Tools

In any business, processes are easier and more efficient with the correct tools. Below are a selection that I find most useful.  They are all free to download and use as everything is on this site. Please email me if you think something should be added to these lists:

Cross platform tools

These are a selection of tools that you can use on any operating system:

  • Firebug (For Firefox)
  • Web Developer Toolbar (For Firefox)
  • YSlow (For Firefox)
  • Filezilla for FTP upload
  • Xampp - A complete, ready set up LAMP server environment which makes running a local install of Drupal very quick and easy
  • GIMP - Photoshop like image program which I prefer to Photoshop

Linux platform tools

  • Konqueror - This is the default web browser for the KDE desktop environment.  Here are a few features it is great for:
  • FTP - You can browse your server in exactly the same way you do your local folders.  Upload and download is a simple drag and drop or copy and paste.  You can edit files as though they are on your local computer.
  • Split windows - You can split your browser window any number of times horizonally or vertically.  This is great for FTP (Having your local folder in one split and your remote folder on another), You can drag links from one split to the other - Great for Google results! You can have an images folder ready to drag into your upload fields in your Drupal CMS.
  • Access keys - A great, very simple tool.  You simply press Ctrl and letters will pop up over links.  You simply press the corresponding letter to go to that link.  This is brilliant for quickly saving a page in Drupal since the submit button is usually 'U'!
  • Plugins - Auto refresh at 15 second or more intervals, Web shortcuts: gg:Drupal in your address bar searches google for Drupal and it's customisable!
  • Generally a nice, light, well thought out browser.
  • EasyEclipse - A great development environment for PHP and has a SVN plugin for version control
  • Kate - An advanced text editor for KDE.  Great features and great plugins, an alternative to EasyEclipse and much better in some respects.  Can directly edit files over FTP
  • Kruler - Measure anything on your screen!

Mac OSX

  • Textwrangler - Text editor 
So there you go!  I'll be adding guides for some of these tools.  And if you're not already using it, give Kubuntu a try.