Most developers are very set in their ways in terms of what applications they use to develop software, for me its Eclipse, TextMate and VIM. But those aren’t the only tools that we use in order to get through the entire software development process. For awhile I had been looking for a tool to replace my old standard of Microsoft Visio. I had been using Visio since before it was picked up by Microsoft. Well I am proud to say that I have found a company that produces GREAT organizational software, The Omni Group produces 3 of my new favorite applications: OmniOutliner, OmniGraffle, and OmniPlan. OmniGraffle is the application that replaces Visio for me. It allows me to draw very complex but elaborate and professional diagrams. Just like in Visio, objects snap together and it allows me to have an ever changing diagram so that I can think on the screen. If you are a Mac user please check it out, download the demo version and see what I am talking about. The next piece of software that I have really taken a liking for is OmniOutliner, which actually is bundled with most new Macs. I have started taking notes in meetings with this product. This probably isn’t its only use, but it is far superior then using some text pad and having totally unorganized thoughts in a text file. The last application is the one I really haven’t started using much of but am pretty sure I will get a lot of use out of. OmniPlan is the replacement for Microsoft Project for us Mac folks. Most Mac users are aware that Visio, Project and Access are not available for the Mac, so OmniPlan steps in an allows for Project Managment/Planning with their product.

Not only are these products very helpful for organizing software projects, but are also helpful for organizing any other facet of your life, and they also bring the creative look and feel to your work that you would expect out of a product on a Mac.

So as everyone knows I bought into the Apple craze years ago and have been a loyal fan of their vision and products. I currently use a MacBook Pro for work and an iMac at home and have not a bad thing to say about them. Any problems that I have had with them have been directly related to something that I had done to them. But alas this isn’t a rant about any of my Apple products.

This week my ‘N’ key on my laptop broke (I am not going to discuss how that happened, just realize that I wasn’t the one to break it), and I called Apple and set up an appointment with the Genius Bar at the Apple Store @ Millenia. This kind of thing isn’t a big deal for them to fix, it literally took the girl 3 minutes to fix it and that as it. But that 3 minutes didn’t include the hour I had to wait to see someone. You see I had a 7:00 pm appointment, but get their at 6:30 pm to be safe. Well it took me an hour to get in and out, but the funny part was how many people were their to fix their NEW iPhones. I am once again a Apple Fan, but maybe the release of the iPhone 3G was premature. Jobs has already admitted that MobileMe was premature, maybe this one is too. That isn’t stopping the mobs from buying in. Loads of people have the 3G model and love them, I just feel bad for the people who think that this is the quality of an Apple product. Just wait until everyone remembers that Apple also makes computers, then the stock will go back up.

Just my thoughts.

Sorry that I have been so busy as to not write. Here is an update.

• I sold my iMac G5. It was about time to update it, and I found a buyer, so I sold it. I am currently waiting for some more funds to become available, and then I will order my new Mac Pro system.
• Summer Semester ended, so there was school work to do, studying, etc. Glad it is over.
• Band camp is around the corner, so we have been busy at the MK Office getting ready for the season. We will be over 300 members at this rate. So it is very exciting times.
• Got a new laptop. My MacBook Pro kept on getting dim spots on it, so I called Apple for the 3rd time, and they wanted to replace the screen again, like they had did the past two times. This was not acceptable, and since I didn’t have my iMac anymore, I wasn’t about to go without a computer for 6 days. So I called Customer Care and told them that the Tech Rep was less than helpful, so they overnighted me a brand new machine, with the updated hardware.

Besides that all is good, going into my graduating semester. WOO!

One of the most common questions people ask is about software, which one is the best, most efficient, well maintained etc. I have my own opinions and have shared them on many an occasion. The pieces of software in question are: web browsers, chat clients, anti-virus, office suites, and spy-ware protection. I shall discuss each one, but please realize this is just an opinion and I am not an expert (yes person who googled this site, looking for someone to make fun of. I am a programmer, not a reviewer, this is purely from my perspective). Everyone needs to realize that outside of security concerns, software choice, is just that, a choice, use what feels comfortable to you, not what your friend tells you to.

Web Browsers

This might be the largest battle out there. Which browser do I use? The most popular are probably Firefox and Internet Explorer. IE which is maintained by Microsoft is probably the most scrutinized browser of all time, and Firefox which is maintain by Mozilla. I was a fan of IE for a long time, until I tried Firefox. Firefox has a great ease of use, and follows the web standards, so that websites you are viewing are being displayed as the author intended. Firefox is also very flexible, with plug-ins and skins allowing you to have it do and look like almost anything. I give it a big thumbs up. I’m not going to bash Internet Explorer, but yeah. BUT, I am an Apple user, so I have been using Firefox and Safari. When I switched to Mac, I instantly installed Firefox because Safari 1.0 did not support RSS or any other nifty features that Firefox did. When Apple released Mac OS Tiger, that changed and I used both browsers (because of the speed of Safari). But Safari at that point was still incompatible with a lot of web features. Apple recently launched Safari 3.0 for Mac and PC, and I can say that I am VERY impressed. I am using it currently (to write this article) on a PC, and on both of my Macs. It is compatible with newer web standards, and has the great speed I have come to love!Recommendation: Safari 3.0 (when it is out of beta)

Chat

This isvery easy for me. AIM is garbage. For PC download Pidgin (formerly gaim), it is a great multi-client chat client. Tabbed windows, support for plug-ins, and open source. For Mac, if you are going to video chat use iChat, but when you are not video chatting use Adium. See, easy stuff.

Office Suites

Another easy one. Microsoft Office is the industry standard. If you have the money buy it, if not investigate Openoffice.org. For the Mac, the new Office is due any time now, but until then if you are not set in you ways about MS Office, take a look at iWork. It is not nearly feature complete like Redmond’s software, but it has enough to get the job done, and has some very, very nice templates. Office 2008 for Mac should be what the Mac community has been asking for, but then again I have seen Office 2007 and well I’m not impressed. Stick with 2003 until the bugs have been nicked.

Anti-Virus/Anti-Spyware

In terms of anti-spyware, there was a great program out there called ‘Giant’ which we had used in the office for a bit of time. Microsoft bought this software and made it there own and named it Windows Defender. If you are a PC user, I recommend it. It is the most maintenance free software I have seen, and is easy to install and use. The close runner up is still Lavasoft’s Ad-Aware. This product has been there since the beginning for me, and is still in my arsenal when fixing a computer.Anti-Virus gets the Norton card. Symantec has been doing it for a long time. I recommend Symantic Anti-Virus Corporate edition. It is small, lightweight and does the job. Hands down.