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.
Arch Linux★★★★☆Once it’s installed, it’s fine! Faster updates than Fedora or Debian. Smaller software selection, but community packages and Flatpak make up for it. ARM port and the Danctnix drivers for Pine hardware are solid. I don’t miss the old days of setting everything up by hand, though.
Boxes (GNOME)★★★☆☆A simple GUI wrapper around Linux’s built-in virtualization support. It makes simple things easy, but to adjust advanced settings you either need to edit config files manually or use another GUI.
Brave (Web Browser)★★☆☆☆A privacy-focused browser, but for every cool privacy feature there’s something else that makes me want to firewall the application away from my system.
Chromium (Web Browser)★★★☆☆The basis for most web browsers these days, driven mainly by building Google Chrome. Less tracking and branding, but stable updates are only available on Linux.
Debian Linux★★★★☆My second choice distro for both desktop and servers. More reliable than Ubuntu, more stable than Fedora, easier to install than Arch, though a bit slower to update. Bigger than Alpine, but uses the more typical glibc.
Dillo (Web Browser)★★★★☆Ultra-minimalist and super-fast browser for web documents (not applications). You won’t be logging into Gmail with it, but it’ll load a Wikipedia article incredibly fast.
DreamHost★★★★☆Rock solid web hosting with managed VPS and good support. Hosting this page right now. Cloud computing has been less stable in my experience.
Falkon (Web Browser)★★★★☆A surprisingly capable Chromium browser for KDE and other Linux desktops that runs well even on low-end hardware and virtual machines.
FeatherPad★★★★☆A lightweight, fast, stable, and capable text editor for Linux.
Fedora Linux★★★★☆Still my favorite Linux for desktop use, but every once in a while you’re reminded that IBM (via Red Hat) still has an out-sized influence on it.
Firefox★★★★☆I still have a soft spot for Firefox. At times it’s been the best web browser on Windows and Linux. It’s still good, has a solid extension ecosystem, and serves as an important bulwark against one company dominating browser tech.
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. Needs GNOME for setup.
Geopard★★★☆☆Simple desktop Gemini Protocol client with bookmarks. Polished, fits well with any Linux desktop but especially GNOME. Fast, no frills.
GNOME Web (aka Epiphany)★★★☆☆A rare WebKit browser for Linux. Handles the basics, but it’s specifically designed for GNOME, and it’s limited in what it can do around websites. Well-suited for PWAs, though!
GNU IceCat★★★☆☆Firefox minus all branding and connections to Mozilla services, plus add-ons to block non-FSF-approved JavaScript.
Google Chrome★★★☆☆There was a time when Chrome was the fastest web browser available. It isn’t anymore, and over the last few years it’s felt less like a user agent and more like a Google agent.
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.
Kristall★★★★☆Cross-platform desktop browser for the small internet, including Gemini, Gopher and Finger. A little faster than Lagrange, but fewer features and hasn’t been updated in a while.
Lagrange★★★★★Lagrange quickly became my favorite Gemini client on the desktop with its clean and convenient UI, stability and speed across platforms. And the mobile version works well too.
LibreWolf★★★★☆Customized Firefox, with an eye toward security and privacy. Follows the stable release channel. Works well most of the time, but privacy features can break some sites.
Liferea★★★★☆A nice, lightweight feed reader for Linux that does the basics.
Linode★★★★★Flexible, inexpensive cloud hosting with a variety of Linux options. Rock solid so far!
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?)
Microsoft Edge★★☆☆☆Once you turn off all the Microsoft specials, it feels usable again – but then, it’s just another Chromium skin.
NetSurf★★★☆☆Lightweight browser for RISC-OS and Linux/Unix (and a few smaller OSes). Slightly more capable than Dillo, if not quite as small or fast.
NewsFlash★★★★★Clean, stable, fast, free, no-clutter and no-nonsense RSS/Atom newsfeed reader for Linux that optionally syncs with multiple services.
Notepad++★★★★★A perfect balance of powerful and lightweight, Notepad++ is far more capable than Notepad, but doesn’t complicate things like a full IDE.
Opera (Web Browser)★★★☆☆Opera used to be one of my favorite browsers back in the day, but its current incarnation just doesn’t appeal to me. I much prefer Vivaldi, which is a spiritual successor to the original.
Parallels★★★★☆A virtual machine application for macOS that makes it easy to install a Windows, Linux or macOS guest. Downside: annual subscription.
RSS Guard★★★★☆A solid cross-platform feed reader that runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Extremely capable and customizable. Syncs with multiple services.
SeaMonkey (Internet Suite)★★★☆☆The old Mozilla Suite lives on! Featuring web, email, news, an HTML editor, IRC client and more. Recent work has mostly been to keep it working and backport security fixes, so web app compatibility lags way behind even the ESR Firefox.
Sly (Image Editor)★★★☆☆Simple, friendly, privacy-respecting image editor for Android and Linux. Convenient for most basic photo adjustments, but metadata handling is currently broken, so I can’t use it to just crop photos for iNaturalist. Once that’s fixed, though…
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.
Tor Browser★★★★☆When you really want (or need) to stay private while using the web, Tor is the way to go. Just keep the drawbacks in mind when you do.
Ungoogled Chromium★★★☆☆This takes Chromium and removes everything that connects to Google services…including things like safe browsing and the extension store.
UTM★★★☆☆A simple application wrapped around macOS’ built-in virtualization and emulation capabilities. Fewer bells and whistles than the commercial options, but works better for some purposes.
Vivaldi (Web Browser)★★★★★Spiritual successor to the original Opera browser, this ultra-customizable web browser can open into a full suite for email, calendar, feeds and more – but only if you want it to.
VMWare Fusion★★☆☆☆VMWare Fusion worked great on my Intel-based MacBook for work for years. But since Broadcom bought the company, I can’t even find it.
Waterfox★★★★☆A Firefox fork aimed at improved performance and privacy, without sacrificing usability. Also available on Android.
Web Browser RecommendationsVivaldi, Orion, Waterfox and Zen are my current favorites. I want to like Firefox, but I’m not so sure about Mozilla these days. Safari’s OK. LibreWolf and IronFox are good for everyday privacy, Tor for advanced scenarios. Falkon and Dillo are good for slow hardware.
Whalebird (Mastodon client)A simple desktop app for Mastodon and (most) compatible Fediverse servers. Fast, runs on multiple platforms.
Wine and Crossover★★★★☆THE major compatibility tool for Windows apps on Linux or macOS, including SteamOS. And a commercial distribution with installers and support.
Zen Browser★★★★☆Similar to Arc, Zen has a non-cluttered design that stays out of your way. Unlike Arc, it’s built on Firefox, runs on more platforms, and doesn’t require you to log in just to use it!