As a software developer, I use a lot of computer-related gear. This page lists all of my favorite gear that I think is relevant for me and I personally recommend for you.
Hopefully, you find something awesome on this list that you can incorporate into your own setup!
Computer Gear
Let’s get right to it. As a software developer, it would be silly for me to start anywhere but the computer stuff that I use to interface with the tech world.
MacBook Pro 15-inch (2014-era)
I’ve had a MacBook Pro since I started working from home back in 2014. The machine is super well designed, and I can’t bring myself to buy a new model because I value physical keys over the touch bar on new MacBooks.
Kinesis Advantage 2
A few years ago, I started to have wrist issues. As a developer, this is pretty scary since my hands are vital to what I do for work.
I bought the Kinesis Advantage 2 primarily because of the split keyboard layout. The keyboard takes some adjustment, but I’ve found that it saved my wrists, and I’m so thankful for that.
Logitech Trackman Marble Trackball Mouse
Continuing on my “save my wrists” theme, I switched from a standard mouse to a trackball. A trackball requires way less motion of my arm than a standard mouse.
This Logitech Trackball Mouse has served me well for years.
Blue Yeti Microphone
This microphone is solid. I used to use my Blue Yeti for podcast recording, but I found that the mic would pick up a small amount of background noise (due to being a condensor microphone and my lack of a perfectly quiet sound room). In my opinion, that makes the Blue Yeti perfect for online meetings like Google Meet.
I keep this mic near my monitor. The mic stays out of the way and provides some great audio for all of my video calls. For video calls, it beats out my dynamic mic (which I cover below) because I don’t have to have the microphone right up to my face.
ROVKING Earbuds
If you’re in enough online meetings, you learn that you can massively reduce feedback on the audio by using some earbuds.
I love these ROVKING Earbuds because:
- They are inexpensive.
- They fit very comfortably in my ear for hours on end.
The over the ear design means that the earbuds don’t have to be bulky and stuffed hard in my ears.
Podcasting
I produce a Django podcast (which you can learn more about in the sidebar). Here’s my critical gear that I use for my podcast.
Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB Microphone
I love my Blue Yeti, but I also love this Audio-Technica ATR2100x-USB. The greatest feature of this microphone is that it’s a dynamic microphone.
That’s an audio term, and it essentially means that I need to speak close to the mic to pick up the audio. How is that good? Well, if you’ve got young kids, you’ll probably understand my response.
This mic is fabulous at avoiding background noise. The audio is rich, and my recordings don’t have random noise from my house like a washing machine or my kids being loud.
Office Equipment
I also have some physical gear that is super important to the way that I develop software.
UPLIFT Desk
I have no desk chair.
When I’m working, I stand at my UPLIFT Desk mostly. I occasionally take standing breaks and sit in an old La-Z-Boy recliner that my dad gave me.
I really like the UPLIFT Desk because I can preset some different heights that the hydraulic controls can automatically adjust too. With a single button push, I can elevate my desk to a better height for video calls.
Quartet Easel Whiteboard
My Quartet Easel Whiteboard is a very handy tool for taking notes, planning out code, remembering important TODOs, and thinking through tough problems. Want to get way more utility out of a whiteboard? Then make sure to get thin dry erase markers like the EXPO fine point markers. Having thinner tips provides way more control and gives you more workable space on your whiteboard.
Dot Matrix Notebook
I write down a lot of things. By writing down my thoughts, it’s easier to look back and relect. I also think that I can get my tasks out of my head and prevent distractions. A lot of people like moleskine notebooks, but I went with a variant of that. My Dot Matrix Notebook functions like most other notebooks, but it uses dots on each page so that I can draw whatever rectangular boundaries that I want. This is handy for bullets, checkmarks, and other nice flourishes that keep my page tight and organized.
I also make sure that my lines are dark and clear. Sakura Black Pigma Micron pens are awesome when I do ink drawing, but for my dot matrix notebook, I prefer the bold line from my Pilot G2 bold point gel pens.
That’s my gear! All of these tools work together to help me be a productive software developer. I hope that my list gave you some ideas of things that you can add for your developer workflow.
Hey, I should note that some of these links are affiliate links. That means the links put you at sites that would pay me a bit if you buy something.
None of these are sponsored links!
I only put gear on this list that I actually love and use. If you buy any of these products, that’s a simple way to support me and my work. Thank you!