Linux

Every SSH connection needs the right host, port, user, and sometimes a specific key, and there is no good place to write all that down outside of ~/.ssh/config. That file stays the most underused tool in any developer’s home directory. Without it you retype ssh deploy@10.0.4.17 -p 2222 -J bastion.example.com every session, forget which IP belongs to which server two weeks later, and end up with a shell history full of nearly identical commands.

Just is the best general command runner for most new projects in 2026. It has Make-like syntax without the tab headaches. It works across Linux, macOS, and Windows. It stays out of your way as a command runner, not a build system. Task wins if your team prefers YAML and you want built-in file watching. Make is still right when you have real file-based compile dependencies or a Makefile that works fine.

Use Proton for Windows games on Steam. Use Bottles for everything else: Office, Adobe apps, business tools, non-Steam games. Both run on Wine, which maps Windows API calls to Linux without a virtual machine. DXVK and VKD3D-Proton handle the DirectX side. Wine 11.0 closes most of the remaining gap to native Windows.

This guide covers the full stack in 2026: what each piece does, how to set up Proton and Bottles, how to tune DirectX translation, and what still breaks.

For most developers wanting hands-on RISC-V in 2026, the StarFive VisionFive 2 at $65 for the 8GB model is the most practical entry point. It runs Debian 13 (Trixie) on the JH7110 quad-core SiFive U74 at 1.5GHz, ships with an Imagination BXE-4-32 GPU that now has mainline Mesa Vulkan drivers, supports Docker and NVMe via kernel 6.6+ LTS, and delivers roughly 60-70% of a Raspberry Pi 4’s single-threaded speed. That gap is smaller than you might expect when the goal is learning RISC-V toolchain internals. The ecosystem here has matured enough that you spend time writing code, not fighting drivers.

If you spend eight-plus hours a day in a terminal and an editor, the right pointing device counts as much as the right keyboard. The Logitech MX Vertical remains the default vertical pick. It has a 57-degree handshake angle, a 4000 DPI sensor, and solid Linux support via Solaar and logiops . For a thumb trackball, the Logitech MX Ergo S wins on tilt and 120-day battery life. The Kensington SlimBlade Pro leads the finger and palm trackball field with its 55mm billiard-grade ball and Bluetooth LE. For open-source fans, the Ploopy Classic 2 with QMK firmware ships as a fully user-fixable device. Linux sees it as a standard HID mouse with zero closed drivers.

Screen sharing on Wayland fails because Wayland’s security model blocks apps from grabbing other windows or the full desktop. The fix has three layers. First, install the right XDG Desktop Portal backend for your compositor. Second, check that PipeWire is running as your media daemon. Third, set your browser or app to use the portal capture path, not the old X11 one. Once these align, screen sharing works in Zoom, Teams, Discord, and Google Meet on any major Wayland compositor .