the software i use + love most
Posted: October 6, 2008
my friend david frey got me excited about doing on a post on what software i use most. while most of my readers could give a shit less, i think some people out there might be like well omfg, i think that is absolutely fascinating! more, more, more!
yes, i know there are probably better programs than what i choose to use – but i am a creature of habit. plus there are many factors in play when i consider using a certain platform. usually speed is #1. i don’t have time for bullshit.
my desktop
i keep my desktop clean. yes it gets cluttered when i work on a project but once i am done or need to start on a different section of a project i always clean my work space up. i don’t have a background picture. i think wallpapers are dumb. makes your brain work harder to find what you need. imagine if your car windshield was a picture but you had to look around it or through it to drive your car. ok, maybe that is an extreme analogy. for the record, i work on a 17″ macbook pro w/ 2 gb ram.
when i start up my machine – this is the order of programs i open… almost like a robot:
firefox
this is a no-brainer – firefox rules. how fast can i get my internet rolling?!?! i love the extensions. i also open up safari since i like to always have 2 browser options at all times.
adium
i use adium for my chat service. it wraps all of them in one. i usually open this right away so i can start to bother or be bothered. it is almost embarrassing that i am always on.
microsoft entourage
yes, this is bit of a surprise. it is the only ms product i use and to be honest i don’t really like it. however, i have been using some form of outlook for the past 5 years and i have been too lazy to get away from it. my friend graeme suggests imail and i have heard thunderbird is good but i haven’t really looked into it. for now, it delivers my mail in a resource hungry and clunky environment.
transmit
i host a shit ton of websites and i have always been let down with past ftp clients. transmit is far and away the best i have ever used. and the company that pushes this little drug is from portland to boot!
bbedit
i use bare bones edit to work on my markup. i have built just about every website for the past 4 years using this platform. it is super lightweight. sometimes it grinds when i save a file on a congested connection but that i more my connection’s problem not the software. that issue alone has taught me how to work locally more. i love to see it live!!!!1 i am considering coda but we’ll see. i need more time.
adobe creative suite 3 (mostly PS)
i got a copy of photoshop 5 when i was 18 and ever since i have been a believer that a computer without photoshop is like a dog with no legs: sure it is fun but can you really do anything with it? poor analogy yes.
i use photoshop, flash, acrobat and bridge. everything else i don’t really touch. but i have to have to know if i want to i can.
itunes / songbird
gotta have my music! i have used itunes for a while, like most people, but then i discovered songbird. i love that songbird has tabbed browsing and runs off the mozilla firefox engine. however, much like itunes it is a resource slut. and also much like my browsers, i often have them both open. i need more ram!!!1 when i was a pc user i used winamp. i love winamp. that shit opens so fast it is crazy.
random apps
the rest of these are programs that have made it into my dock but i use very little. i like the ilife bundle for it really is super easy. if i need to edit a video i don’t need final cut since i am not really doing anything other than cutting and adding text. iphoto is great for viewing pictures. profound. locomotive runs my local rails database which i hardly turn on. terminal i use for ssh and good old subversion. calculator helps me add and subtract and ical keeps me on time. i have never been able to keep a calender before ical.
well, that’s it. i have just barfed out my whole dock. if i had to narrow it down, all i really need is bbedit, transmit, firefox and photoshop to create a really dope project. but i need my music as well! AH!
in the honor of all these comments being posted, i would love to know what your top 3-4 programs are. if you don’t have more than 2 then let me know what your top 3 websites are. and yes, mrdiggles.com gives you a bonus. i don’t know what kind of bonus though. 
mega nerd post! w00t!
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Firefox FTW!
That’s definitely my top program. I don’t do a whole lot on my PC except browse the net, listen to music, and watch DVD’s. So I’d say my top 3 programs are Firefox, iTunes, and Cyberlink PowerDVD. Not sure why I use that to watch movies, I don’t remember when I installed it, it’s just there, so I use it.
And I go to A LOT of websites every day, so I don’t want to narrow down my top 3, but mrdiggles.com is definitely an every day site, and my most visited blog.
I built my PC in 2005, so it’s a little outdated now, but it still does what I need it to do adequately (for now). I haven’t been much of a gamer lately, if I was I’d definitely need a new video card and more RAM. But I am running an AMD Athlon 3000+ processor at 1.8 GHz with 1 GB of RAM. And I use XP. I do have a 20″ widescreen monitor, though.
From Adam on October 6th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Oh and I just want to mention that I got my db clay puzzle wallet over the weekend and it is awesome. I won’t be using it for a while since I have a perfectly fine wallet already and I won’t be receiving it until Christmas, but I checked it out and I love it. I’ll probably put it to use sometime next spring and I’m really excited about that, haha.
From Adam on October 6th, 2008 at 7:49 pm
Thanks for the tip on songbird. Still a lil’rough around the edges, but it’s SO nice to have other options for running the ipods other than i(needtobeupdateddaily)tunes.
From gm on October 6th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Believe it or not, I used Adobe (RIP Macromedia) Fireworks for alot of my design and web layouts. I know, I know, everyone uses Photoshop, but I just haven’t had the time (or energy) to pick up all the little differences in how to do things in PS. I even layout most of my vector work (if I’m not drawing extensively) in FW and then port it over to Illustrator or Flash. Odd creature of habit, I guess.
As far as the rest of my dock, Dreamweaver still is my editor of choice, but I never make it out of “html” mode, so I’m not sure why I use it, other than the super-easy markup shortcuts. I haven’t fooled around with bedit or coda yet, though.
I use iTerm for my ssh, terminal access, and Cyberduck for a free FTP app. NeoOffice (OO) takes place of MS and I use Grab quite a bit for screen shots.
Itunes and Firefox, of course, and the trusty calculator (cause I can never find my real one when I need it).
Good post, nerd.
From Aaron Kipfer on October 7th, 2008 at 9:08 am
I hate Entourage
From chriskalani on October 7th, 2008 at 9:50 am
so, i’m not computer savvy, and the only time i’m on a computer is at work (ya know, playing online mostly), so i certainly dont have any favorite programs. but, what can i do to speed up my computer at work? its windows (xp i think) and super SUPER slow. i defrag this bitch on the regular too.
oh, and top 3 sites:
1)mr.diggles (of course, i think my daily commenting can prove that)
2)geekologie.com (i count their sister sites as all one site, so check those out too)
3)unbearableheavinessofbeing.com
From jecka on October 7th, 2008 at 11:02 am
adam: love the specs. if your machine works, run it til it dies.
aaron: your website is one of the nicer blogs i have seen. you need an about section though stranger.
chris: i know, i know. do they make you use that at jive?
jecka: you can speed up your machine slightly by right clicking your My Computer icon > Go to Properties > click the Advanced Tab > click on settings for Virtual Memory > select the radio buttong for “Adjust for best performance”.
It probably won’t make a huge difference. You should also make sure to dump your internet temp files from time to time.
From mr.diggles on October 7th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
diggles, don’t know about macs, but if you’re interested in lightweight no bs programs, you might want to give google chrome another spin. I’ve been a ff fan for a long time but I can’t go back to it after using chrome for a month. its so lightweight and quick. the only thing i miss is plug-ins.
From nima on October 7th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
i’m still on a PC (cuz i can’t seem to get my arse in gear and ‘Mac Up’). that said, here’s the list:
Sites:
1) Diggles – daily, no I don’t know you, and I’ve never been to Portland, but your site is ridiculous and the stuff you put up makes me laugh.
2) Gmail Reader (does that count?) if not, then ‘A List Apart’, and ‘Simple Bits’ come up most often.
Apps/Software:
1) FileZilla – it requests and update about thrice a month, which can get annoying, but it is cool that it stays up front. my favorite FTP by far – so far.
2) 37signals – their shizzle is the dizzle – I use their ‘Basecamp’ and ‘Backpack’ apps everyday, several times a day, and people think I’m organized ‘cuz of it.
3) F-Fox – not the Clint Eastwood Movie…
P.S. the photo at the bottom of this post:
http://www.mrdiggles.com/2008/09/greg-odens-shoe/
made me spit morning oatmeal all over my screen at work….
From Mookie on October 7th, 2008 at 8:59 pm
Ben just called me to reset our router because he just upgraded our connection… That’s my man.
Everyday I’m running Firefox, adobe creative suite 3 (AI + PS), itunes and iphoto. Thanks for reminding me of songbird and adium… Those make more sense to me.
From Tracy on October 8th, 2008 at 3:20 pm