I mentioned in class that I would recommend some software for you to install; and added if you brought your laptop computer to class we could do some of this together. I noticed that not everyone raised their hand when I asked whether you had a laptop computer or not. So, for the benefit for all, I will write my recommendations here so that you can install the software at home whether is it a laptop or a desktop. It is also worth experimenting with the installation of the software on your desktop on campus computers after logging in as yourselves. I am not sure about how well the last idea may work.

Here is the list:

• Firefox, the latest version, get it from its source
• Must-have Firefox add-ons
  • FireBug, excellent debugging tool for HTML and CSS
  • HTML Validator, it will show all the errors on any page you may be viewing, including yours of course
  • ColorZilla to pick colors from anywhere on the screen, it will provide the HEX code for the color
  • MeasureIt, helps determine the pixel sizes of screen elements and areas
• Useful Firefox add-ons
  • Screen Grab, it will capture the entire screen or the entire document, including the parts that are below the viewport, and save it as an image
  • IE Tab, will run Internet Explorer engine in a Firefox window or tab; useful for quickly looking at a page for IE rendering.
  • ZOTERO, it will make keeping a record of your bibliography notes very easy, along with auto insertion of citations in proper format and automatic creation of bibliographies; this is installed on college lab computers but you may enjoy it more on your own computer (Go to their site after installing it and follow the directions for MS Word Integration)
• Other software
  • Notepad++, a very good all purpose text editor with HTML and CSS savvy
  • FastStone Image Viewer, a very good image viewer and quick editor; it can resize and make simple adjustments
  • TopStyle Lite, an able CSS editor; look for it at the bottom of the page you will visit when you follow the link
  • FileZilla, an FTP client (download the “client” version not the “server”)
  • ZipGenius, needed to extract the contents of ZIP files
  • UltraExplorer, a Windows Explorer replacement for file management; a bit “geeky” but very capable software
  • Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2, 30-day trial version. A photo editing software from one of the veterans in the industry.

You may bring your laptop computer to class if you like, I will use most of these from my notebook computer and show you what they do. They will make your Web development efforts easier, smoother, and less painful (yes! it can be painful!)