[ChrisMarshallNY]

It's not just tools. Pretty much all software is like that.

The problem is, is that it works, if you assume "working" means the software sellers get wealthy.

There's a reason that most waitstaff wear black. They should blend into the background, and not be what the folks at the table are talking about. In rare instances, restaurants exist, where the waitstaff is the service.

In software, though, you're being served by a waiter wearing a clown suit, screaming slogans at you, and serving you lukewarm, pre-chewed goo.

[jimbokun]

My favorite new-to-me cathartic feature is Safari’s hide distracting items.

Probably easier with an ad blocker or just Reader view. But I really enjoy tapping on all the overlays and moving ads and videos and see them evaporate one by one, leaving just the text I wanted to read.

The default state of the page is much like the restaurant you describe.

[hyperhello]

Ah, McDonald’s isn’t that bad.

[skydhash]

I use OpenBSD as a daily driver (but could use Alpine or VoidLinux too) and my setup is pretty much silent. No notifications, no rainbows of colors, no glitz. Let’s take mail. I use a combination of mutt hto directly connect via imap) and fdm/mu4e (to have them locally). I”m not interested in having counters or notifications for any of those.

The “calm technology” book has an handful of advices, but one of the best example is the xbiff program. It switches picture when you have new mail on your local spool.