See also Ruby tools
Choosing the correct tools is a matter of both prudence and vision. On the one hand it's important to use traditional tools, but on the other hand there are contemporary tools and methods which may prove to be vastly superior. I'm sick and tired of using crusty old crap and so I'm going to encourage a break from tradition.
- Text editors
- Ruby/SDL
-
TODO: Ruby testing
Introduction ∞
This list is in rough order of importance.
Help! I'm unhappy with most of my tools, and I need alternatives! Contact Me if you have a suggestion.
I have a lot of notes on these things, and they need to be researched properly:
- VoIP
- Instant messagers
- Screencasting alternatives
- Remote controlling software
Skype needs to be replaced! It is proprietary software with a history of being a security risk!
- https://linux.slashdot.org/story/07/08/26/1312256/skype-linux-reads-password-and-firefox-profile
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https://web.archive.org/web/20090331141036/http://forum.skype.com:80/index.php?showtopic=95261&st=80
Reading ∞
There are any number of good essays and the like which ought to be read by a programmer, be they young or old.
-
Read up on the hacker and the subculture.
Time ∞
Not a tool, but this is the first thing that needs to be worked out.
Agree on a regular time. Is consistency possible? Don't forget about time zones. Write available times in a simple way like this:
Mentee: 3pm-4pm, 7-9
Mentor: 12pm-1pm, 4pm-6pm
Translate things in your time zone, and also for their time zone.
Multimedia Tools ∞
-
Jingle is an extension to XMPP.
- TODO: Investigate.
I want to be fairly forward-looking with all the tools being used.
Webcam / Video Conferencing ∞
Webcam functionality comes with a number of instant messagers. It's also available in XMPP clients.
Tested out empathy, but it's webcam functionality seems completely buggered.
Needs to be replaced:
-
- Webcams on Linux are pretty terrible, and Skype is inconsistent at best. Group video calls don't appear to be possible.
Voice Chat ∞
-
- I've got some audio issues with TeamViewer and have been forced to use Skype.
- Skype
- Ventrilo
-
Mumble - works on Linux.
Remote controlling ∞
See also Screencasting
(not researched properly)
This need is somewhat fulfilled by text chat, screen sharing and collaborative text editing. However, full remote controlling is superior to collaborative text editing. It grants greater freedom, but more importantly it lets one use a preferred text editor.
Screencasting ∞
aka screen casting, screen sharing, desktop sharing.
- TeamViewer
-
- Untrusted.
-
- I couldn't get its screen sharing functionality to work.
Text Chat / Instant Messaging ∞
See also collaborative Text editors.
-
- I've got some audio issues with TeamViewer and have been forced to use Skype.
- TeamViewer's text chatting hasn't been fully explored, but it seems pretty basic.
- Skype
-
alternative: Ventrilo
- Linux has Mumble.
-
Empathy is "ok".
File Backups ∞
Remotely:
-
File sharing websites (e.g. rapidshare.com, etc). TODO: I have a huge list of sites.
Locally:
-
TODO: I'd prefer something locally-controlled.
Revision Control Systems ∞
- Subversion (svn)
- Git
- Mercurial (hg)
-
Manual methods
File Sharing ∞
Various networking solutions exist, but I don't want to connect my machine that way.
Website hosting / programming / related ∞
I have lots of notes.
-
File hosting / distribution
- ideas: rubyforge, sourceforge
