Endgame Viable

I’ve setup a new development PC, so I thought it was time once again to review the software I normally install and use for development (I last did this in December 2007).

I find that most of these kinds of lists are pointless, but every now and then I run across a handy tool I’ve never seen before, so in the hope that someone else might find something useful, here’s my current list of PHP and .NET development essentials.

• Apache - web server
• CopyAsHtml Addin - copy from Visual Studio to HTML
• Fiddler - view HTTP requests and responses
• FileZilla - ftp client
• FxCop* – code analysis from Microsoft
• Ghostdoc Addin – simplify repetitive commenting
• Hyper Addin – format and word-wrap comments
• MySQL 5.1 – database engine
• MySQL Connector/Net - .NET adapter for MySQL
• MySQL GUI Tools – query and administration
• NAnt – automated build tool
• NUnit – unit testing framework
• Paint.NET – image processing
• PHP 5.2.x – web development
• RegexBuddy ($) – regular expression builder
• Smart Paster Addin (2008 here) – paste text as comments
• StyleCop* – code analysis from Microsoft
• Subversion – remote version control
• TextPad – text editor
• TortoiseSVN – subversion client integrated with Windows explorer
• TreeComp – file comparison and synchronization
• Visual SourceSafe – local version control
• Visual Studio 2008 – you know, the IDE
• Wireshark – packet analyzer

Note that I get along just fine without Resharper or any ORM, Mocking or Dependency Injection frameworks.  That’s just how I roll.

• I don’t consider these essential, but they are instructive.