A Dozen Programmer Utilities

Two years ago, I made a list of my indispensable tools. Here is a quick updated version:

Lists are always subjective, but it is helpful, I think, to exchange favorites now and again. Feel free to add yours to the comments. Here’s my list in no particular order

Visual Studio 2022 – goes without saying that this is the world’s best IDE for .NET developers. I use it 8-12 hours a day, it just keeps getting better, especially with CoPilot.
Copilot – AI done right. Integrated with Visual Studio, this add-on is the most powerful and useful tool I have. It can get in the way a little, but when it does its stuff, watch out. Point it at a class and ask for documentation and/or unit tests and watch it go! But kids, don’t try this at home — it needs adult supervision.
ExamDiffPro – there are lots of comparison/merge utilities. Get a good one.
Tweaks by Mads Kristensen — small but very valuable addition to VS
Viasfora – I can not believe how useful this is. Matches braces by color and in any “real” application, this can save a lot of time.
Evernote: I use it to log everything I do, including every fix for recurring issues. It is quick, powerful, and easy to use. Although it has limitations, overall, I’ve found it helpful and reliable.
LastPass – my password manager. I’d be lost without it. (1Password may be better, our mileage may vary)
Git Diff Margin – if you use Git you’ll want to Git this. See what changed in the margin
DB Browser for SQLite – If you are using SQLite, this is a must-have.
BlueSky – the single best social media site for .NET programmers

Note that nearly all of these are free. I do remember the days when a program like Lotus 123 cost something in the hundreds of dollars. It makes me laugh when I see people look at an app and say, “$4, naah, too expensive.”

I am not affiliated with any of these.

As I say, grab these, and if there are others that you use, please note them in the comments.

Thanks

About Jesse Liberty

Jesse Liberty has three decades of experience writing and delivering software projects and is the author of 2 dozen books and a couple dozen online courses. Liberty is a Senior AI Engineer at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and was a Team Lead and Senior Software Engineer for various corporations, a Senior Technical Evangelist for Microsoft, a Distinguished Software Engineer for AT&T, a VP for Information Services for Citibank and a Software Architect for PBS. He is a 21 year Microsoft MVP.

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A Dozen Programmer Utilities

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