator emulators.
They sure beat Microsoft's calculator
EMU48 emulates HP38G, HP39G, HP40G, HP48SX, HP48GX and HP49G calculators. There is also a version for Android.
Typically the 48GX is my go to calculator just because I have used them for so long.
HP's HP 35s emulator is great for fractions especially if you live in the US and have to work with non metric measurements.
There is also an emulator for the HP Prime .
This isn't the version you will find on the Microsoft store.
The HP Prime can be used in Algebraic mode rather than the traditional HP RPN mode.
RPN is like this. 2 ENTER 3 + and the stack displays 5 rather than 2 + 3 = .
There is also a version for Android.
