Tools
The following is a list of some tools that I cannot live without! These tools are either an important part of my development needs or instruments for higher productivity.
1. VMWare
Once you install VMWare tools, you will be able drag and drop files between the host and guest OS and share clipboard content.
Beware of the memory issue. For my VM for WebSphere Commerce projects, I use 1GB memory. Anything more than 1GB memory will cause serious performance problems and brings both the guest and host operating to their knees. Anything less will bring the guest OS to its knees! I use 1GB memory on my laptop that has 2GB RAM. I am able to work with my VM with no issues even when the debugger is in use.
I use VM Workstation to create new VMs and then VMPlayer to actually run the guest OS. I somehow do not like to run my VM from the workstation client.
2. VMWare Mount
This is an import utility that allows you to mount the VMWare file as a drive. When all you want to do is just copy a few files from your VM to the host or just check a few files, this is a great tool.
Once you download the tool:
To mount a virtual disk:
cd {DiskMount Install Folder}
vmware-mount {drive letter}: “{path to your vmdk file}”
Example: vmware-mount k: “C:\MyVMs\ClientA\Windows XP Professional.vmdk”
To unmount the virtual disk:
cd {DiskMount Install Folder}
vmware-mount {drive letter}: /d
To review which virtual disks are mounted under DiskMount.
vmware-mount
3. File Compare
To any developer, there are bound to be times when you have to compare two files or folders to see how they are different. For this, I use Beyond Compare and I have been very happy with it. When you download the available plugins, you can compare files using file Data viewer, Hex viewer, MP3 viewer, Picture and Version viewer.
4. WinZip( or IZArc)
There is no doubt that you will need a file compression/archive utility either to email large files or back up some of your old project/workspace files. While I use it for such purposes, my use is mostly to look into and search for files inside java archives(jars). I used to use WinZip, but off late I have been using IZArc - a freeware. I associate all .jar extensions to my IZArc tool, that way I can open any jar file just by double clicking on it. This is ok, as I rarely run java applications by double clicking on a jar file(as it happens with a default association)!
5. WinTail/BareTail
At some time or the other you have to see what is happening in your log files in real time. In windows environment there is no such thing as ‘tail -f’ that is available in Unix. The alternatives are to install and use Cygwin(not many people use Cygwin just for tailing files!). The utility such as WinTail or BareTail comes very handy. My prefernce is for BareTail as I can color code some of the elements of the log file. For example, I can color code the word “Exception” to a red color and every line that has this word will be highlighted in red color. Both Baretail and WinTail have a very small software footprint in one executable.
6. PathCopy
This gem is from mlin.net. This utlity is available from this page. Once installed, Whenever I need a complete path to a file or folder, all I do is right click on the file or folder and select ‘Copy Path to Clipboard’.
7. DJ Decompiler
Discover the pleasure of being able to see the code being compiled java classes using a Java Decompiler. There may be several java decompilers out there, but I have been using DJ Decompiler for a long time. If I were to point to one tool that made my websphere commerce life a truely wonderful one, I would point to this one.
8. Clipboard
The default windows clipboard is woefully inadequate. You will certainly need a clipboard that can hold more than one item. You will also need a clip board that can hold some items permanently. Mike Lin’s Clipomatic fits the bill. I store some very frequently used items in permanent chipset.