All of us probably have a set of tools we use on a regular basis to maintain our sites. I occasionally find a new useful tool when someone mentions the tool. So I thought I would run through all the different tools I use, what I like (and dislike) about them, how I use them, where to get them, etc.

I am going to break this topic up into a number of posts because I use a lot of different tools.

Before I begin on software tools I’m going to briefly mention the hardware I use. For most of my work I use a Toshiba TE2000 notebook, now running Win2k. I used to run Linux as a desktop operating system, and I still prefer Linux.

The reason I switched to Linux is because some of the tools I use only run under Windows.

My home is wired in various rooms and I also have 2 wireless access points operating, this means that I can work from anywhere and often do. Often you can find my notebook perched on top of the kitchen stove as I prepare dinner.

I also have a couple of servers out in the workshop, there purpose in life is to act as backup copies of my sites and also as a development environment for new sites.

My workshop also has my old workstation in it, which for some purposes is a far better machine to use. This is because it has 2 21 inch monitors attached which is fantastic for serious development work.

The next post in this series will cover the tools I have on my notebook, then I plan to cover some of the tools on my sites, external tools, and then I’ll complete the series by discussing some of the services I use.

I would also be interested in hearing what tools you use!