Stéphane
Lambion —

what do i use?

i have a second-hand macbook still up and running on fedora thanks to the t2linux project—it's a bit rough around the edges, and that's what makes it sexy.

unless there is no decent alternative, i use only free open-source software and i avoid apps based on subscription models (also known as creative rent, depriving you of owning your tools—having one landlord is enough).

• signal for messagging: it's respectful of users' privacy and it has a delightfully simple, uncluttered ui
• proton mail for emails (but you can also reach me at stephane dot lambion at getgoogleoff dot me!)
• nextcloud hosted on disroot: i use it to store and sync my most frequently used files via webdav and my contacts via carddav—it works wonders!
• firefox as my main browser (with ublock origin): as much as i'm aware of the privacy concerns that have been raised against firefox, i'm sticking to it for now (i don't want a browser linked to a big tech company in any shape or form)
• openstreetmap for navigation with comaps on my phone (though i'm excited to try magic earth once they offer a subscription model that isn't based on apple pay or google pay)
• cryptpad for working on collaborative documents: it's very secure and has all the functions i need (and it's french!)
• lite xl to write code (very minimal, super lightweight and fast, perfect for an user like me who doesn't need more than basic features like highlighting and auto-completing)
• zettlr to organise my notes: i store them as single markdown files in directories, and zettlr uses the existing architecture to offer very powerful notetaking features—but i'm still free to edit my files with any other markdown editor and don't depend on any of them
• bitwarden as a password manager: does perfectly its job and has a very handy firefox add-on
• double commander as a file browser: dual-pane, powerful, highly customisable
• startpage as search engine: it respects your privacy and gives excellent search results
• pocket casts to listen to podcasts: you don't have to use spotify or apple podcasts!
• tidal to listen to music: it pays decently high royalties to artists and the sound quality is outstanding
• inkscape and gimp for graphic design endeavours: not adobe but and it does the job for me!
• scribus when i need to prepare documents for publishing: not adobe but and it does the job for me!
• vlc to play multimedia content, because it's still my favourite out there.

i use paper and pen for my calendar and my todo lists.

this toolbox page was last updated on 20.10.25