Espanso — The Complete Guide: Text Expansion for Standard Paragraphs in Reports and Letters
Espanso is a free open-source text expander: type a short trigger and get a standard paragraph, a date, a disclaimer or an email template, in any program.
Guides and Articles
AutoHotkey — The Complete Guide: Automating Repetitive Work in CAD, Excel and Windows
AutoHotkey is a free open-source scripting language for Windows automation: hotkeys, macros for AutoCAD, Excel and analysis programs, and text expansion.
Microsoft PowerToys — The Complete Guide: Free Windows Utilities That Save Time in an Engineering Office
Microsoft PowerToys is a free open-source utility pack for Windows: OCR from anywhere on screen, an on-screen ruler, bulk renaming and window layouts.
Rnote — The Complete Guide: Free Sketching, Handwriting and PDF Markup
Rnote is an open-source vector drawing app for sketches, worked exercises and handwritten comments on drawings and PDFs, with pressure-sensitive pen support.
OpenBoard — The Complete Guide: A Free Interactive Whiteboard for Engineering Lectures
OpenBoard is an open-source interactive whiteboard: write on screen with a pen or mouse, build lessons from pages and explain worked problems and sketches live.
Super Productivity — The Complete Guide: Free Task Management and Time Tracking per Project
Super Productivity is a free open-source task manager with built-in time tracking: hours per project, timesheets, a Pomodoro timer and Jira and GitHub links.
KeePass — The Complete Guide: The Original Free, Local, Encrypted Password Manager
KeePass Password Safe is a free open-source password manager that keeps everything in one encrypted file on your PC: portals, licence keys and equipment codes.
JabRef — The Complete Guide: Free BibTeX Reference Management for Theses, Papers and Standards
JabRef is a free open-source reference manager that works directly on BibTeX and BibLaTeX files: DOI lookup, catalogue search and duplicate checks.
VisiData — The Complete Guide: A Free Terminal Spreadsheet for Huge Data Files
VisiData is a free open-source terminal tool for tabular data: it opens millions of rows in seconds, sorts, filters and plots. For logs too big for Excel.
DB Browser for SQLite — The Complete Guide: A One-File Database for Test Results and Measurements
DB Browser for SQLite is a free GUI for SQLite databases in a spreadsheet-like view: test results, component libraries and measurements in one file, with SQL.
Geany — The Complete Guide: A Light, Fast Free Editor for Scripts and Input Files
Geany is a light, fast open-source code editor that opens quickly even on weak PCs: Python scripts, input files for analysis software, G-code and config files.
LocalSend — The Complete Guide: Move Site Photos From Phone to PC With No Cloud or Cables
LocalSend is a free open-source app to send files between phone and computer on the local network, with no cloud or account. Site photos arrive at full quality.