Software I’m Thankful for
Last month, I read the post “Software I’m Thankful for” and it inspired me to write a similar piece.
I don’t want to write about programming languages, libraries, or IDEs in this blog post. So instead of writing about mainstream software, I’d like to highlight the tools I found irreplaceable.
Let’s begin with the most mainstream tool I’ve included in the blog post:
Source Tree
There are multiple approaches to managing GIT. You might be using the command line or perhaps you can pay for GitKraken, an excellent GIT management tool. Other options are free alternatives like SourceTree or TortoiseGit. Last but not least, numerous authors have created plugins for our IDEs like GITLens for Visual Studio Code.
I’ve tried probably all of them but ultimately I am a happy user of Source Tree. I’ve been using Source Tree my whole career, albeit with intermittent periods testing other tools. I always return to Source Tree though. Why? The reason seems pretty straightforward. Source Tree provides a great but overlooked feature and a neat UI for reviewing your changes before committing your work.
When I swap from coding in VS Code to this UI, my brain somehow switches to a different state of mind. From coding, I switch to double-checking my changes. It helps me wait for a moment, take a deep breath(metaphorically and practically), and look at my code with fresh eyes. This approach has saved me a lot of time because I discover bugs before committing them to the codebase.
In light of my experience, I encourage you to try this approach. Even though the VS Code also has a similar UI for reviewing changes, it doesn’t have the same effect on me as Source Tree. My theory is that maybe switching from one application to another does the trick. So try it for yourself to see how it works for you.
Ditto
Even though Ditto is a free-of-charge and small extension to the clipboard, it works as my flawless second memory. It saves each item placed on the clipboard and allows you to access those items later. When you get used to working with Ditto, you will see the clipboard differently.
It is irreplaceable, especially for editing code. You can put 3, 4, or more code blocks into the clipboard at once. Then you paste them into another file in any order. Just map keyboard shortcut Ditto’s paste as Win+Ctrl+C, and you will see that it works like a charm.
Thanks to my colleague, I learned last month that Windows offers better clipboard functionality too. Just press win + V, and after confirming the dialog, you will get a better clipboard with history. Yet compared to Ditto, it still has some limitations, such as searching. But you should try it. I am pretty sure it will improve your user experience with Windows.
Total Commander
I know many developers who don’t need a file manager, but I’ve always needed one. Total Commander suits me the best. Does it look ugly? Yeah, it does. Is it old-school? Definitely! Still, it would be a super useful tool in your toolbelt.
We, as developers, got used to working with IDE, terminal, and other tools that shielded us from raw files and folders. Yet ultimately, files are still the main product of our work. Sometimes we need to roll up our sleeves and use the file system directly.
Total Commander has been my savior. Managing files or folders is super intuitive. You can predefine folders on keyboard shortcuts, save FTP accounts, rename multiple files using patterns, etc.
In addition, Total Command supports extensive keyboard users like me.
Screenpresso
The well-known adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” doubly applies if you communicate with clients. They always appreciate having an extra visual clue to illustrate your points in emails or instant messages. A handy print screen or a descriptive table might be a gamechanger in your text communication.
However, taking a print screen is very often a tedious job. Before discovering Screenpresso, I screenshotted the whole page, cropped it in the editor, then added red boxes to highlight my point. Screenpresso has saved me a lot of time by providing an easy-to-take screenshot of only part of my display and easy post-editing. Taking, adjusting, and copying pictures with Screenpresso is a piece of cake.
I am aware there are more software tools for taking screenshots but Screenpresso suits me well.
Nightingale REST Client
I was using Postman for any API calls and messing around with network stuff. But I have not been too fond of its UX. I have a vague feeling that Postman’s UI is somehow flawed. After I discovered Nightingale REST Client, I finally understood what it was. Postman is missing proper keyboard controls and it is slow. On the other hand, Nightingale is a fast native Windows app with adequate keyboard support.
I understand that this comparison is not fair. Nightingale doesn’t offer as many features as Postman, but it works perfectly for me as I don’t need any team features and API collaboration.
I think Nightingale was the first Windows application I installed through the Windows Store. So yeah, sorry Linux/Mac OS guys. This lovely piece of software is available only for Windows.
All of the above were my desktop preferred applications. Now, the second part of this blog post is devoted to my favorite online services.
.BrainFM
Brain FM is what I call a nice-to-have service. During my daily work, I am exposed to various distractions. PMs, email, slow CI pipelines etc. are common interruptions. Moreover, it’s been shown that it’s affecting our collective work performance, since many studies have proven that our brain is “single-threaded” and doesn’t like being interrupted.
So how does that relate to BrainFM? As the name suggests, BrainFM is radio for your brain. Brain FM provides an excellent tuned beat to help you with reestablishing your focus again.
The BrainFM team claims:
“Our science-first approach creates music that sounds different–and affects your brain differently–than any other music.”
I don’t know whether it’s true, but it works for me. I’ve even realized that BrainFM serves me better than Spotify deep focus, white noise, or any youtube calm music.
Brain FM has two versions now, a classic one and a fancier beta version. Unfortunately, the beta version underwhelms. On Firefox, it causes my laptop to run fans at the highest speed, and occasionally it doesn’t work on Chromium-based browsers (Chrome, MS Edge). But it is bearable, plus you can always switch to the old player.
You have to pay a small amount of money. However, the value outweighs the cons. Give it a try! You will see the effect for yourself.
BrowserStack
BrowserStack is my lifesaver when I need to look at what my web will look like on mobile phones and other devices. It’s super cool that you don’t have to have many physical devices devoted solely to testing your site.
Its support of Devtools and its testing against the local environment turned out to be really useful as well. It’s a paid service and not a cheap one at that. But it is worth every penny.
So far, I have seen only one or two inconsistencies in the behavior of BrowserStack mobile compared to real mobile phones. Besides these minor glitches, it works smoothly. I can’t recommend this service enough.
Grammarly
As I am not a native English speaker, I enjoy using Grammarly in my daily writing. I’ve tried alternatives like MS World and Google docs, but as far as I know, they have not achieved Grammarly ingenuity yet.
I am a loyal user of Grammarly, as you can see in the following image:
Try it. You won’t be disappointed. However, bear in mind that Grammarly is not for utter beginners. Your English has to be at a certain level to appreciate its power.
Scribd
I subscribed to Scribd a few months ago and I haven’t developed a strong opinion about its value. The service offers an extensive library of fiction, non-fiction, audiobooks, and magazines. All which you get for a meager monthly fee.
To be honest, there is a lot of nonsensical stuff but you can find hidden gems. For example, there are more than 400 titles from Manning Publications, a well-known publisher of great technical books. It seems that the most recently published books from Manning Publications aren’t available here but more than 400 of their books are a perfect start.
The main problem with Scribd turned out to be their “throttling”. They use a black magic algorithm to limit your access to certain books if you read a lot in a month. Even if you’ve begun a book, you might lose access to this book until your next pay period. You can imagine how super annoying that might be. I hope it gets better because Scribd looks like an exciting service with great potential.
Bonus: etc/drivers
I’m sorry, the following tip is just for Windows users.
After some hours of work, I become tired and demotivated, and even using BrainFM can’t stop me from looking for instant gratification. At this time, I start consuming content on social networks. I know if I left the computer for a while, it would be much more beneficial. But somehow I don’t.
I deal with my poor willpower using the following trick. To disable malicious sites like Facebook just go to the folder:
c:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\
Then add into the file “hosts” something like:
127.0.0.1 twitter.com
127.0.0.1 www.twitter.com
127.0.0.1 facebook.com
127.0.0.1 wwww.facebook.com
This simple change reroutes all these sites to the “127.0.0.1”, which is your computer, so you won’t be able to get to these sites. After that, enjoy your pause without these time-consuming monsters.
That’s it. Please let me know if you have any nifty niche tools in the comment sections. Thanks!
We are ACTUM Digital and this piece was written by Marek, Senior Front End Developer of Apollo Division.
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