Forum Moderators: phranque
The primary list of tools and resources that I use on a somewhat regular basis on my job include:
The kettle is essential too though!
;)
Dazz
(A long silence ensues)
Oh.
(Realisation)
:)
PS: Wordtracker for keywords.
BKReplaceEm - basically a batch (multiple file groups, multiple queries and replaces) regex search and replace tool - free
CVS + a file compare utility (diff, FCU, Beyond Compare)
Tom
Arachnophilia and Note Tab Pro
PSP 7
WS FTP
Xenu
Opera 6
IE 5
Netscape 4
Premo Web Talkster
Outlook
Gravity
MS Office
Winamp (I couldn't work without music either)
HARDWARE
comfy chair
desktop (wheel mouse is particularly important, as are speakers with a good bass response, otherwise "it's just this computer, you know")
kettle, large mug and Kenco Purely Costa Rican instant coffee
cigarettes
INFO
webmasterworld
comp.infosystems.www.authoring.* newsgroups
alt.www.webmaster
alt.internet.search-engines
uk.net.web.authoring
alt.fan.pratchett.bofh
w3c i18n mailing list
Software:
Hardware:
Reference:
what do you guys think of that as an idea...hes releasing it soon, but were still trying to decide price ect...?
Do you reckon you would use it...?
No, I'm serious... Some of my best ideas and thoughts come after a couple of beers and a brainstorming session with my wife ;)
Nick
This tool really has transformed my development process into a whole much slicker operation - I can't even begin to recommend it enough.
It's great for keeping a history of any type of file. You can roll back to old versions of scripts, code, image files, and it also doubles up as a backup facility and you can manage multiple versions of entire sites (eg development/local and release versions).
You can get a version for windows but I use it under linux (its preinstalled by most distributions). I tried getting it to work under Windows XP home but I just couldn't do it. Think you would have more luck with windows 2000 or NT if your interested (better yet run linux).
It doesn't take long to learn to use the most useful features. If you do start using it I recommend starting with a small project, of just a few files. If you've got Linux but aren't using CVS yet then just take the plunge - start using it now. I've been running linux for a couple years now but I only just discovered CVS - I really wish I'd found it sooner.
What happened to apps like this that do the job with no bells and whistles, and are still as useful in 2002 as 1997, and with no upgrades! That surely is the sign of a good application.
CVS ... we use a utility called StarTeam - sounds like this type of application. Check in/check out files, ability to view all file versions, roll back to old versions if necessary, etc. VERY valuable. (although we did learn the "set the permissions carefully" lesson the hard way when a new writer on our team managed to delete our entire web site with one keystroke.)
Harley: I like the idea of pinning a window on top. That'd be great for me when I need to work in two apps at once.
Nick: alcohol is a good tool, so is sleep (for me). Sometimes I dream the solution to my problem, other times I wake up in the middle of the night with inspiration and jump on the computer and get tons done.
Oh, and, erm, well, to help my inspiration fly a little loose, the odd puff now and again. If you get my drift.
:)
UltraEdit
CuteHTML
TextPipe
WebSite Watcher
AmphetaDesk
Opera & Mozilla
some homemade Perl tools
a 50-CD player set on "shuffle repeat"
ergophobe said:
grep - nuff said?
you responded:
ergophobe: 'nuff said = this needs no explanation
(I pilfered the phrase from old David Letterman Top 10 List items.)
He he he. Ergophobe responds: parse error Hawkgirl. I wasn't asking you to grep for "nuff said", I was saying that grep was a tool that I couldn't live without and thought of saying "nuff said" but then added a question mark because lots of Windows/Mac people don't even know what grep is. So anyway, I guess that wasn't enough said, so I'll say it again. I can't imagine doing a web site without
- a revision control system (in my case CVS)
- a regex search and replace tool like grep, egrep, BKReplaceEM or something like that.
Ergophobe responds: parse error Hawkgirl.
Oooof. Got you. I swear, I'm running about .5 seconds behind everyone else and can't catch up.
A few more things I thought of to add to the list:
high-tech
low-tech
I also use Post-its to plan things I'm writing (3x5 filing cards are also good for this), where it's hard to get an overview on a screen. Small Post-its make great bookmarks for things you're reading that you're carrying around, like magazines, or books in bed.
>>...PIM software "above and beyond"... as a very lightweight "always on" reminder, scheduler, to do, calendar, address book...<<
This sounded very intriguing, and I checked out their website. They've now updated and are charging $150 for the Pro version. They describe the Dynamic Scheduling feature in a lot of detail, and it looks like a great tool (might even beat Post-its for scheduling ;)), but they hardly say anything about the contact management capabilities and other features of the program, so I'm hesitating putting the time into evaluating the trial download. Anyone using a recent version care to comment?
Post-its.... It's amazing what you can do with these.
Wow! That never, ever occurred to me. (clunk! the brain shifts into 2nd gear.) Usually I iterate on a white board ('nother tool to add to the list). But I can see having the post-its as my individual pages, and then just moving them around as I'm trying to figure out page flow.
[edited by: chiyo at 4:12 pm (utc) on July 31, 2002]
Nice thread!
