Software Development Tools Overview
Finding the right software solutions for your business’s needs can be a real headache. Often, it’s more beneficial to simply develop your own custom software. Where many businesses stumble is in the software tools they use to do this. Read this guide to learn about some of the best development tools available and how they can benefit your business.
1. GitHub
GitHub is one of the most widely used software development tools. It allows project managers to host their code for collaborative development and review. GitHub has easy to learn project management tools and excellent security. It’s available on both Windows and Mac OS. It’s free for open source projects but charges a small monthly fee for commercial developers.
2. Atom
Atom is a free and open source desktop and code editor. It’s highly customizable and is designed with user-friendliness in mind. It is available for most major operating systems and natively supports cross-platform editing. Major features of Atom include:
-Smart autocompletion
-A built-in package manager
-An easy to use file browser system
-Multiple pane setups
-Atom also includes GitHub integration, allowing you to quickly merge information between the two.
3. Cloud 9
If you’re planning to work with Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud 9 is essential. Cloud 9 is a fully featured editor designed to work entirely within AWS. It supports over 40 programming languages and allows you to define custom run configurations using a variety of variables. Like the rest of the tools on this list Cloud 9 includes significant collaboration tools. A really useful feature for developers is the persistent revision history. This allows you to quickly reverse mistakes or revert to earlier versions of code seamlessly.
4. Bootstrap
Bootstrap is an open source toolkit designed specifically for front-end development. It functions as a component library and is built from the ground up with mobile first applications in mind. Using Bootstrap you can pick and choose from a vast library of CSS and HTML templates including:
-Typography
-Themes
-Navigation components
This allows you to quickly prototype and perfect the look and function of your application.
How to Pick Development Tools
There are literally thousands of software developing tools available. Choosing the right ones for your project stack can be a serious headache. Start with your requirements. It doesn’t matter if you choose the most highly regarded tool in the world if it doesn’t support your need. Whenever possible go for an open source technology. Open source software benefits from transparency and active user support. There are likely to be many mods already available for you to choose from. Finish off by looking at how large a user base it has and how it’s prepared to respond to changes. Try and futureproof your software as much as possible.Keep Moving
Even if you discover you’ve chosen the wrong tool for your needs it’s better to keep moving. You can always make changes to your development tools or redo a project if you need to. For more information about developing custom software for your business, check out our services here.