Free Software Every Web Dev Should Know
Starting out in web development is expensive. Not only do you need to get a web domain and hosting, you also need to have the best of tools out there so you can be just as good as the reset. Well, who says you have to spend loads of cash on software, when you can get free alternatives online that are often just as good, if not better.
Here is a list of some of the best software to get you started in web development for free.
Notepad++ - Text Editor
Real web developers don't rely on WYSIWYG editors, they get there hands dirty with the code. To do this, you need a good text editor with features such as functions and syntax highlighting. There are a lot of them out there to pay for, but Notepad++ is just as good as all of them, except its free.
MySQL - Database
Having a good database platform is key to creating great database driven websites. MySQL is one of the widest used and highly supported database platforms out there. Plus, because of this, there is so much support online to help you with any questions/problems you might run into.
PHP - Server Side Programming Language
When a good open source software is created, it becomes successful and widely used. PHP is just that. Millions of web developers use PHP as there primary coding language for creating dynamic and database driven websites.
MySQL Toolkit - Database Administration tools
When creating database driven websites, you find that one thing you need is a good way to administrate the database. Web-based administration can be very slow and command-line administration can lack in usability. The MySQL Toolkit provides great features such as database/table editing/creation, query browsing, migration, backup management, replication, user management, performance monitoring and so much more. One of the greatest pieces of free software out there. Get it now.
Gimp - Image Editing Program
If you cannot afford to fork out hundreds for Adobe Photoshop and find that Adobe Elements lacks in features, GIMP is a great alternative. It has all the great features that photoshop has and hundreds of great plug-ins. But beware, if you are a Photoshop user, you might find a bit of a learning curve with GIMP as its designed much differently.
Blender - Rendering Program
Profession 3d rendering software can cost thousands, but Blender is FREE! Just like all 3d rendering software, it takes a lot of learning before you get results you want, but they have loads of tutorials and plug-ins so Blender is a no-brainer. Stop paying for expensive rendering software, use Blender.
OpenOffice.org - Office Application Suite
Office software is a boring subject, but its a must have these days. OpenOffice provides a great free alternative to Microsoft Office and works very much the same way.
FireFox - Web Browser
Web browsers are a funny thing. Your either an IE or Firefox user, never both. Well, as a web developer, i would suggest using FireFox as your primary browser. IE users will try to defend there loved browser, but Firefox shows web pages as they are coded, IE tries to fix it. And i have found that 9 out of 10 times if it works in firefox, it works in most other browsers. I'm afraid I cannot say the same about IE.
Thunderbird - Email Client
This sort of goes with the boring subject of office software, however, a good email client is required these days. Thunrderbird is a great alternative to Outlook and has many more features than Outlook Express.
Web Developer Toolbar - Firefox Plugin
Probably the single most useful browser plug-in of all time, the web developer toolbar for Firefox has more features that you can even think of needing. Some of my favourite and most used features of the toolbar are CSS highlighting of objects and remote code validation (sends your html source strait to W3C validation with just a few keystrokes).
I'm not saying that these are the only free alternatives. I'm saying that out of experience, these are some of the best tools for web developers. Like a said, everything above is FREE to use. If you know some more that should be added to this list, drop us a comment in the forums.
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