He who lives by the computer dies by the computer.

I don't know if anyone ever said that before, and if so, I'm not even sure that it's true.  But if it is, I know how I'll die.  I do have tools in the conventional sense: mechanics tools, power tools with cords that plug into the wall, an oxy-acetylene torch.  And I use them as required.  But what I live by, what I would probably be lost without, are software tools.

This is not an exhaustive list; it doesn't include games, social media stuff like TweetDeck, Skype, and so forth.  It is only a list of skills and tools I use professionally. or at least productively, though some of the items I neglected can be arguably called productive. A recent post mention mentions five critical pieces of software in my graphics workflow with mention that there are others.  Of course, there are other workflows, too.  Here is the grand list, and I'm not about to guarantee that I've not left something out.

Can I do everything?  Heck, no!  One thing comes to mind immediately.  I can do 3D modelling and rendering, and have done OpenGL programming, but real shader programming?  I'd have to start from scratch.

This is just to let you know how hopelessly dependent I am on bits and bytes.

Software Development

1. General Languages

   C/C++, Java, PHP, SQL, Delphi, PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS

   I have Python, but never really got to using it, and lots of languages from the past.  Simscript?  Really?

2. Platforms

   MS Windows, Linux, .NET

   Virtualbox for virtual environments

3. IDEs and editors

   NetBeans, Code::Blocks (gcc or Borland compilers), Notepad++

4. Web development environment

   Apache, MySQL, Tomcat, Flash, Firefox development tools

5. Design and Management

   Rational Rose, ArgoUML, DBDesigner, yEd, ProjectLibre

6. Computer maintenance

   Cobian Backup, Defraggler, TreeSize, Agent Ransack, ESET Smart Security, MalwareBytes, AdAware, Spybot, PeaZip

7. Other

   GitHub, WinSCP, SSH, Telnet, Cisco VPN client, CommView

Writing

1. Word processors

   Scrivener, Lotus Word Pro, MS Office

2. E-book preparation

   Calibre, Sigil, KindleGen, Kindle Previewer

3. Research

   Mendeley, Zotero, The  Internet

4. Special tools

   FontLab, WordWeb, Oxford English Dictionary, MuseScore

Science and Mathematics

1. Mathematics

   Mathematica, MATLAB, LAPACK, Excel, SciLab, R

2. Drawing

   MathType, ACD ChemSketch

3. Chemistry

   Avogadro, VMD, OpenBabel

4. Astronomy

   Stellarium, Celestia, Cartes du Ceil

Engineering

1. Drafting

   AutoCAD, TurboCAD

2. Electronics

   KiCAD, PSPICE, AVR Studio

Media

1. 3D modeling

   3ds Max, DAZ Studio, Mudbox, V-Ray Rendering Engine (really want HairFarm!)

2. Raster and vector graphics

   CorelDraw, PhotoPaint, (Illustrator and Photoshop, occasionally), Filter Forge, Fantamorph  PaintShop Pro, Corel Painter

3. Video compositing and processing

   After Effects, Composite, DVD Lab Pro, VirtualDub, Handbrake, MKVmergeGUI, AutoGordianKnot, AviDemux, MakeMKV, AviSynth, Subtitle Workshop, Easy Subtitles Synchronizer

4. Terrain generation

   Bryce, World Machine

5. Audio

   Audition, Audacity, WaveEditor, AV Voice Changer

6. Presentation

   Powerpoint, Adobe Acrobat, DjView

7. Other

   ImgBurn, VLC