The software that runs my life, more or less.

Productivity & Writing

Bear — My notes home base. Everything lives here — journal, client notes, ideas, Bear notes about Bear. Tagged, searchable, always open.

iA Writer — Where longer writing happens. Distraction-free by design, which is the point.

Fantastical — Calendar and reminders done right. The natural language input alone is worth the price.

Cardhop — Contacts the way they should work. Pairs perfectly with Fantastical.

Reminders — For the stuff that just needs to get done and doesn’t need a whole system around it.

Raycast — Replaced Spotlight and never looked back. Launcher, clipboard manager, calculator, and about a dozen other things I didn’t know I needed.

Pages / Numbers — Apple’s productivity suite. Does everything I need without the overhead of Microsoft Office.

Development & Web

Nova — My code editor of choice. Built for Mac, fast, beautiful. Panic makes great software.

Transmit — FTP and file transfer. Also Panic. Noticing a pattern.

GitHub — Version control and deployment. Learned my lesson about not using it.

Hugo — Static site generator powering jakefowler.com. Fast, flexible, mine.

Apache — Local Apache for PHP development. Old school but it works.

Textastic — Code editing on iOS when I’m away from the desk.

AI

Claude — My primary AI collaborator. I use it the way some people use a thinking partner — for writing, coaching, building things, working through problems. I’ve also configured MCP integrations and custom workflows, which is either impressive or a sign I have too much time on my hands.

Gemini — Google’s AI, useful for research and as a second opinion.

Communication

Apple Mail — Email the way I like it. No subscriptions, no tracking pixels, just mail.

Messages — iMessage for the people worth texting.

Slack — For clients and professional communities that live there.

Telegram — For the people who prefer it.

Media & Reading

NetNewsWire — RSS reader. Free, open source, Mac-native. The indie web delivered to my doorstep.

GoodLinks — Save articles to read later, actually read them later.

Hardcover — Goodreads but better. Tracking what I read and what I want to read.

Photography

Pixelmator Pro — Photo editing without the Adobe subscription. Does everything I need.

Apple Photos — Where everything lives. Time Machine handles the backup.

Music

Apple Music — The whole catalog, always available. Works seamlessly with everything else I use.

Utilities

1Password — Passwords, secure notes, the occasional API key. Non-negotiable.

iTerm2 — Terminal that doesn’t embarrass itself.

Time Machine — Backup that just runs. Set it and forget it, until you need it.

Social & Indie Web

Tapestry — Single app for Mastodon and Bluesky. Chronological feeds, no algorithm, the way social media should work.

Pixelfed — Instagram for people who don’t want Instagram.