Talkibie Toolbox
There are tons of tools, programs and other resources that we have come across over time, and we want to provide a list of our favorites. If there is a tool or resource that you would like to have added to our Toolbox, please send us a description and a copy of the software for consideration.
Productivity Tools and Technology
Adobe Acrobat.com
Acrobat.com is a suite of services from Adobe which includes Buzzword, ConnectNow, and Acrobat 9. Buzzword is a great web alternative to MS Word or Google Docs. The newly updated service is based on Flash technology, and it beautifully integrates images into documents, with text automatically flowing around photos or tables. ConnectNow is a web conferencing tool which allows teams to meet and share information live over the web. The service can accommodate up to three people, and it allows for screen sharing, chat, whiteboards, VoIP, and video conferencing. Acrobat 9 online allows users 5 free PDF conversions, 5 GB of online storage and sharing, the ability to embed documents in web pages, wikis, and blogs, and soon native video playback in PDFs.
Adobe AIR
AIR is a cross-operating system runtime which can integrate with existing HTML/AJAX, Flex, or Flash apps that can be deployed not only to the web, but also to a desktop environment. AIR applications are meant to be versatile, reaching users who rely on desktop technology and those who prefer web-based rich internet applications. Not only will AIR allow RIA developers to add some beauty and cross-platform meat to their products, but it will also bring some of the power of the web cloud to desktops.
Amazon Web Services
Amazon’s Web Services division is a cloud-computing venture meant to help leverage the e-retailer’s massive infrastructure. Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) provides web-scale computing capacity to help developers manage applications as they grow or decline in popularity. This is also true for Simple Storage Service (S3), which allows storage and access to any amount of data through the web. Users can grant access to others on their team as well, enabling web-based collaboration. Pricing is tiered based on usage, helping smaller-scale developers avoid the pitfalls of launching a new application.
Docstoc.com
Docstock.com is an online resource that allows users to download and share professional documents. The website contains useful information in areas such as legal, business, financial, technology, and educational. Docstoc.com provides file storag so users don’t need their personal computer to access their documents – instead, documents can be accessed from anywhere, anytime.
Eclipse IDE
Eclipse Integrated Development Environment (IDE) is free, open-source, and designed so that anyone can write a plug-in that allows Eclipse to identify any programming language. It supports Windows, Mac and Linux. Because of its flexibility, many developers use Eclipse as their primary development IDE.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a traffic monitoring service that provides up-to-date information about the movements of website visitors. Analytics shows traffic sources, keywords used to read the site, geographic data, and popular content. Users can customize dashboards to monitor the metrics that matter most to them. Analytics also allows users to set conversion goals and keep track of their progress towards building and retaining traffic. Google Analytics is a free tool that can be implemented on any site with a simple snippet of code.
Google Apps
Google Apps is a suite of productivity and office tools delivered over the web. Collaborative applications include Gmail, Calendar, Docs, Talk, and Sites. Users can create and share word documents, spreadsheets, and presentations without the versioning problems of desktop programs. Email, messaging, and calendar tools help keep individuals organized and provide powerful communication tools wherever they have internet access. Sites allows groups to store and organize all their important content in one place. Standard Edition Google Apps is free, while a Premium Edition is offered for $50 per user per year.
Google Site Search
Site Search allows businesses to use Google’s advanced search capabilities on their own websites. The tool can help customers find products, clients find white papers and research, and readers find articles. Site Search is a cloud computing product, using the data mining power of Google’s massive data center to the advantage of smaller companies. The pricing structure is based on traffic and pages to be indexed.
Google Trends for Websites
Trends for Websites is a Google Labs project that shows traffic patterns for almost any website. Users can enter in up to five different websites to compare traffic data, related sites, and the searches that lead visitors to them. The free service pulls information from search data, opt-in Google Analytics users, consumer surveys, and third-party market research.
Hadoop
Hadoop is a distributed computing platform which gives programmers the ability to write and run applications that replicate Google’s successful technology. Written in Java, it combines a distributed file system and a MapReduce function, allowing for speedy indexing and processing. Applications are divided into small pieces to be processed by any node in a vast cluster of commodity PCs. Hadoop is supported by Yahoo!, and its aim is to mimic and distribute approximations of Google technology on an open source model.
LUNARR
LUNARR is a web-based document service which acts as a virtual brainstorming scratch pad. The idea is simple: allow teams to collaborate not only on official documentation (like meeting handouts or presentations), but also on informal notes and ideas (like the notes you write on the back of meeting handouts or presentations). LUNARR calls this space a “back page”, and ideally it includes all forms of documentation for a given project, including emails, discussions, notes, and official documents. This tool gives teams a way to access all of this intelligence in one location.
Microsoft Live Mesh
Live Mesh is a data synchronization tool that allows files to be updated and shared across many different hardware devices. The tool allows users to create relationships between different devices and keep folders and files up to date on all of them. The hybrid system consists of a software client and a web-based sync tool called FeedSync, which is an evolved RSS/Atom feed. The software piece helps users set up which local files and folders need to be shared, and FeedSync gets the message to all the devices which need to be updated.
Microsoft Popfly
Popfly is a web-based Microsoft mashup editor that enables users to create web pages, games, and applications without writing code. Developers can use existing templates or start from scratch, pulling from different pages and applications to build a mashup. Popfly is free in a public beta, and it supports a number of content types and programming languages, though it does require the Silverlight plug-in.
Microsoft Silverlight
Silverlight is a rich content plug-in which enables web-based applications to be developed with animation, vector graphics, and video/audio playback capabilities. It competes with tools like Adobe Flash, Java FX, Quicktime, and Adobe Shockwave. The focus is on fast and efficient video delivery and animation. Content can be coded in a myriad of languages, including some dynamic languages like Ruby and Python.
Mingle
Mingle is a project management tool geared specifically towards Agile teams. The interface mimics a “card wall” or “sticky note wall,” so that it has the feel of the old standard tracking method of leaving notes for team members. The tasks can be arranged and color-coded according to their importance and time sensitivity. Mingle can act as a shared workspace for an agile team, with the added bonus of web-based collaboration.
Mozilla Firefox 3
Firefox is more than just a web browser. It’s an open source project that takes good ideas from developers around the world and allows users access to innovative add-ons. Useful features include one-click bookmarking, keyword tagging, search suggestions, smart URL bar, full zoom, and many others. Third-party developers have come up with a myriad of applications that run in-browser, including many specifically for designers and developers.
Mozilla Prism
Prism is a lab offering from Mozilla which will allow users to create desktop applications out of existing web applications. Prism users can pull existing rich internet applications out the browser and create a version that runs in a traditional environment. This eliminates some of the distractions of browsers (such as toolbars, email updates, and RSS feeds) that don’t have to do with the application itself. Prism is currently offered as a free plug-in to Firefox 3, and it’s available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux.
PageFlakes
PageFlakes is a web-based dashboard that lets users create their own mashup landing page. Users can combine widgets and feeds of all descriptions in a single location. Third-party developers can create “flakes” or specialized widgets for their sites to be distributed by PageFlakes. It performs similarly to an RSS aggregator, but with content in many different forms.
Salesforce App Exchange
Salesforce is on the forefront of the Software as a Service (SaaS) trend, providing customizable business solutions in a web-based delivery. Third-party developers have used their Force.com platform to create numerous tools that can be downloaded and tweaked by Salesforce customers. The App Exchange is a great place to find CRM tools, analytics apps, mobile software, and many more.
SnagIt
SnagIt from TechSmith is a powerful screen capture tool that goes beyond the the functionality of competitors. Captures are saved automatically without naming and transferring into folders, and images can be combined and edited. SnagIt automatically indexes captures and incorporates a search function for quick retrieval. The interface allows users to tag files with keywords or flag them for organization. Recently released SnagIt 9 is available as a free trial, and subsequently for $49.99 per copy.
Open Source Web Design Programs
Why pay for software if you can find it for free? Usually, the answer is that the free stuff just isn’t any good. However, you won’t find that to be the case with the open source web design software programs in this section, which are all the best of the best.
Nvu
An open-source web authoring system to rival FrontPage and Dreamweaver. (Linux, Windows, and Mac)
Cssed
A CSS editor featuring auto completion, syntax highlighting and validation. (C, C++) (Linux)
Quanta Plus
A top-notch HTML editor and web development for the K Desktop Environment.
Bluefish
An HTML editor for programmers written using GTK, designed to save the experienced webmaster some keystrokes. (C) (GNU/Linux, Unix)
GIMPShop
The open source replacement for Photoshop. (Mac, Linux, and Windows)
Inkscape
The vector graphics application which may spell the end for Adobe Illustrator.
CSS Layouts
If you’re looking for the freedom to create something entirely original but just want some of the basic layout taken care of, this section is for you. The templates below are pure CSS, leaving you a clean slate from which you can add the design, graphics, and text as you see fit.
Layout Gala
40 CSS tri-color layouts to help you pick a format.
AndreasViklund.com
Free Templates by designer Andreas Viklund.
CSS Template Directory
A collection of CSS formatted page templates, developed and distributed by different designers.
BenMeadowcroft.com
Top-notch web design templates by Ben Meadowcroft, mixed in with a few spoof pages and experimentation.
Mollio
A set of basic CSS templates that also have some sample basic content to speed things along.
Real World Style
CSS layouts organized by format type.
Little Boxes
CSS template arrangements with quickly accessible code.
The Layout Reservoir
Simple, straightforward, and manipulable 2 and 3 column layouts.
Protagonist Web Resources
A list of 43 tableless layouts to go along with the other protagonist resources.
Glish
CSS Layout Techniques by Eric Costello which have been stripped down to the bare essentials.
Position is Everything
Tableless design resource with CSS bug workarounds.
ThreeColumnLayouts
The ultimate 3 column layout resource list.
ssi-developer
Two column CSS template samples with recommendations.
MIS Web Design
Fancy Paragraphs with CSS.
Ruthsarian Layouts
Freebie-CSS layouts ranging from basic to complex arrangements.
A List Apart: CSS
Practical CSS layout tips, tricks and techniques
Code-Sucks.com
Creating 1, 2, 3, and 4 column layouts.
Particle Tree
Dynamic resolution dependent layouts.
Project Seven
Fluid CSS Layouts
MyCelly
A collection of 16 basic layout templates.
Ideas
12 free CSS templates.
CSS Library
Dynamic drive’s tableless CSS layouts.
IntensiveStation
A collection of all new basic CSS templates.
IronMyers
A collection of layouts with full Grade-A browser support for IE6, IE7, Firefox, Opera, Safari, and more.
The CSS Playground
Cutting edge CSS demos by Stu Nicholls’
Wordpress Theme Viewer
Collection of searchable themes organized by columns, colors, rounded corners, and other categories.
Fluid 2-Column Template
A fully usable “fluid” template, meaning that the design expands and contracts with the window size.
Avinash 2.0
12 Free CSS templates