Setting up a brand new laptop is one of my favorite rituals as a developer. It’s like moving into a new apartment — everything is clean, minimal, and full of possibilities. This time in 2025, I decided to document every tool, app, and extension I installed — partly so I can repeat it in the future, partly so I can share it with anyone building their own developer machine.
🌐 Browsers#
A good browser is more than a window to the internet — it’s a workspace.
I use browsers for development, research, and productivity, so they need to be fast, customizable, and privacy-friendly.
Firefox#
Firefox #linux #windows #macos
This is my daily driver. Open-source, privacy-focused, and with extension support that’s second to none. Plus, it looks great when customized.
🔌 Browser Extensions#
Tools
- AdBlocker Ultimate #firefox – Keeps my web pages clean and clutter-free. No exceptions, no whitelists.
- Enpass #linux #windows #macos #android – My password vault. I like it because I control where the data lives — cloud, WebDAV, or offline.
Productivity
- Raindrop.io #android #web – My bookmark brain. Neat collections, tags, and sync across devices.
- Karakeep #android #web – My self-hosted “read-it-later” list.
- Todoist #android #web – Keeps my tasks in check, both work and personal.
- Firefox Multi-Account Containers #firefox – A life-saver for juggling multiple logins without switching browsers.
📑 Firefox Sidebar#
Firefox now comes with a built-in sidebar, so I don’t bother with vertical tab extensions anymore. It’s perfect for quickly flipping between tabs, bookmarks, and even AI chats.
💻 Apps#
🎨 Graphics#
For when I need to tweak an image, design a quick diagram, or do some digital art.
- GIMP #linux #windows #macos – My Photoshop replacement for years now.
- Krita #linux #windows #macos – Brilliant for sketching and painting.
🎵 Multimedia#
Sometimes, productivity comes with background music or a quick video.
- Spotify #linux #windows #macos #android – My go-to streaming app.
- VLC #linux #windows #macos – The “plays everything” media player.
- Calibre #linux #windows #macos – My e-book library manager.
📂 Productivity#
For file syncing, writing, and collaborative work.
- Nextcloud #linux #windows #macos – Keeps my files safe and synced on my own server.
- Collabora #linux #windows #macos – My self-hosted Google Docs alternative.
🛠 Tools#
This is where most of my work actually happens.
- VS Code #linux #windows #macos – My main coding environment, tailored with profiles for different projects.
- Obsidian #linux #windows #macos – My “second brain” for notes and research.
- Docker #linux #windows #macos – Makes development environments reproducible.
- Ollama #linux #windows #macos – Lets me run AI models locally without depending on the cloud.
- QEMU/KVM #linux – For running virtual machines, especially for OS testing.
📝 VS Code Profiles#
I keep different VS Code profiles for different types of work — here’s my setup for note-taking:
VSCode Notes Profile
🔌 Obsidian Plugins#
My essential Obsidian add-ons:
- Emoji Toolbar – Because notes are more fun with emojis.
- Text Generator – AI-assisted writing.
- Auto Link Title – Saves me from manually naming pasted links.
- Fleeting Notes Sync – Sync with my quick capture app.
- Marp Slides – Presentations, straight from Markdown.
🤖 Ollama Models#
If you want to try running LLMs locally, start here:
LLMs on your local machine - Prerequisites
🖥 QEMU/KVM Guide#
For the brave: running macOS in a VM on Ubuntu.
How to Install macOS in a Virtual Machine on Ubuntu
🧑💻 Code Tooling#
The core languages and frameworks I keep installed from day one:
- Git – Version control for everything.
- .NET – For building cross-platform apps.
- Node.js – JavaScript runtime for web projects.
- Anaconda – My go-to for Python and data science projects.
✅ Quick Install Checklist#
This is the order I usually install things — helps me get up and running fast.
Essentials#
- Firefox
- Chromium
- Enpass
- Nextcloud
- VS Code
- Obsidian
- Collabora
Optional#
- GIMP
- Krita
- VLC
- Calibre
- QEMU
SSH#
- Key generation
💡 Pro tip for future me: Don’t wait until you need a tool to install it. Setting everything up in one go saves the mental load later — and nothing beats the feeling of a fresh, ready-to-work machine.
Some bytes of this blog post were co-written with AI. The brain behind it is still very much human.
