Hello, I'm Muthu Kumar.
I work on a lot of stuff, mostly in design and code, but I also write articles and stories, make films and stuff.
Legend:
❇️ Free and open source.
⚠️ Free to use, but not open source.🛑 Not free, not open source.
🚫 Used to use, now no more. Will remove from list soon.
- ❇️ Debian GNU/Linux: Debian is my powerhouse, running on my workstation. I have a very minimal i3-gaps setup.
- 🛑 Microsoft Windows:
Since I work in design and video production, many of my tools are available only on Windows.This is no longer true since DaVinci Resolve is on Linux and Figma/Penpot are on the web, but I still have Windows on my laptop, "just in case". - ❇️ Ubuntu Server: My server has been running Ubuntu for quite a long time. I should probably migrate to Debian soon.
- ❇️ Firefox Developer Edition: use this for web development. Grid inspector, visual CSS animation editor are great additions.
- ❇️ Visual Studio Code: free, open source, cross platform; developed by Microsoft; the only IDE I've ever needed since I shifted over.
I am on WhatsApp and other platforms for connectivity, but you'll find me mostly on:
- ❇️ Telegram: open source, cross platform, supports some Markdown and code formatting; vibrant and active developer community.
- ❇️ TypeScript
- ❇️ HTML/CSS
- ❇️ Zig ⚡️
- ❇️ Node
- ❇️ Deno
- ❇️ Bun
- ❇️ MongoDB
- ❇️ Postgres
- ❇️ MariaDB
⚠️ Photopea: Free online editor with somewhat similar toolset to Adobe Photoshop- 🛑 Affinity Photo: Another competitor to Adobe Photoshop
- 🚫 Adobe Photoshop
- 🛑 Figma: Figma is currently my go-to for UI/UX design.
- ❇️ Penpot: Figma is going to the dogs, and Penpot is looking more and more attractive.
⚠️ DaVinci Resolve: THIS is FREE?! Why exactly do people pay for Premiere?- 🛑
Adobe Premiere Pro: I've switched to Premiere this year, and it's an amazing experience. I no longer have to improvise for features that it provides out of the box. - 🚫
Sony Vegas Pro: not free, not the best editing software out there, but if you can improvise, can be very powerful for your workflow.
Archaic section. I haven't worked in architecture in a long time.
- 🛑 Autodesk AutoCAD: (2D)—there's simply no reasonably good option for a good 2D drafting software like AutoCAD.
- 🛑 Trimble SketchUp: (3D)—not free, not the best, but can get a lot of very good work done. Never felt the need to upgrade to something like 3DS Max or Blender.
Archaic section. I haven't worked in architecture in a long time.
- 🛑 iRender for SketchUp: works better for my personal style of textureless rendering.
- 🛑 Vray for SketchUp: if you know how to, this plugin will help you make breathtaking, photorealistic renders.