Development Setup

My Design and Development Setup

An overview of the Hardware, Software and Resources
I use to build the tools on this site

Last updated: June 29, 2025

Hardware

The devices that I use for design and development work

Apple Mac Studio M2 Max

Hardware

My desktop workstation built around Apple's M2 Max chip with unified memory architecture. Delivers exceptional performance for all my development workflows, creative projects, and AI workloads in a compact, whisper-quiet design.

Pros

  • Unified memory architecture for seamless multitasking
  • Extensive connectivity with Thunderbolt 4 ports
  • Optimized for local AI model inference and LLMs
  • Silent operation with advanced thermal design
  • Perfect for intensive development and creative work

Apple iPad Pro 11 inch M4

Hardware

My go to portable device. Combines professional design capabilities with mobility, featuring Apple Pencil support and compatibility with professional creative applications.

Pros

  • M4 chip delivers desktop-class performance
  • Ultra-portable design ideal for mobile creativity
  • Apple Pencil Pro support for precision design work
  • Professional app ecosystem for design and development
  • Perfect companion for app testing and prototyping

Apple iPhone 16 Pro

Hardware

My Primary mobile device features the latest flagship iPhone with A18 Pro chip, essential for iOS developers and power users. It has everything I need for both daily use and professional development workflows.

Pros

  • Essential for native iOS app testing and debugging
  • Professional camera system with advanced features
  • Latest iOS features for development compatibility
  • Premium titanium build with excellent durability
  • USB-C connectivity for modern workflows

Google Pixel 7a

Hardware

A great device to get into Google's ecosystem offering a pure Android experience with excellent value. Provides essential Android development capabilities, timely security updates, and access to all Google Apps.

Pros

  • Pure Android experience without manufacturer bloat
  • Excellent value for development and testing needs
  • Guaranteed Android updates and security patches
  • Perfect for cross-platform development workflows
  • Clean interface with Google's latest features

Software

Applications I use for coding and design

Xcode

Software

Apple's comprehensive integrated development environment for creating apps across the entire Apple ecosystem. Build native Apple OS applications with advanced code editing, interface design, and performance analysis tools.

Pros

  • Complete Apple platform development suite
  • Visual Interface Builder with SwiftUI preview
  • Comprehensive testing and profiling tools
  • Free for all Apple developers
  • Seamless device deployment and debugging

Android Studio

Software

Google's official integrated development environment for Android app development. It provides intelligent code editing, powerful build tools, and comprehensive testing capabilities for creating high-quality Android applications.

Pros

  • Official Google-backed Android IDE
  • Advanced Android emulator with hardware acceleration
  • Intelligent code completion and refactoring tools
  • Built-in version control and collaboration features
  • Free and open-source

Cursor IDE

Software

AI-first code editor that transforms how you write software. Built as a fork of VS Code with native AI integration, Cursor provides intelligent code generation, natural language editing, and contextual assistance to accelerate development.

Pros

  • Native AI pair programming and code generation
  • Full VS Code compatibility and extension support
  • Natural language code editing and refactoring
  • Intelligent codebase understanding and chat
  • Free tier with premium AI features available

Affinity Designer

Software

Professional vector graphics software that rivals industry standards without the subscription fees. Create stunning logos, illustrations, UI designs, and brand assets with precision vector tools and raster capabilities in a single application.

Pros

  • One-time purchase with no ongoing subscriptions
  • Professional-grade vector and raster editing tools
  • Available on desktop and iPad with file sync
  • Industry-standard file format support
  • Comprehensive typography and color management

Development

Development-specific tools and environments

Vercel

Development

Frontend cloud platform optimized for modern web frameworks and JAMstack applications. Deploy React, Next.js, and static sites instantly with automatic optimizations, edge functions, and global CDN distribution for exceptional performance.

Pros

  • Zero-configuration deployments with Git integration
  • Built-in custom domain management and SSL
  • Serverless functions with edge runtime capabilities
  • Exceptional developer experience with instant previews
  • Seamless integration with modern frontend frameworks

Supabase

Development

Open-source Firebase alternative that combines PostgreSQL database with authentication, real-time subscriptions, and file storage. Provides a complete backend-as-a-service platform with the flexibility of SQL and the convenience of modern developer tools.

Pros

  • Open-source with self-hosting options available
  • Full PostgreSQL database with SQL capabilities
  • Built-in authentication and row-level security
  • Integrated file storage and CDN delivery
  • Developer-friendly with auto-generated APIs and SDKs

Visual Design Tools

Tools for designing and creating visual assets

SF Symbols

Visual Design Tools

Apple's comprehensive icon library with over 5,000 consistent, scalable symbols for iOS, macOS, and watchOS.

Pros

  • 5,000+ icons
  • Consistent design
  • Scalable
  • Free
  • Native integration

Material Symbols and Icons

Visual Design Tools

Google's comprehensive icon library with over 2,000 symbols designed for Material Design applications.

Pros

  • 2,000+ icons
  • Material Design
  • Scalable
  • Free
  • Web fonts available

Lucide

Visual Design Tools

Beautiful & consistent icon toolkit with over 1,000 customizable SVG icons. Perfect for modern web and app development.

Pros

  • 1,000+ icons
  • Customizable
  • Lightweight
  • Free
  • Multiple formats

Productivity

Tools that help me stay organized and efficient

Claude by Anthropic

Productivity

Advanced AI assistant designed for safety and helpfulness across complex reasoning tasks. Excels at technical analysis, creative writing, coding assistance, and nuanced problem-solving.

Pros

  • Sophisticated reasoning and analytical capabilities
  • Excellent code generation and debugging assistance
  • Comprehensive file analysis and document processing
  • Multi-modal support with vision and text understanding
  • Detailed, contextually aware responses

ChatGPT by OpenAI

Productivity

Popular conversational AI assistant powered by GPT models, designed for versatile text generation and problem-solving. Offers broad general knowledge, creative writing capabilities, and coding assistance with an intuitive chat interface.

Pros

  • Extensive general knowledge and broad capabilities
  • Strong creative writing and content generation
  • Accessible conversational interface for all users
  • Large active community and widespread adoption
  • Custom GPT creation and plugin ecosystem