TextMate
Every web designer should be using TextMate. Dreamweaver seems to be the web standard program, but it is way to expensive, and not as versitile as TextMate is. TextMate has all kinds of features, alot of which would be hard to go over in this post. It has the same kind of project drawer that Dreamweaver has, which is looking at your files. It has a bunch of bundles that you can use to automate alot of your code. You just set them up so you type one word and press tab and it gives you all the code for that particular thing. It’s awesome and I love it!
Adium
Although Adium is not a web design program, it’s sweet and nice to have. I recently just found out some cool things about Adium. On the Adium web site they have a bunch of different customization tools. I recently downloaded a script that allows me to type /chuck in the window and it automatically searches a database and send out a Chuck Norris joke for me. Not that useful, but I thought it was hilarious and pretty cool. They also have cool icons for your dock, cool sound sets, and other cool things. My Adium, is currently set up as a Jedi icon with Star Wars sounds. Its awesome!
Firefox and Firebug
Firefox and Firebug are probably the two best things in the world (well besides my wife and video games!) Firefox is a well known browser, and should become the default browser, and Internet Explorer should just take a hike! However, Firebug is a different story. Whatever man, or woman, wrote Firebug was a flippin genius! The “person” is amazing! Most individuals use it for Javascript debugging, but I simply use it to debug my CSS and HTML. It’s great for figuring out whats wrong with your design. Instead of going back and forth between your TextMate, your FTP program, and your browser, you can just make a bunch of changes in Firebug, and than duplicate them in TextMate and than upload and your good.
QuickSilver
Quicksilver is a hotkey shortcut program. You can use it to automate things, and to open files very easy. I use it alot more than I do my own mouse now. Rumor has it that you can also use QuickSilver as a clipboard feature, use it to automate different things, and all kinds of stuff. I have not had a Mac for very long, so I don’t know as much as some of my other power user buddies. I know I’m not getting Quicksilver alot of credit here, but it’s amazing, just give it a try.
Growl
Growl is a notification program. It’s nice to have, especially if you are downloading a huge file, cause you can do something else and than a little notification will pop-up when you need to pay attention to it again. Growl is nice for a lot of things. It will also pop-up a notification and tell you what the new iTunes song is. Once again, alot more capability than I know how to use it for.
If you don’t have these programs go get them now! They all rock my world! There are plenty more programs, such as Photoshop and a FTP program, I haven’t exactly found and FTP program I like yet. I just decided to write about three that are my favorites.
Well for now, “Happy interneting!”