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Tools For Getting the Job Done
Productivity
People often ask me, "What program are you using to do that?" So here is a list of all of the tools I have on my work computer.
Web Browsing
- FireFox 2 - The extensions make FireFox a far superior browser to any other for web development and testing code.
- Internet Explorer 7 - I use IE7 when FireFox doesn't work (usually Microsoft pages) or when I am developing with ASP.NET 2.0.
FireFox Extensions
- ColorZilla - Pick the color of any pixel in FireFox.
- IE Tab - View how IE will render a page from within FireFox.
- Download StatusBar - Inline downloads status instead of a pop-up.
- Firebug - Inspect the DOM and debug Javascript (This is my favorite extension).
- Foxmarks Bookmark Synchronizer - Backup your bookmarks and synchronize them accross multiple computers.
- Google Pagerank Status - Displays the pagerank of the page you are viewing on the statusbar.
- SEO for FireFox - Lookup various SEO-related information about any page.
- Web Developer Toolbar - Tons of tools to help you debug your page.
Music
- iTunes - Podcasts, internet radio, syncs with iPod, need I say more?
- Last FM - Dynamically creates a internet radio station based on the music you like.
- Winamp Lite - A compact music player that doesn't touch your system resources.
Web Development
- Notepad++ - Highlights your code in a TON of different languages, tabbed interface, macros... all sorts of cool stuff that made me stop using notepad and switch to notepad++.
- Dreamweaver - Great file management that allows me to switch between projects quickly. Definitions of PHP functions built right into the editor.
- Flash - Interactive internet media development tool that is far superior to anything else I have seen.
- Visual Web Developer Express - Free for commercial use and a great development environment for ASP.NET 2.0. Formats code when I am cleaning up sloppy unnested code (Control+K, Control+D).
- Netbeans 5.5 - Java/JSP development environment that has built-in Tomcat server for fast local development.
- MySQL Query Browser - View, edit and update MySQL databases.
- Tortoise CVS - Repository for versioning files in the development processs.
Graphics
Other Useful Tools
- JRuler - Measure the size of anything in pixels.
- Filezilla - Fast and lite FTP program.
- Texter - No more repetative typing! Setup hotkeys to stop typing the same thing over and over.
- Multiple IEs - Debug websites in old versions of IE.
- GAIM - Alternative to AOL Intant Messanger. It is basically AIM without the advertisments.
- IE7 Inline Search - Module that adds inline search to IE7 instead of a pop-up.
Whew, *wipes sweat off forehead*, that is my entire list of applications I use to get the job done. I hope you discover something in here that will make your day more productive and smooth!
#1. Booch on Feb 15 2008
Good article! I use many of these tools already except for JRuler. I could have used a tool like that so many times, but never thought to search for it.
#2. Booch on Feb 19 2008
Also, I use Pixie (http://www.nattyware.com/pixie.html) instead of ColorZilla. Both work great, but Pixie is browser independent (like jRuler) and works better for what I need.