Who doesn't love a good list? No one, that's who! This is my random collection of tools that I've used and found useful over the years.
Database
Toad Data Modeller - The Freeware Edition of Toad Data Modeler allows you to create high-quality data models and easily deploy accurate changes to data structures.
HeidiSQL - HeidiSQL is a useful and reliable tool designed for web developers using the popular MySQL server, Microsoft SQL databases and PostgreSQL..
POCO Generator - This tool generates C# model objects from a database table..
SQLite - Simply the best file based SQL client out there.
SQLiteBrowser - DB Browser for SQLite is a high quality, visual, open source tool to create, design, and edit database files compatible with SQLite..
DBeaver - This is a free multi-platform database tool for developers, SQL programmers, database administrators and analysts. Supports all popular databases: MySQL, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, SQLite, Oracle, DB2, SQL Server, Sybase, MS Access, Teradata, Firebird, Derby, etc..
hMailServer - hMailServer is a free, open source, e-mail server for Microsoft Windows. It supports the common e-mail protocols (IMAP, SMTP and POP3). Pretty cool.
Windows Tools
Process Explorer - If your on windows, this needs no introduction! Its what the Windows task manager should of been..
Space Sniffer - Find where all that space has gone! SpaceSniffer is a fast portable tool application that lets you understand how folders and files are structured on your disks.
Hash Check - The HashCheck Shell Extension makes it easy for anyone to calculate and verify checksums and hashes from Windows Explorer.
General Tools
ColorCop - I have used this for years. I will forgive the mis-spelling of colour in the title as this is super-useful when you need to identify a colour..
Image Resizer for Windows - Why this isn't included with Windows by default is anyone's guess!
Search My Files - Great alternative to windows search and is faster. Lots of search options
HexChat IRC Client - HexChat is an open source IRC client based on XChat
C# Libraries & Tools
OxyPlot - OxyPlot is a cross-platform plotting library for .NET.
Live Charts - Simple, flexible, interactive & powerful data visualization for .NET
CefSharp - CefSharp is the the easiest way to embed the Chromium web browser into your C# app. CefSharp has browser controls for WinForms and WPF apps, and a headless (offscreen) version for automation projects too. CefSharp is based on Chromium Embedded Framework. The github project page is here.
Krypton Toolkit - The Krypton Suite of .NET WinForms controls are now freely available for use in personal or commercial projects.
HTML-Renderer - Cross framework (WinForms/WPF/PDF/Metro/Mono/etc.), Multipurpose (UI Controls / Image generation / PDF generation / etc.), 100% managed (C#), High performance HTML Rendering library.
dotPeek - Free .NET Decompiler and Assembly Browser.
EPPlus - Create advanced Excel spreadsheets using .NET
ExcelDna - Create custom Excel AddIns in C# to bespoke user-defined functions or ribbon interfaces
Squirrel - Its like ClickOnce! Its an installation and update framework for Windows desktop apps
System Infrastructure
RabbitMQ - RabbitMQ is a widely used open source message broker, it's lightweight and easy to deploy. It supports multiple messaging protocols.
Redis - Redis is an in-memory data structure store, used as a database, cache and message broker. It has built-in replication, Lua scripting, LRU eviction, transactions and different levels of on-disk persistence, and provides high availability.
HAProxy - HAProxy is a very fast and reliable solution offering high availability, load balancing, and proxying for TCP and HTTP-based applications..
Screen Utils
ScreenToGif - Screen, webcam and sketchboard recorder with an integrated editor..
ShareX - Screen capture, file sharing and productivity tool.
GifCam - GifCam is easy and fun animated gif making app.
Open Broadcaster Software - OBS Studio is a free and open source software for video recording and live streaming.
Gaming / Graphics
Simple DirectMedia Layer (SDL) - Simple DirectMedia Layer is a C/C++ cross-platform development library designed to provide low level access to audio, keyboard, mouse, joystick, and graphics hardware via OpenGL and Direct3D.
SFML - SFML is a C++ interface for the development of games and multimedia applications. It is composed of five modules: system, window, graphics, audio and network..
Emulators
WinUAE Amiga emulator - Simply the best computer in the 80's and early 90's!
Software Management
Redmine - Redmine is a flexible project management web application.
Jenkins - Jenkins is a open source automation server and provides lots of plugins to support building, deploying and automating any project..
Code Repository
TortoiseSVN - TortoiseSVN is a subversion client, implemented as a Windows shell extension. It's intuitive and easy to use. Awesome
VisualSVN Server - VisualSVN Server allows you to easily install and manage a fully-functional Subversion server on the Windows platform. .
Git Command Line Tools - Git is a free and open source distributed version control system designed to handle everything from small to very large projects with speed and efficiency..
Console Tools
Cmder - Cmder is brings a nice console emulator to Windows.
ConEmu - ConEmu-Maximus5 is a Windows console emulator with tabs, which presents multiple consoles and simple GUI applications as one customizable GUI window with various features.
Windows Subsystem For Linux (WSL) - Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a compatibility layer for running Linux binary executables natively on Windows 10.
Virtual Tools
StarWind Converter - This tool converts offline WMWare .vmdk files to Hyper-V .vhdx files.
Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter 3.1 - This tool allows you to converts virtual disks aswell as copy them into the Azure cloud! Not used it myself but bookmarked it here for future use.
Network Tools
Wireshark - Wireshark is the world’s foremost and widely-used network protocol analyzer. It is pretty much the de facto tool to use to see what’s happening on your network
Fping - More options than the normal ping.
PingPlotter - Visual Ping.
Netspeed - Calculates the network speed (transfer rate) between two winsock hosts..
OpenVPN - OpenVPN implements virtual private network (VPN) to create secure point-to-point or site-to-site connections in routed or bridged configurations and remote access facilities.
Hercules - This is fab! Hercules is a useful UDP/IP terminal and TCP/IP Client Server terminal. Great for testing client/server software.
Colasoft Packet Builder - Ever wanted to created your own network packets? This is really low level and lets you do just that and replay them over the network. Useful along with Wireshark.
Fiddler - Great for web debugging. For any browser, system or platform.
Tera Term - A better Hyperterminal. When you need to go oldskool and communicate over PSTN or GSM, this is the tool you need.
SimpleTCP - Straightforward .NET library to handle the repetitive tasks of spinning up and working with TCP sockets (client and server)..
Nmap - Nmap is a network exploration and port scanning tool.
Math Tools
Console Calculator - This is a great little programmers calculator. I prefer this to the standard windows calculator.
SpeQ - SpeQ is a small, extensive mathematics program with a simple, intuitive interface. All calculations are entered in a sheet. In there you can freely add, edit and execute calculations. SpeQ supports all common functions, constants, and units. Furthermore, you can define custom variables and functions, and plot graphs of your functions. .
MT Expression Evaluator - This is a great C++ Mathematical expression parser library.
Note Taking Tools
Evernote - Capture, organize, and share notes from anywhere. Your best ideas are always with you and always in sync..
TodoList - This is a great offline todo list app. Its a windows application that offers an effective and flexible way to stay on top of your daily tasks.
Editors
Notepad++ - Notepad++ is a free source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages for Windows. Make sure you download the 64Bit version.
VS Code - Great editor from Microsoft. It gets better and better with every release! Hard to believe it is build on chrome!.
Visual Studio - Cant believe this is free now via the community edition.
Encryption Tools
VeraCrypt - The pheonix from the ashes of Truecrypt. VeraCrypt is a free open source disk encryption software for Windows, Mac OSX and Linux.
Axcrypt - compress, encrypt, decrypt individual files..
7-zip - 7-Zip is a file archiver with a high compression ratio but people forget it also supports strong AES-256 encryption in 7z and ZIP formats.
Cryptomator - Free client-side encryption for your cloud files. Open source software: No backdoors, no registration. I use this with dropbox and it works well
Web Tools
TypeScript - TypeScript is a typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript. It gives you all the power of JavaScript with the confidence of a staticly typed language. It also includes cutting edge features that haven't made it into JavScript yet
Web Assembly - Probably the future of the web! See here
