While we have discussed a broad range of tools over the years.  There are a lot of good ones out there that are free and even better ones that are commercial.  Well, in most cases.  It can be incredibly time-consuming and challenging t keep up with all the options out there.  However, we can make it easier on our learning schedule by reducing our focus to developer tool categories.

What Are Some Developer Tool Categories?

When you think about your ability to make use of tools, it becomes obvious that there is a practical limit to usage.  For example, it makes little sense to have two IDE’s for your Java development.  Pick one and use that.  On the other hand, there are developer tool categories we should fill with solutions.  This approach will help us have the best tool for the job as needed.  There are a number of natural categories based on how we write code.  However, there are also a lot of utilities we should not forget.

Coding Tools

We will start with tools that help get our implementation done.  These include some familiar categories.

  • IDE
  • Simple editors
  • Specialized editors (XML, CSS, HTML, etc.)
  • Scripting languages
  • Database IDE
  • Testing tools and frameworks
  • Version Control Tools
  • Build Environments and Scripts
  • Move/Copy files
  • Code analysis

Helper Tools

There is more to our job than writing code.  That leads us to these other categories of tools we should cover by having a “go to” option in each.

  • Mail
  • Communication (Chat, Slack, etc.)
  • Office Apps (Word processing, spreadsheets, etc.)
  • Calendar or Task Tracking
  • Issue/Defect Tracking
  • Server administration
  • Image manipulation

There may be some more types of tools required for your job.  This may include an e-learning platform, time tracking, or more.  It is worth your time to think about the tasks in your daily routine and whether you have good tools to get those done.  Sometimes even a little productivity boost can add up quickly.

Learn more in the book written for Develpreneurs at any stage in their progress:  https://www.amazon.com/Source-Code-Happiness-Finding-Success-ebook/dp/B07MKZBF6R

 

Rob Broadhead

Rob is a founder of, and frequent contributor to, Develpreneur. This includes the Building Better Developers podcast. He is also a lifetime learner as a developer, designer, and manager of software solutions. Rob is the founder of RB Consulting and has managed to author a book about his family experiences and a few about becoming a better developer. In his free time, he stays busy raising five children (although they have grown into adults). When he has a chance to breathe, he is on the ice playing hockey to relax or working on his ballroom dance skills.

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