uses

*Last updated: 14th December 2025* [changelog rss]

I really enjoy reading about other people’s setups. I read uses this for years (when it was called The Setup) and ZSA Technology Labs (makers of the ErgoDox EZ) also have a similar “people” page where they interview users of their keyboards. And, of course, Wes Bos popularized the /uses page idea.

Here is mine.

Hardware

• COMPUTER – Apple MacBook Pro M4 14" with 48GB memory and 2TB disk in Space Black.

• MONITOR – Apple Studio Display with regular glass. Almost everything I’ve been waiting for since 2016. Time to get rid of the disappointing ASUS PB279Q. The speakers are very good, but it’s true, the webcam is not.

• KEYBOARD – Vortexgear Pok3r keyboard (with GMK Dracula custom keycaps). I generally like this keyboard, but I do occasionally knock the keyboard into programming mode and can’t remember how to get it out again. CAPSLOCK is mapped to CONTROL.

• MOUSE – Magic Trackpad 2 in Black. I like using gestures when in “desktop mode”.

• WEBCAM – The Logitech C920 HD Pro has been very solid for me since 2017. I occasionally wonder whether it’s time to upgrade to something with a resolution greater than 1080p, but I don’t suppose there’s a massive benefit to that.

• HUB/DOCK – Everything is hooked together using a OWC Thunderbolt Dock (OWCTB4DOCK). Expensive, but works well and is reliable.

• HEADPHONES – A pair of Apple AirPods Pro 3s (USB-C version) which I bought for their noise cancelling abilities, but they have taken over completely because they just so convenient despite their software quirks.

  I also have a pair Shure SE425 IEMs with SnugsPro custom ear moulds. I’ve been a big fan of Shure headphones for years having owned 5 or 6 different models (they tend to break), but they sit in a drawer now.

• SPEAKERS – Audioengine A2 powered speakers. Not currently plugged in, for reasons.

• PHONE – Apple iPhone 15 Pro. USB-C where art thou? USB-C! Ensconced in a Bellroy case.

• WATCH – Apple Watch Ultra 2 GPS + Cellular 49mm Black Titanium Case with Black Trail Loop.

  Over-engineered notification delivery system.

• TABLET – Apple iPad Pro 11-inch (4th generation) with the 2nd generation Apple Pencil. Mainly for watching TV in bed.

• NETWORKING – At the moment networking gear is limited to the ISP supplied modem/router. I must do something about this.

• PERSONAL SERVER / NAS – A custom built PC running Ubuntu. It’s a Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-8100 CPU @ 3.60GHz with 48TB of storage comprised of 6 Western Digital 18TB Red disks in a 3-mirror layout managed by ZFS. I cannot recommend ZFS enough – I’ve recovered and replaced all disks and it was very straightforward.

  It runs Plex, and a few other services.

Desk setup

• IKEA Bekant Standing desk - It’s done me well for the price, but starting to sound a bit creaky. I would like to replace it with something a bit more sturdy.

  I’ve modded this desk with MegaDesk to enable positional settings.

• Steelcase Gesture Chair – a brand new purchase which was really needed. Replaced my previous Steelcase Leap V1, which I bought second-hand.

• Fully Jarvis Dual Monitor arm with laptop tray - this is new-ish, and allows me to position the laptop in relation to my main screen. I used a Rain Design mStand for years and recommend it, but I wanted to free up space on my desk, and the dual monitor arm allows that. It has some wobble, but I blame the desk for that.

Software

• Terminal font of choice is JetBrains Mono in 18 points. That might sound pretty big for a terminal but it’s easier on the eyes, and I think encourages better code as you can’t fit as much text on single page.

• My text editor of choice is Neovim which runs inside iTerm using the moonlight.nvim colorscheme.

• I use Fish as my shell – I just like the defaults. A lot of stuff just works, and it has a lot less unix baggage than other shells.

• My Dotfiles are available on GitHub should you be interested in seeing a mess of barely understood Lua and Vimscript.

Web hosting / email

• My various email accounts are handled by Fastmail* after years of Google Mail. I’m glad to be free of Google for email.

• Saying that, I still use them for my calendaring needs – at the moment 🤦‍♂️

• DNSimple* for DNS. They have a great interface. I was grandfathered in to a good deal years ago which has kept me with them. Inertia is keeping me there for now, despite price increases.

• Porkbun for domain registration. 90s-stylee, but seems good.

• This webpage is hosted on GitHub Pages – a very good setup for me.

• weeknotes.elver.me is built with Hugo and hosted on Netlify, the first time I’ve hosted something there. I chose them because I really like their integration with GitHub which allows me to preview the site before I publish. And it’s free, obvs.

• jordanelver.co.uk is built with Middleman and hosted on Amazon S3 with Cloudfront. I might move it to Netlify.

*affiliate link