Hi! Tell us about who you are and what you do.
My name is Denys, and I work as a principal software engineer. I’m a full-time father in my free time, and I work on my personal projects if any minutes are left. I run an Ubuntu on a home server and a Hackintosh on my desktop. So it spares no free time at all.
What is your hardware setup?
Mostly it’s a MacBook pro provided by the employer. As a desktop, I have a Hackintosh and Windows 10 for games in dual boot. The home server is based on Atom and is about 10 years old (but running very well).
You see an M2 MacBook pro in the photos. It’s my wife’s. But, of course, I use it too. Currently, I’m considering selling my desktop as I believe that Apple will only support Intel for a short time.
As for peripherals, I have an Ergodox EZ keyboard and a Kensington Trackball. Most apps let me use just the keyboard, so I rarely touch the trackball.
I have a very minimalistic KVM. It has no video switchover. Just USB. I have an extra step to bother with monitor settings. But no limitations for 4..8..128K of the future monitors by a cheap KVM.
I recently upgraded my laptop setup to a “single cable” with an Anker hub. Very convenient and the best quality for the money.
I have a 1Gbit managed switch under the table. Unfortunately, my desktop’s “remote power button” turned out to have a bad design, so I had to hide its blue indicator under the scotch tape. And an audio cable is much better than a cheap USB audio device. But all that does the trick - I can hide my desktop under the desk.
And what are the favorite items in your workspace?
Keyboard. I have spent many hours tinkering with its layout. And it makes my inner child happy when the LED change colour on the layer switch.
Also, I like my shelves. They don’t have crazy capacity but it pushes me to minimalism, and to sell stuff I don’t really use.
Any favorite programs/apps/tools?
It’s the latest macOS, Brave with Vimium, iTerm with Oh my Zsh, MacVim and Obsidian. So I’ve got a Hackintosh for my personal projects: the most affordable way to run my software elsewhere.
Of course, I use IntelliJ for Kotlin and Scala. Still trying to figure out how to move them well to Vim.
What are your favorite programming or scripting languages?
Ruby. It will always be in my heart. If I need to solve some system administrator task or automate something, it’s the first (and the only) go-to tool.
I also do Kotlin at work and for some of my personal projects. Used to do Scala, but Kotlin brides with its simplicity.
Is there anything you are missing in your setup?
I’d like to experiment with my chair. Trying a fitness ball, a saddle chair, or one for knees is something for 2023. Although my current chair still holds together, I bought it used two years ago. So, naturally, it’s the first upgrade. I was thinking of a walking treadmill. But it’s a significant investment.
What book comes to your mind that you would like others to read?
Domain Modeling Made Functional. Everyone who is into object-oriented programming should try FP elements, at least.