Computer hardware and software stuff that I am using, inspired by uses.tech. Since this is /uses, not /recommendations, do not take everything here as a direct endorsement.
Right now I deploy this website via github pages and then mirror all of it on neocities.
This includes computers for my personal use as well as homelab/server things.
My current laptop is a Thinkpad T430 that got me through my last 11/2-ish years of undergrad. I bought it for $100 off of Kijiji in Summer 2023, and have spent more money on a few upgrades and repairs since then. I started with Qubes-OS to compartmentalize my workflows, and now I’m using Secureblue Sericea (Sway). I always love using window managers for efficiency on my laptops, I used AwesomeWM on Qubes and I now use Sway with Secureblue.
I previously used a Thinkpad T400 that I librebooted but it died like a year ago. 🙁
I built a PC that I use as a hypervisor server running Proxmox for local LLM inferencing, gaming on Bazzite, Jellyfin LXC for hardware transcoding, and backup PiHole+Unbound DNS. Here is the build:
I got a somewhat ancient hand-me-down of a PC which I’ve repurposed as a NAS for the family and use for my homelab stuff. Nothing to super write home about but it gets the job done.
I first started homelabbing with my RockPro64 running DietPi, still mess around with it but it’s not running anything too mission critical currently.
I have a custom router at home for better customizability and security compared to the default modems provided by ISPs. I use this for setting firewall rules, VLANs, Wi-Fi Networks, and VPN access.
Software that I use for practical purposes, mostly on my laptop.
