Uses
Introduction
I’ve been asked a number of times by people what sort of set up I use at home so I thought I’d add a page outlining the basics.
A firm believer that you don’t need all the latest new fangled gear or to spend thousands of pounds on equipment just to keep up with the Joneses.
The following works just fine for me.
Hardware
Desk
Antique and wooden which I love as has a lot of character, it’s solid, well used and reliable – bit like me.
Computer
Apple Mac Mini (pictured), 32GB RAM, 512GB SSD & 512GB SSD Backup Drive.
Keyboard/Mouse
Logitech MX Keys Wireless Keyboard & Logitech MX Master 3 Wireless Mouse.
Monitors
BenQ 22″ 1080p LCD monitors x 2 connected by a BONTEC Dual Monitor Stand.
Webcam
NexiGo N60 USB HD 1080p Computer Camera with privacy cover.
Speakers
JBL Flip Essentials 2 waterproof bluetooth wireless system.
Software
Using the right applications can make the world of difference, you can find a free version for most of what you’ll need. I’ve listed below what I use which is a mix of free and premium.
Command Line Interface (CLI)
Whilst most of what I do is done in GUI based applications there are many tasks that I still prefer to do on the CLI.
More about Starship
Works across the most common shells and operating systems, offering a minimal, blazing-fast and infinitely customisable prompt you can use everywhere.
More about Warp
Warp is a turbo charged replacement for Apple’s Terminal. For a feature list follow this link.
More about WP-CLI
WP-CLI is the command-line interface for WordPress. You can update plugins, configure multisite installations and much more without using a web browser. File Transfer
Whilst most of the transferring I do is done on the CLI, either using Git or rsync there are times I need to use SFTP.
More about Transmit
TheGUI is second to none with this piece of software, well worth the price I pay, check it out. 
More about FileZilla
I used this for many years before finally moving over to Panic’s Transmit. For most use cases this will work well enough.Image Manipulation
I use a variety of tools to get the best results for all images whilst retaining quality with a small footprint size wise. The best optimisation tool for SVGs can be found online at SVGOMG.
More about Photoshop
It’s expensive, bloated and now powered by AI but still after all these years (30+) still my personal go to for non vector graphics. For a free alternative have a look at the GIMP application.
More about macSVG
I use this for designing and editing Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) content for web pages, animation design and general graphics usage. 
More about ImageOptim
Excellent for publishing images on the web (easily shrinks images “Saved for Web” in Photoshop.) Optionally can remove EXIF metadata, such as GPS position and camera’s serial number, so that you can publish images without exposing private information.Integrated Development Environment (IDE)
I’ve been through a lot of IDEs, from Atom, BBEdit, PHPStorm to now using the industry standard ‘Visual Studio Code.’
More about VS Code
It hasGit baked in, run & debug features and with over 40k extensions will cover any scenario you can imagine to make your life easier when coding. Local Development Tools
This section covers different tools for a variety of requirements.
More about GitHub CLI
Brings the power of GitHub to your CLI.
More about Herd
A replacement for Valet & PHP Monitor providing a one clickPHP development environment. Adds Nginx, DNSMasq and (optional) multiple versions of PHP with the ability to select different versions to different setups. 
More about Ray Debugger
A desktop app that vastly improves your debugging experience, It’s a dedicated window for sending debugging information to.
More about Sequel Ace
MySQL/MariaDB database management. A replacement for the older discontinued Sequel Pro.Final thoughts
You don’t need to spend a fortune to get yourself up and running in Web Development, start small and build your tool sets up. Many will have you believe that you need a motorised standing desk, latest iPhone and every new gizmo to hit the markets. Don’t believe the hype and use just what you need to get the job done.
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