HTML Editor Reviews | Reviews and Discussion of (X)HTML Coding Tools

Switched

Well, just over a month ago, I made the switch — I went from my three-year-old Toshiba laptop to a 24″ Aluminum iMac. My take: Awesome. I simply love this computer. At first, the 24″ monitor was overwhelming (especially after using a 15.4″ laptop for the past 3 years), but I’ve gotten used to it. ;)

But this entry isn’t about the iMac itself. Rather, here’s a list of the tools I’m now relying on everyday, since moving to the Mac full time.

HTML Editors

Note the plural. I still don’t use just one editor to get my work done.

I use TextMate to do most of the heavy lifting, now. On Windows, I’d been using e Text Editor as my primary editor, so when I switched to the Mac, I was able to bring my snippets and bundles with me. What an incredible time-saver snippets are. I miss some of e’s features (mostly the ability to multi-select by holding down the control key), but using TextMate everyday is certainly no hardship (plus, Duane Johnson’s TextMate bundle does a pretty good job of allowing for multi-selection).

I also use Coda a lot, primarily for its FTP and remote site management features. I’m definitely not as fond of Coda’s editor as I am of TextMate, but for making live edits on the server, Coda works extremely well. Plus, the fact that FTP, editor, and console are all built in really saves me some time. (BTW, Coda version 1.1 was recently released.)

OSes

Mac OS X Leopard

My iMac came with Tiger, but as soon as I could, I upgraded to Leopard. Aside from the odd quirk (such as the occasional disappearing Dock background after waking the computer up), Leopard has been great. All the software I use is compatible with it, and many of the new features — Spaces, Stacks, Quick Look — are really useful. I also don’t mind the look of the new Dock.

One thing I haven’t been able to get used to is how Finder arranges files and folders. I prefer how Windows keeps folders sorted together and listed before files. So, I picked up a copy of Path Finder and I now use this as my default file manager.

Windows XP Pro

Obviously, being a web developer, I can’t leave Windows behind. So, I used Boot Camp to install XP Pro on its own partition. The iMac seems to run XP extremely well, as far as I can tell (I don’t spend a lot of time in Windows). My main reason for using Boot Camp, though, is so I can play my Windows-based games (you can’t work all the time). While the iMac isn’t really a gaming rig, it’s definitely been able to handle all the games I’ve wanted to play so far (most recently, The Witcher, Rainbow Six: Vegas, and The Orange Box). I’m sure the iMac won’t age well in this regard (much like my laptop), but it’s working well for now.

Dual booting probably isn’t the best option for testing websites, though, so I also purchased VMWare Fusion. I’ve got Fusion sharing the XP install on Boot Camp, which is an incredible feature, and with my 20″ LCD hooked to the iMac, I run XP and OS X literally side by side on the same machine, IE6, IE7, Firefox, and Safari all open at the same time. I love this set up.

Development Web Server

Rather than using OS X’s built-in server, I opted to go with the free version of MAMP. On Windows, I used XAMPP, which I really liked, and MAMP seems to work just as well. MAMP offers Apache 2, MySQL 5, and you can switch between PHP 4 and 5. In addition, I use VirtualHostX to manage Apache virtual host configurations. It works with Apple’s built-in server as well as with MAMP, and it’s only $7.

Staying on Task

As I’ve gotten busier and busier, I’ve had to adopt new ways of staying organized. I had tried off and on to use OmniOutliner and kGTD. Then OmniGroup released OmniFocus, which is still in beta. I find OmniFocus quite useful for keeping my projects on track.

Website Planning

As I noted in a previous article, I like to create sitemap diagrams when planning a project or sizing up an existing site. On Windows, I used MindJet MindManager to map things out. When I moved over to the Mac, I crossgraded and brought MindManager 7 with me. The Windows version is definitely more full-featured, but the Mac version has what I need. When I want to add a bit more “splash” to a sitemap, I use OmniGraffle. Both are excellent programs.

Overall

I’m extremely happy with this new setup. The iMac is truly an all-in-one computer for me, taking care of my business and entertainment. Having the ability to run OS X and Windows on the same machine was the biggest selling point, and while the price point is certainly high, you’re basically getting two computers in one (three, if you add Linux to the mix). For a web developer, I would unabashedly recommend a new Intel-based Mac.

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