Samir Makwana

4 days ago | xda-developers.com | Samir Makwana

I have been self-hosting several apps in Docker containers on my home server out of sheer convenience. Taking a leaf from the books of my XDA colleagues who use Docker in their home labs for productivity or streaming media, I started experimenting with containers months ago. I gather that many people may want to or have just started using Docker containers to self-host different apps. Like many, I started off with Docker CLI to test out some of the apps.

6 days ago | xda-developers.com | Samir Makwana

Once you start using Home Assistant at home, it’s hard not to go overboard. To make the most of it, I used Home Assistant to create a shared shopping list with my family to organize our home better. The idea was to bring some semblance to the chaos: random purchases to stock up the fridge or pantry, and other household items. From impulse buying to double-stocking, it was vexing for me to shop with my family. Apple Notes app usually suffices, but the old ones have piled up.

1 week ago | xda-developers.com | Samir Makwana

After getting inspired by my XDA colleagues, I started using Obsidian as my primary note-taking app on my computer. I used it to jot down my thoughts, ideas, links, photos, and other relevant bits. But typing long notes does get tiring at times, and I wish Obsidian had a native feature to convert voice notes to text. Before, I tried Apple’s Notes app to take and transcribe voice notes, but my experience was underwhelming. It all changed when I discovered the Whisper plugin for Obsidian.

1 week ago | xda-developers.com | Samir Makwana

Using a combination of Trello and Notion gets overwhelming when managing personal projects. While both are efficient tools, I began to dread the charade of switching between two apps. After trying several alternatives, I followed my colleagues' recommendation and gave Focalboard, an open-source app, a try as a personal project management tool. I self-hosted the Focalboard server for personal use since it combines calendars, to-do lists, and Kanban-style cards in a single interface.

1 week ago | xda-developers.com | Samir Makwana

Docker is for almost everyone, really. As an enthusiastic home lab user, it changed the way I install and use apps without any guilt. This volition only mustered up after toiling over containers, which many claimed were easy to deploy and use. The invisible gap existed since I took everyone’s word for granted and didn’t pay attention to the basics. I got blinded by the lure of easy installation, better isolation, and portability.