Here are some of the developer tools I’ve used with their pros and cons.
I’ve used many and will keep adding as time allows.
Editors
Imaging
Version Control
and more
EDITORS
Homesite
Still a great editor for HTML and Coldfusion. I’ve used this since the first release.
Pros
Coldfusion markup intelligence
Easy to use
Lightweight
Good features
Cons
No longer supported
Komodo
There are two versions available, a free and paid version that is more feature rich. I’ve tried both and they are great and easy to work with. I prefer this for developing on a Mac to anything else.
Pros
Free version
Code intelligence (both versions)
Plug-ins available (both versions)
Too many features to list
Cons
Perhaps too featured if only needed for simple editing
HTML-Kit
Pros
Basic editor, very simple to use
Cons
Paid version but looks like there is a free version available now also
Dreamweaver
So many features so you have to check the site. I usually use this if the current company I’m at has a license.
Pros
“Firebug”-like virtual style development
jQuery intellisense
Cons
Free trial expires
Visual Studio
More than an editor, it’s for full site development control. Allows multiple users to update files, do builds and deploy. I usually use this if the current company I’m at has in place.
Pros
Extremely intuitive intelligence
Error checking as you write code
Provides possible fixes for current error in code, very helpful
Plug-ins
Cons
Learning curve
Not for individuals(tho this really isn’t a con)
Browser Add-Ons
Firebug
The must have tool for front-end development. Besides inspect, my favorite feature is console.
Pros
Intellisense
Inspection tool
Console and debugging
Much more
Cons
Doesn’t work in all browsers though there is a bookmarklet for IE
Web Developer
A wealth of features, but I use Firebug more. Ruler is a very useful feature.
Pros
CSS Editing
Element outlining
Can disable cache, JavaScript, more
Much more
Cons
Doesn’t work in all browsers
JSView
I love this add-in. I use it constantly. Lets you view JavaScript and CSS files simply and easily from the browser toolbar under View.
Pros
Extremely useful and quick
Cons
Doesn’t work in all browsers
FireShot
Capture screenshots, edit, crop, save and more.
Pros
Extremely useful and quick
Cons
Doesn’t work in all browsers
ColorZilla
Eyedropper to pick a color from any point in your browser window and more.
Pros
Save time when matching colors
Cons
Doesn’t work in all browsers
Open With
Open current page in any browser.
Pros
Saves time instead of having to copy url, open other browser and paste
Cons
Doesn’t work in all browsers
User Agent Switcher
Switch user agent to almost any browser or operating system. To take full advantage of the add-on, you should import a user-agent list, there is usually one available here or here.
Pros
Useful for cross-browser testing (just remember to set it back to default when done or you will wonder why your pages look strange next time)
Cons
Doesn’t work in all browsers
Video Converters/Encoders
Miro Video Encoder
Quick and easy video conversion
Pros
Free
Useful when you need to convert for HTML5 quickly
Cons
Chokes on some types of files
