Tech Stuff

Let's face it.  I'm a techno-junkie.  And an uncontrollable, unapologetic one at that.  Here are some tools I use for getting in touch with my inner geek.  I highly recommend them.

 

Get Firefox

The first thing you want to do is get a new browser.  Let's face it:  Internet Explorer is tired and worn out.  Firefox has many cool features to make your surfing and web design life so much better.  Just get it and use it.  You can thank me in the morning.  


Get Thunderbird

Outlook Express is so last millenium.  Thunderbird is the e-mail client from Mozilla that runs circles around OE.  The way it handles spam alone is worth the cost of admission.  I put the portable version on my iPod, connected with my GMail and Lewis & Clark College accounts, and I'm good to go.  Anywhere I want, I might add.  Try THAT with Outlook.

 

OpenOffice.org

Want a high-end, professional-grade office suite that won't cost you a ton of money?  Look no further than OpenOffice.org.  This is a free, open-source alternative to Microsoft Office.  It even opens and saves native MSOffice files, so compatability is never an issue.  I've gotten so used to the interface, I use it even when MSOffice is available.  Like Thunderbird, I have the portable version on my iPod.  Word processing, spreadsheets, database, presentation media, it's all in there.  They even throw in a decent graphics editing program and the ability to save directly to a .pdf file.  Microsoft doesn't offer either one of those.

 

Sitepoint

Want to learn web development the RIGHT way?  Start with Sitepoint.  Their collection of books and online resources is nothing short of amazing.  They teach coding to web standards in as much non-technical jargon as possible.   Create some basic content with xhtml.  Then create a stylesheet to manage layout on the page.  Then add some Javascript and dhtml to create some useable effects on the page.  Need to access a database?  No problem, they've got titles on php/MySQL and XML.  Here's the short list of titles I have and use quite often:

  • The CSS Anthology:  101 Tips, Tricks, and Hacks
  • Design Your Own Database-Driven Website Using PHP and MySQL
  • DHTML Utopia:  Modern Web Design Using Javascript and DOM
  • The Javascript Anthology:  101 Tips, Tricks and Hacks
  • XML Web Development

I highly recommend  these books if you want to learn how to create some great websites.  


Go Portable at PortableApps.com

Sometimes you're not around a familiar computer, and you need to plug in and get to work.  Hey, we've all been there.  This is where PortableApps comes in.  This is a collection of open-source, very useable applications that have been optimized for use from a portable source such a USB-drive or a cd-rom.  In addition to Thunderbird, FireFox, and OpenOffice.org, they also feature Audacity, FileZilla, and Gaim, just to name a few.