Windows

I can get by working on Windows in a pinch. Using Power Toys to remap my keyboard to be more "Mac Like" with Alt Swapped for Control and Caps Lock mapped to Esc really helps.

App favorites

• 1Password - Password vault

• Affinity Photo - Lighter weight and cheaper alternative to Photoshop

• Appy Text - Text editor

• Calca - Better calculator

• Cyberduck - SFTP client

• Docker for Windows - Run apps in containers

• Dropbox - Sync files

• Encrypt.me - VPN

• Foo IRC - Chat client

• Power Toys - Add Spotlight'esque search and swap ctrl and alt keys with Keyboard Manager

• Stopwatch + Timer - What I use for pomodoros

• Todoist - Cross platform to do list service

• Ubuntu - What a time to be alive

• Visual Studio Code - Light code text editor

• Windows Terminal - A store app for some reason

• Winstall.app - Web GUI for the WinGet package manager

Apps under consideration

• 7-Zip

• HexChat

• HWMonitor

• Notepad++

• Notepads

• Paint.NET

• Prime95

• RealTemp

• Sumatra PDF

• Fluent Search - search everything, including things on screen

• Breaktimer.app - Break timer

• GWSL - Run X Windows Linux apps on Windows

• OpenInWSL - Set WSL apps as the default file handler

• ShareX - screenshot tool

• Feedlab - RSS reader

• simplewall - blocks all network traffic

I use the built in Win key search as an app launcher. I use the built in Snip & Sketch tool for screenshots. Check my ChromeOS list for some of the web apps I also use for productivity.

Power Toys Settings:

Keyboard Manager:

• Caps Lock -> Esc

• Esc -> Caps Lock

(Optional) To make alt and ctrl more Mac like:

• Alt (Left) -> Ctrl (Left)

• Ctrl (Left) -> Alt (Left)

• Alt (Right) -> Ctrl (Right)

• Ctrl (Right) -> Alt (Right)

Shortcuts:

• Ctrl + Q -> Alt F4

PowerToys Run set to Ctrl + Space

Misc. Settings:

Go to clipboard settings and enable clipboard history.

Go to mouse pointer and set the cursor to a custom color of black. The default black cursor option is smaller and harder to see.

Open VS Code within WSL 2:

• In Windows Terminal, go to project folder

• wsl code .

Links:

• Use Bitlocker on Windows 10 without a TPM module

• Windows Dev with WSL 2

• Mac App Alternatives on Windows

• Ruby on Rails dev on Windows

• Windows 10 app list from Joseph Rooks

• Install WSL 2 in Windows 10

• WSL 2 with Visual Studio Code

• Hanselman's 2021 Ultimate Developer and Power Users Tool List for Windows

• Switching to Windows

• Nitpicky Differences Between Windows and OS X

• Awesome list of Windows apps