Best of 2021

The blog posts Hacker News loved most in 2021. 521 posts.

Tools & Productivity
306

DIY Mail

I have another post about half-written that I will finish up and publish soon, but in the mean time I have been thinking today about something that perennially comes up in certain orange-tinted online communities: running your own mail server.

311

A Random Walk Through Git

This tutorial is an in-depth look at how Git works, performing a lot of sometimes unusual steps to walk through interesting details. You will have to pay attention closely, or you will get lost on the way. But do not despair; you can run this tutorial on your computer, at the speed you want, skip to any step you want…

313

Use Spreadsheets Everywhere

Spreadsheets, they’re everywhere. Following closely behind email and word processor documents, spreadsheets are possibly the most ubiquitous tool for knowledge workers. From simple lists to complex financial modeling, spreadsheets are the backbone of how modern business gets done. This isn’t a new phenomenon…

319

The Future Needs Files

For many mobile users, files are like dinosaurs, a holdover from the bygone desktop era. Sure, they “work” but, they’re mostly there because, you know, ancient history. I’ve discussed this issue for the last 2 years and I usually get some version of “get over it grandpa”.

320

Avy Can Do Anything

Update (2024-09-08): Read this article in Japanese at Qiita or at Emacs-JP. You’re using Avy wrong. Too harsh? Let me rephrase: you’re barely using Avy. Still too broad? Okay, the noninflammatory version: Avy, the Emacs package to jump around the screen, lends itself to efficient composable usage that’s obscured by…