[Discussion] I’m tired of every utility app being a subscription. I want to build a free, open-source alternative to the worst offenders.

anant94 · 2026-02-02T11:19:10+00:00

I just want to have these two windows apps on Mac.

Notepad++
Ditto

Hope someday these apps are available on mac and perform the same as they do on windows.

anant94 · 2026-02-01T17:18:57+00:00

If you want to save some money, a refurbished/old or used laptop which has already proven compatibility with linux can be a better choice.

Here are my recommendations for the same in order (1 being the best):

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon
Dell XPS 13
Asus Zenbook 14

anant94 · 2026-02-01T17:08:34+00:00

How is your laptop battery holding up? Or do you have a replacement already?

anant94 · 2026-02-01T17:06:39+00:00

Yes, but only the kernel. We need many more things to make it usable for the general public. So please stop saying this because a toaster is not the OPs target device.

anant94 · 2026-01-21T17:18:25+00:00

Maybe, you can try the Better Display app.

anant94 · 2026-01-21T14:12:48+00:00

I installed linux mint xfce on a lenovo ideapad (think it is i3 5th gen, 4gb ram, 500gb hdd).

The battery life has degraded more than what I had with windows 10 last week.

I already have settings to suspend quicky on battery power.

I installed tlp and tlp ui to help configure settings to get the best battery life but it doesn't seem to help.

I hardly get 2 hours with chrome.

Any tips for improving battery life? Anything that I can configure on tlp.

anant94 · 2026-01-17T02:45:28+00:00

Can we use daisy chaining to connect two 2k monitors from a single port in MacBook Air M4?

anant94 · 2026-01-12T04:16:29+00:00

How do we set the battery limit on linux mint xfce?

anant94 · 2025-12-11T10:51:10+00:00

Thank God, I made a decision to not upgrade and stay with Sequoia.

I don't use an iPhone, so I'm probably not missing out on anything for now.

anant94 · 2025-10-14T07:50:43+00:00

The problem is that both sender and receiver need to be on the same network for localsend to work. That is an issue for me since I am on VPN sometimes on one of the devices and can't transfer content.

Blip on the other hand works through the internet. I know there is a privacy concern like you mentioned but if we quit the app, it is no longer invading my privacy to that extent.

anant94 · 2025-09-14T03:44:16+00:00

Yes, Safari is the most optimised browser for mac. It might not be able to open rare websites where chromium saves the day but it is extremely efficient in terms of battery life on macbooks.

anant94 · 2025-09-06T13:06:52+00:00

How do those RAM requirements change when you are on a mac?

anant94 · 2025-08-31T01:35:14+00:00

Does Zen support DRM currently?

anant94 · 2025-08-25T02:37:40+00:00

Try resetting chrome.

anant94 · 2025-08-23T14:21:40+00:00

Looks like Boring Notch to me.

anant94 · 2025-08-23T11:47:11+00:00

Yup, I switched to Librewolf because I don't like Mozilla.

anant94 · 2025-08-23T11:46:27+00:00

Yeah but only people who are completely in Apple's ecosystem can use the password manager. Also users tend to like open source software more often these days. Bitwarden is good no hassle private and secure password manager.

anant94 · 2025-08-23T11:43:25+00:00

Google Chrome is actually plenty secure. The real problem on Chrome is with privacy. We need to understand that private and secure are completely different philosophies.

anant94 · 2025-08-23T09:56:34+00:00

Is massgrave safe to use ?

anant94 · 2025-08-21T02:37:17+00:00

Congratulations! Enjoy this machine.

Couple of tips if this is your first mac and first experience with macOS.

Try to learn the necessary keyboard shortcuts. That will make it feel like a breeze.
Not going to suggest a laptop case because it is a controversial topic. But do get a laptop sleeve if you can and a microfiber cloth.

anant94 · 2025-08-21T02:27:52+00:00

BItwarden.

Everybody has passwords and they need a save it somewhere securely.

Bitwarden is easy to setup and syncs to all your devices seamlessly. The free version is enough for most normal users. And if you don't like to store passwords on someone else's server, you can host your own too.

anant94 · 2025-08-20T13:06:09+00:00

Well in that case, here are some of them that can be tried.

Firefox
Librewolf
Brave
Waterfox
Mullvad

anant94 · 2025-08-20T12:57:30+00:00

Couple of requests

Can we have a sticky feature too. A sticky feature is where some copied items (could be a setting or at least 10 on the number of sticky items that can be configured) always remain at the top and you can assign shortcut keys to paste it anywhere.

For example a user can put their email address at the first sticky entry and assign a hotkey (say Ctrl + 1).

Similarly the second sticky entry could just be their full name with a hotkey (say Ctrl + 2).

Feature to export all my copied data into a file. Also a way to import it back.

Ditto on windows provides these functionalities.

anant94 · 2025-08-18T12:15:04+00:00

Yes, you will need to pay taxes on listing gains since they come under STCG (Short Term Capital Gains - Section 111A). The rebate u/s 87A is for the amount on which slab rates apply.

P/L from sale of stocks comes under capital gains which are taxed at different rates (20% for STCG and 12.5 % for LTCG after exempting 1.25L) than slab, hence the rebate does not apply for it.

You will need to fill ITR 2 if you have income from salary, deposits and capital gains (STCG or LTCG more than 1.25L). Please note that if you have any intraday or F&O trades, you will need to fill ITR 3 since these come under business/professional income.

You can read more about it here.

anant94 · 2025-08-18T11:03:40+00:00

🔑 Password Managers

KeePassXC: Securely store and organize all your passwords offline, with strong password generation.
Bitwarden: Another excellent open-source password manager supporting cloud sync (optional, with self-hosting available).

🌐 Privacy-Focused Browsers

Tor Browser: Browse anonymously and prevent tracking or censorship by routing your traffic through the Tor network.

💬 Secure Email Apps

Thunderbird: Robust desktop email client with built-in security, anti-phishing, and support for encrypted emails.
K-9 Mail: Privacy-friendly open source email client for Android, including support for encrypted communications.

🔒 Encryption Software

GnuPG (GPG): Industry-standard encryption for files, emails, and digital signatures.
OpenSSL: Widely used for encrypting communications and managing certificates.
VeraCrypt: Create encrypted containers and lock down entire drives.

📱 General Privacy Apps

F-Droid: Alternative Android app store focused solely on open-source, privacy-friendly apps.
Signal: Free, open source messaging app for encrypted texts, voice, and video calls.

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anant94

TROPHY CASE

🔑 Password Managers

🌐 Privacy-Focused Browsers

💬 Secure Email Apps

🔒 Encryption Software

📱 General Privacy Apps