Kelson Reviews Desktop and Server Software
- Alpine Linux ★★★★★ Lightweight Linux distribution with modern capabilities and smooth package management despite its low resource requirements. Good for small cloud servers, old hardware, Raspberry Pi, etc.
- Apple Mail (macOS) ★★★★☆ No-nonsense but full-featured email application for macOS that works well with multiple IMAP accounts and Gmail.
- BBEdit ★★★★★ Text editor for macOS that’s powerful enough to handle multi-megabyte files and still light enough to jot down notes.
- ClassicPress ★★★★☆ More than just WordPress Minus Gutenberg! Familiar, super-easy to migrate, and can work with most of the WP plugin/theme ecosystem.
- FeatherPad ★★★★★ A lightweight, fast, stable, and capable text editor for Linux.
- Floccus Bookmarks Sync ★★★★★ Very flexible, syncs across many different desktop browsers and mobile devices, and for privacy it can run on your own server or encrypted on another cloud service.
- Fluent Reader ★★★☆☆ A simple, no-nonsense, modern-looking RSS/Atom newsfeed reader for Windows, Mac and Linux. Optionally sync with multiple services, but I’ve had issues with Nextcloud.
- Geary ★★★★☆ Really lightweight but still modern, so it’s a good choice on lower-end hardware. Basic IMAP features, good for most day-to-day email use.
- Git ★★★★☆ An extremely capable and flexible version control system, Git is also extremely cryptic, and you’ll want to keep the docs handy for commands you don’t use regularly.
- GoToSocial ★★★★☆ A lightweight Fediverse server, with a clean web interface for viewing public posts. Compatible with Mastodon apps and interacts with other ActivityPub platforms.
- Jellyfin ★★★★★ Great for playing music across my local network, doesn’t phone home to a cloud or try to upsell subscriptions.
- KeePass Password Managers ★★★★★ KeePassXC, its browser extension, and KeePass2Android are a nice, clean set of apps to manage your passwords on your OWN desktop and mobile devices, auto-fill websites and apps, and sync over your own server or cloud provider.
- Liferea ★★★★☆ A nice, lightweight feed reader for Linux that does the basics.
- Manyverse ★★★★☆ Takes the pain out of setting up and running SSB. Unfortunately it doesn’t overcome SSB’s inherent challenges of discovery, data size or multiple devices. (So far?)
- Mastodon – Simplified Federation ★★★★★ A Firefox add-on that automatically opens remote Mastodon users or posts in your home server when you interact with them.
- NetNewsWire ★★★★★ Clean, stable, fast, free, no-clutter and no-nonsense RSS/Atom newsfeed reader for macOS and iOS.
- NewsFlash ★★★★★ Clean, stable, fast, free, no-clutter and no-nonsense RSS/Atom newsfeed reader for Linux that optionally syncs with multiple services.
- Nextcloud Calendar ★★★★★ Self-hosted, web-based calendar that syncs easily with other apps and has completely replaced Google Calendar for me.
- Nextcloud News ★★★★★ Simple web-based news reader for Nextcloud, easy to install and syncs with multiple desktop and mobile clients.
- Nextcloud Notes ★★★★★ Simpler than Google Keep, more private, with human-readable data that syncs quickly and cleanly with your devices.
- Plex ★★★☆☆ It does let you stream your local media library, but it insists on connecting to a cloud account and pushes you to buy a subscription, even if you’re not using its remote services.
- RSS Guard ★★★★☆ A solid cross-platform feed reader that runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Extremely capable and customizable. Syncs with multiple services.
- Snac ★★★★☆ Extremely bare-bones social networking server that runs on low-resource machines, works on the web without cookies or JavaScript, and still interacts through ActivityPub with Mastodon, GoToSocial and other Fediverse software.
- Thunderbird (Email and Calendar) ★★★★★ Stable, capable desktop email application, works well with multiple accounts including Gmail, Nextcloud, easy to set up and use but with advanced settings when you need them. FLOSS.
- Wayback Machine Browser Extension ★★★★☆ Useful for when you want to make sure the pages you’re reading will still be around in some form in the future, and to easily get at additional context. Checks every page you view against the Wayback Machine, so turn it off when you’re not using it.
- Windows 10 Mail and Calendar ★★★☆☆ Not a bad email client. Snappy, works with multiple accounts. Some issues with Nextcloud calendar and contacts. Of course it’s being discontinued.
- Wine and Crossover ★★★★☆ THE major compatibility tool for Windows apps on Linux or macOS, including SteamOS. And a commercial distribution with installers and support.
- WordPress Block Editor ★☆☆☆☆ This is not distraction-free writing. Every time I try to use it I get frustrated and switch back to the classic editor…because I can USE it.
- WordPress Plugins (and ClassicPress too!) Some WordPress and ClassicPress plugins I’ve used and which ones I recommend.
- Xmarks (Discontinued) ★★★★☆ Xmarks was a cross-browser bookmark sync service that I used for a long time to keep Chrome, Firefox, IE, and Safari on multiple computers using the same set of bookmarks. It shut down in 2018.