My tools and toolbox
Los made a great post talking about the toolbox and tools he uses to get things done as Service Programmer at Buckhead Church.
My full time job is Customer Care Manager of an ISP in the midwest but my love and passion in relation to technology is web design (which I don’t get to do enough of) and some graphic design. I also serve as Gathering Coordinator for eXchange (a volunteer position) and I believe I’m the unofficial tech consultant for about 100 friends.
I say, let’s make this thing viral so get on the bandwagon and tell me what your tools and toolbox looks like.
For now, though, here’s mine. Thanks to VirtualErn for the image.
MY TOOLBOX
Dell Inspiron 6000 1.6GHz Centrino w/ 2GB RAM (I’d link you to the product page but they don’t sell the 6000 anymore; at least, not as it was when I bought mine just over two years ago).
Unfortunately, it only has a 60GB internal HDD but I use a WD 320GB external drive for storage. I’ve also got a Case Logic messenger bag on order to replace the aging, oversized suitcase of a bag I use now. I’m also planning on maybe moving to either a MacBook Air or an Inspiron XPS later this year.
Homemade AMD 2400+ with 2GB of RAM, 160GB HDD. My desktop machine. It’s aging (the motherboard will be six years old in March) but I’ve milked just about everything out of it I can and it’s still pretty reliable. My 19" widescreen monitor doesn’t hurt either.
MY TOOLS
Los split his stuff up into online and offline but pretty much everything I do is online, so without further ado:
- Todoist - my task manager of choice. It integrates with Gmail and is made powerful in its simplicity.
- The Google Suite - Gmail, Google Reader and Google Calendar. I’d be lost without them. I also use Google Notebook to grab important web clippings. I use Google Docs less but it’s growing on me the more I use it. Google Desktop indexes my hard drive so I can find any file instantly. I use Google Talk IM exclusively since its chats are stored directly within the Gmail interface.
- Launchy - the more you can keep your hands on the keyboard, the more you can get things done. Find out all about Launchy here.
- EverNote - a fast and fantastic note taking application. It syncs up with my home installation of EverNote to ensure I have all my notes no matter which PC I’m working at.
- EditPad Lite - a great replacement for Window’s default Notepad. I use it mainly for its tabbed interface and I like that it lists line numbers automatically which comes in very handy when editing web files.
- FileZilla - a free opensource FTP client that’s pretty much the best client out there. I use the older 2.x version as it allows for inline editing of web files. It also uses an XML file for settings rather than the registry so I can take said XML file with me if necessary and, with it, carry all FTP site addresses, usernames and passwords.
- Adobe Photoshop CS2 - I live in this program. I need to learn Illustrator but, for now, PS CS2 is my graphics home.
- Windows Live Writer - I’ve tried a lot of blogging clients and this one takes the cake, regardless of platform. Very powerful with lots of options. If you blog on a PC you owe it to yourself to check it out.
Of course, none of this does you much good without a PC that’s running in tip top shape. Click here to find out what I use to keep my PC running optimally.
