Being Open to New Dev Tools
Look at all the options!
One of the cool things about being a web developer/designer is that there is a massive amount of tools to do our job. From editors, to photo manipulation…it is quite awesome. One of the problems I think a lot of us have though, is that we get into a rut using the same software because that is what we are used to. I should know I was one of those people. But once I switched to a new one in one category, everything opened up for me.
Dreamweaver isn’t the only editor out there
I used to think Dreamweaver was the best thing since root beer floats, and I’m guessing a lot of you still do. It’s still good, but I’ve moved on. I use DW mainly for its ease of ftp setup and uploading, but as of late, even that is getting on my nerves. I hate the “Waiting for server…” pop-up, and it seems to be doing that a lot lately. Take that away, and let’s say it is fine in that regard. How many of you actually use Design view? I use it rarely, and that is only for email templates being coded using tables. Other than that? Never. It’s pointless for many reasons. So, take Design view out, and you are left with code view. Think of all the features you actually use, and tell me now, what makes Dreamweaver awesome? Oh, and if you ONLY use DW, you really can’t answer that.
OK smart ass, what else is there?
Lots. What is good for you? That depends on what you are looking for in an editor/IDE. There are a lot out there. The ones I have tried all have good sides and bad. I tried Aptana first, and it was way too bloated for me. Too many things and almost too powerful for anything I need. Bloated if you will. I liked that it had subversion, but the length of loading time is insane…and again, just too much.
Then I went to NetBeans. I love it. Quick loading, great options, though still a little bloated. Creating projects is easy, which for some reason seems a pain in Aptana. I love the way it displays CSS, code completion, and showing you where the errors in your code are, if any. NetBeans has become my go to editor now. But what if you just need to make some really simple changes, and don’t feel like opening one of these beasts?
That is where Notepad++ comes in. Yes, I know, its been around for a while, but I just downloaded it and checked it out. This one really hits my point home. It is an editor that gets right to the point, small, no bloat, extendable…I wish I was more open like I am now, about 2-3 years ago. Would have saved me a lot of hassle. Notepad++ is going to be my “I just need to change this in the CSS/HTML, and re-upload it. Why get stuck using only one editor, when you have nothing stopping you from using multiple?
Something that has always bothered me is when people list “Dreamweaver” as a skill. It isn’t. Its a tool. What you should list is that you know HTML/CSS, and who really cares what you use to code it in as long as its good? I used to list that too, but now when I see it, or even worse when a company listing its openings puts it up there. If you can figure out one editor, you can figure out any other. So don’t box yourself into one just because you are comfortable with it.
Photo manipulation?
This one is kind of tough, because there are really only two major programs that get any respect. Photoshop and Fireworks. This is actually one that I say use the one you are good at. BUT, don’t ignore the other. I use FW sometimes for PNG work because you can do 8 bit png’s (which I wrote about for use in IE6 without any additional code). I have read a lot of good things about FW lately, and I think I am going to try and get better using it.
Javascript libraries
Personally, I love jQuery. I just do. But there are so many other libraries out there right now, that it is hard to ignore. I have tried 3 now: jQuery, Prototype, and Ext. I would say that what library you use depends on what you are trying to accomplish. Trying to build a web app? Ext, while not widely known, is pretty damn good at interface building. Trying to animate and add cool effects or a slider? Well then jQuery is the way to go. Again, this is part of what makes what we do so damn fun.
CMS to the rescue
Ok, I think most of us can agree that WordPress is good. There are others out there though. I unfortunately have had the pleasure of using Joomla. If you like it, well good for you. For me its a dog. Holy bloated piece of crap Batman! If I never see it again, it will be too soon. If you haven’t picked a CMS to work with though, there are plenty of options. WP, Drupal, Joomla, LiteCMS…seriously google CMS and you will be amazed at the amount of them.
So?
My point is that a lot of developers/designers get stuck in a rut on what tools they are using to do their job. Don’t be one of them, because something better might be out there that you could be using, but you don’t because you are either scared of change, or maybe think that what you ARE using is better. You never know until you try, and I want to be the one trying. Don’t you? I know I sure don’t want to list Dreamweaver as an actual skill. I want to go an play with all these awesome dev tools! Plus, I’m just talking about a few things in general here. What about project management? Note taking? RSS Readers? Holy hell there are some serious toys out there!
If you know any other cool software, pleeeeaaaase list them, and maybe why you like/hate them!
Coupon Code: webmachine
Tags: Web Development
