Many of the programs that are default on a computer are inadecvat for a software developer since they are lacking in functionallity or otherwise have some limitations. I have been using many different tools to make my everyday work situation easier and more fun.
With this post I wanted to share my view of some of these programs and give you a reason why you should check them out. Since I'm a software developer with focus on .NET I'm using Visual Studio and as a IDE the environment is fairly good and one of the best things about VS is the ability register plugins, record macros and customize the look and feel of the IDE. Whenever I have the need to reinstall Visual Studio I always have some plugins athat I really need to add to the IDE before I can use the IDE to my full potential:
DPack (http://www.usysware.com/Default.aspx): A very valuable tool that help to track down methods, classes and files within the solution in an easy and quick way.
ReSharper (http://www.jetbrains.com/resharper/): One of the most know tools for Visual Studio and recognized as being well worth the money. There is also the possibility to download Nightly Builds which are free to use for 30-days and at the end of the trial period you may download a new build and reset the time limit.
WinMerge (http://www.winmerge.org/): Not strictly a plugin for Visual Studio but a great tool in its own too. I have set it up to use for comparing files when using source control and need to resolve conflicts since Visual Studios own tool isn't near as good.
WebAii (http://www.artoftest.com/): More of a thrid party tool than a plugin for Visual Studio. If you ever need to create complex GUI tests for you software be sure to check out this little goodie. Sure it takes a while to understand at the start but it really makes it a lot easier to make sure that nothing has been broken during the last build.
Other programs that I use to make my work situation easier and more fun that aren't integrated into Visual Studio.
soapUI (http://www.soapui.org/): Great tool for using beside Visual Studio to examine and create small test applications for either your own webservices or external webservices that you are using in your solution.
Notepad++ (http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/): Sure there are several text editors out there and we all find our own favorite. One of the reasons why I like Notepad++ is the multitude of plugins created and suits more or less any task needed for text files. Also Notepad++ gives information that a current open file have been changed on disc which is invaluable during control of logging.
These are just a little bit of all tools that I use in my everyday job, we all find tools that we use either just to make it easier to create or maintain applications and perform our job.
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