💾 Archived View for gem.saayaa.space › gemlog › 2023-03-13-new-tech-stack.gmi captured on 2023-03-20 at 17:43:03. Gemini links have been rewritten to link to archived content
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Having recently bought my first new computer in a long time, I thought it would be fun to go through all the different devices I use day-to-day.
My new computer is a Dell Latitude 5320. I decided on the Latitude because my previous computer, which was a Dell Latitude from 2011, had such a long life, worked well with Linux, and was a "hardy" laptop. My new computer has 16gb RAM with an intel i5. It's lightning quick compared to my previous machine and I'm loving it so far.
I installed Debian Stable with KDE Plasma. I chose Debian Stable because I'm familiar with it, and with this being my primary machine, it didn't want to have to "re-learn" too much right off the bat. However, I did switch from xfce to KDE Plasma. This is my first time using Plasma and I have to say it's slick as hell. Super customizable, looks great, and is super accessible. KRunner is soooo good and so far I've had no issues with Konsole.
Dell had a huge discount on this computer (67% off), so I figured I'd take those savings and buy something to round-out my whole set-up. I ended up buying a Dell Thunderbolt Dock. This dock is quite pricey but fits my needs perfectly. It has plenty of ports, delivers power to my laptop, and doesn't take up much room on my desk. It's a nice addition to my desk and makes it very easy for me to just unplug and go whenever I want.
I'll also mention that I got a "hand-me-down" 34-inch curved monitor. I used to have a dual monitor set-up so this was a slight change. However, after using this new jumbo monitor for a hot minute, I find I prefer it to the dual monitor setup. Having everything on one giant screen fits how I work better than two separate monitors. I also like expanding windows to fill the entire space, it feels so unnecessary but I giggle every time at the absurdity of it.
A while back I mentioned that I got a "new" tablet. It is a refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 from 2015. I looked for de-googled OSes I could possibly flash onto it, but unfortunately couldn't find any for this device. So instead I did the best I could deactivating all the Google applications pre-installed, removing permissions for those applications, and deactivating and removing permissions to google play.
I then downloaded f-droid and aurora store to get whatever apps I needed. I wanted to keep things really minimal so I didn't download many applications at all. I tried to install microg but that didn't work which was unfortunate.
The applications I use and recommend are:
In my continual attempt to use my phone less, I've taken to using my tablet to do casual scrolling and reading when I'm chilling on the couch. I use Fennec from F-Droid for my browsing and it works well.
This handy little device is perfectly sized for what I need and has enough horsepower to keep things running smoothly. I've even got it connected through KDEConnect (F-Droid) to send and receive whatever files I need. Overall very impressed by this device.
I'm not a gamer by any means, but I've been wanting to find a way to do at least _some_ gaming here and there. A while back I was reading all about PSPs and homebrew games on Kelbot's capsule and decided I should find my own 1st gen PSP, dust it off, and boot it up. After buying a new battery, I was easily able to load new custom firmware onto the thing and in no time I had a rejuvenated device.
I messed around with it for a while but eventually stopped using it. Fast-forward to this year and lo and behold I see Kelbot talking about his PSP on the fediverse, and I was back in. Because my device was already set-up, I wanted to be more purposeful and aware of how I was using it and what I actually enjoyed playing. After a couple weeks I checked back in with myself to reflect on my PSP gaming habits. What I realized was that I really enjoyed playing in short bursts throughout the day for like 10-15 minutes max. And the only game I wanted to play was Gran Turismo. Armed with that knowledge I just continued playing Gran Turismo in short bursts throughout the day, and I loved it! I'm even going to download more racing games to try.
Anyway, all that's to say I love the PSP. It's such an under appreciated device in my opinion. It's slick, works great, and has the juice to play some solid games.
There's nothing new with my phone but I thought I'd mention it anyway. It's a Pixel 4A with CalyxOS. I know over the last couple years there's been all this back-and-forth between CalyxOS and GrapheneOS, but I frankly don't care. I like CalyxOS a lot. Works great with pretty much everything. Some apps don't work but honestly I don't really need them so it's not affecting me too negatively.
I am starting to worry the updates for this model will come to an end soon. I'm starting to plan and think through how long I'll continue using it before acquiescing and buying a new device. I'm not thinking about it that hard, just something to keep in mind more than anything.
So ya, those are my everyday devices. One day I'm hoping to get one of the PDAs I have lying around up and running and finding a way to incorporate it into my tech stack. That would be really fun and interesting. But until then, I'll definitely keep tinkering with what I've got and if I do or find anything cool, I'll definitely share it with y'all :)