Uses This

A collection of nerdy interviews asking people from all walks of life what they use to get the job done.

A picture of Devine Lu Linvega

Devine Lu Linvega

Artist, developer

Posted in developer, linux, mac

Who are you, and what do you do?

My name is Devine, and I create esoteric software. I live aboard a sailboat with Rekka - we are presently moored in a quiet inlet, deep within the Japanese coast where sleep the remains of ancient towns, overgrown with lichen.

I am tempted to say that I write music, but saying that I write programs to write music would be more accurate. The same could be said about design, but not each one of my brushtrokes is automated - I do pick up a pen to draw once in a while. Rekka and I are making games, tools and books together. We also document our life aboard the boat each month, and we are very very fortunate to be able to spend our entire days experimenting with these medias and toys.

What hardware do you use?

I use an old MacBook Pro with an even older Wacom Tablet. With this one I do front-end work, be it layouts, websites, movies or games. It has Mastodon, IRC, Quake and all sorts of other distractionware.

I also use a singleboard computer (Raspberry Pi 3B+) hooked to a small 7" screen, and a [mechanical keyboard](https://wiki.xxiivv.com/Keyboard "Devine's mechanical keyboard page.""). Its purpose is to do experimental software development, read and write long-form emails and blogs, with nothing besides music to pull me away from the task at hand. It draws very little power, and discourages multi-tasking. I run mostly NixOS, and sometimes Plan 9.

And what software?

This is the GUI software I use on the MacBook - for a list of terminal utilities and other CLI software, have a look at my wiki.

What would be your dream setup?

I dream of owning a stronger SBC (single-board computer), something like a [Latte Panda](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njyRy-gkTHk "A YouTube video of the LattePanda Alpha in action.""), but using RISC-V specs like the HiFive1. I also dream of a modular OS that truly embodies the ideas of Linux, like Plan 9, but based on a dialect of LISP instead of Go, and with deep source control capabilities like NixOS. That magical computer would not try to call home or use DRM, and it would be inspectable, modifiable and environmentally conscious.

Also, if I could have one last wish, it would have a 1/4" headphone jack, and a orthogonal keyboard.