My current Setup (2025)

After each screencast, I’m often asked about my coding setup—be it the IDE, font, color scheme, or specific settings.

Following up on preview year’s posts 2024 and 2023, here’s my updated 2025 setup.

IDE

I primarily code in PHP, recently upgraded to version 8.4, and my editor of choice is VSCode. It strikes a perfect balance between simplicity and functionality.

Here’s a peek at my customized setup:

Customizations

• Theme: Kimbie Dark (dark mode).
• Font: "MonoLisa" (Size: 15, Line Height: 1.6). It’s a paid font, but absolutely worth it. Get it here.
• Extensions: My favorite is "Simple Project Switcher" for quick project transitions.

In 2024, I experimented with moving the sidebar to the right to optimize productivity. However, in 2025, I’ve decided to switch it back to the left. The debate over sidebar placement is much like the "pineapple on pizza" discussion—highly subjective but always entertaining.

Frameworks: STALL Stack

I remain deeply involved with Laravel’s ecosystem, particularly the STALL stack:

• Statamic
• TailwindCSS
• Alpine.js
• Laravel
• Livewire

All my projects are on GitHub, deployed with Envoyer and hosted on AWS.

Hardware

I am keeping my trusty black Height Adjustable Electric Standing Desk, which has been calibrated perfectly to my needs. My main workstation includes:

• Monitor: Apple Studio Display with Nano-texture glass.
• Computer: 2022 Apple M1 Ultra MacStudio featuring:
  • 20-core CPU
  • 64-core GPU
  • 32-core Neural Engine
  • 128GB unified memory

Additional peripherals include:

• Apple Magic Keyboard (white, wireless)
• Apple Magic Trackpad 2
• Rode Caster Pro for podcasting and managing multiple guest audio inputs.
• Shure PGA480-XLR Dynamic Mic mounted on an adjustable arm. It’s affordable and offers excellent quality for the price.
• Webcam: Nikon D3200 with an 18-55mm lens, connected via Elgato Cam Link 4K and mounted on an extendable desk arm.
• Lights: Two Elgato Key Light Airs paired with Philips Hue Play lights to boost video quality.
• External Display: 10th Gen iPad used as a secondary screen during screencasts.
• Audio & Storage:
  • Bose Pro S1 Portable Bluetooth Speaker
  • SanDisk Professional 5TB G-Drive ArmorATD™ for backup storage.
• Headphones: Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700.

macOS Apps

• Local Development: Laravel Herd
• Code Testing: Tinkerwell
• API Testing: Insomnia—lightweight and efficient.
• Database Management: TablePlus
• Browser: Safari for its speed and power efficiency.
• Backup: Apple Time Machine.

Additionally, I use custom scripts from Aaron Francis’s screencasting.com course to toggle screen modes and declutter my workspace while screencasting.

iOS Setup

I still use an iPhone 12 Pro Max (128GB). My minimalist homescreen includes only two app screens; all other apps are accessed via search. Most-used apps: Twitter, Mail, and ChatGPT. Notifications are turned off for everything except messages and reminders.

Here’s my homescreen:

That's basically it!

Feel free to ask questions or share your own setups reach me at Twitter.