Hi all!
What software do you use? And is it as simple as you would like, or do you have to make compromises?
I do a lot of compromises. I use: Linux kernel, Xubuntu distro, jwm, Mousepad (editor), Thunar, xfce4-term, Chromium. I am slowly learning how to use Mutt, Arch Linux, Netsurf and perhaps Hurd or Haiku.
Greetings Peter
Well, much like you, I am slowly learning how to use simpler, more efficient tools, but it takes some time to get acquainted with new software. My most used machine is my desktop, which runs OpenBSD and Linux Mint. I’ve been slowly branching out from Emacs, which is what I typically use for everything except web browsing where JavaScript is needed.
I have begun to use many of the recommended programs from suckless.org/rocks, including ksh, zathura, snownews, profanity, nnn, ranger, cmus, feh, aerc, mg, links, and ffplay. I also use groff, cwm, xterm, calcurse, elvis, dictd, clang, weechat, latex, as well as a couple heavier programs like qemu, qutebrowser, librewolf*, turtl*, kiwix*, discord*, gnome-boxes*, steam*, and dino*. I gave up on mutt because I found it too difficult to set-up properly with my current knowledge. The rest is fairly simple to use.
It ultimately depends on what one’s goals are, however. I only have 4GB RAM on my desktop, which means the lightweight programs I use on OpenBSD allow me to open as many applications as I please without risking crashing my system, which is unfortunately not the case with Cinnamon. The idea behind my software choices is typically efficiency, but I also desire to discover the world outside of Emacs. The biggest compromises I make are Steam and Discord. The rest is FOSS though, so I’m not going to get into a purity-spiral over only using minimalist software, especially if it detracts from my efficiency.
*only on Linux Mint
I am trying to switch to emacs, but there are a few musts, that I need to accomplish, before I can actually start working on it. The main thing, is getting my Neovim keybinds translated over, which I have no idea how to do.
As an addendum, calcurse is available on Android through termux, which lets me keep my daily schedule and to-do list synchronized across devices. I have a FAT formatted pendrive to transfer the ical file between my phone and desktop after I update it. It’s perhaps not as efficient as a self-hosted solution mimicking Google Calendar, however it is far simpler.