So, what applications do you use daily on Windows and why do you love it?
[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40627395
- Next-Web - OpenAI/LLM API based Chat UI with image input (fast, reliable) https://github.com/ChatGPTNextWeb/ChatGPT-Next-Web
- WSL - Very handy when you need to quicky run Unix commands and also test some linux stuff
- Slack - MS Teams alternative
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PACKAGE AUTOMATION
- Windows Package Manager "winget" command-line tool (winget.exe): https://github.com/microsoft/winget-cli
On both Windows 10 and 11, every application and system package on my devices gets batch-installed, as winget import --import-file {{JSON-file}}, when possible. One can also export a list of installed packages for automation purposes.
Winget is shipped as a component of the App Installer package, which is supplied by default under Windows 11 but is an optional installation for Windows 10.
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DRIVER AUTOMATION
- Deployment Image Servicing and Management (DISM.exe): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufactu...
I use this a lot, as dism /online /export-driver /destination:{{output-directory}}, mainly to manage exported driver packages post-Windows Update that are subsequently cherry-picked (latest active, installed version only), stored on a USB-C thumb drive, and pre-installed into a neutral OS (in Windows Audit Mode, using Ctrl-Shift-F3), via PnPUtil, for clean-machine testing.
- PnPUtil (PnPUtil.exe): https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/drivers/d...
As an example, I leverage the exported driver packages from above to one-click install them via a one-line batch command (in Windows Audit Mode, using Ctrl-Shift-F3 on first launch) for neutral-installation, clean-machine testing.
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Automation is key to getting things done, and reproducible environments are a necessity, especially when performing regression testing across various Windows OS build versions.
The combination of DISM and PnPUtil is now fast enough that I actually no longer bother using WinPE to capture and flash system images, or setting up DISM to inject the drivers into an existing image. Time is money and personal sanity.
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SCREEN CALIBRATION
- DisplayCAL: https://github.com/eoyilmaz/displaycal-py3
Every display panel I own (whether portable, laptop, all-in-one desktop, 4K monitor or other) gets a clean-room measurement under daylight (5000K) lamps with an X-Rite i1D3HL OEM colorimeter (e.g., CALIBRITE ColorChecker Display, et al), generating an ICC profile that can then be loaded into Windows Color Management at any later date.
Color calibration makes a huge optical quality-of-life improvement, with the occasional use of an adaptive grey-scale filter (to minimize color distraction, as well as to verify grey-scale compatibility and contrast) a close second.
This repo accommodates the changes required to run with Python 3 support.
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DIAGNOSTICS
- REALIX HWiNFO: https://www.hwinfo.com/
HWiNFO provides "more info about your computer than you'll ever need", which is nonetheless incredibly useful. I've been using this for years.
