Site: https://www.gitkraken.com/
Git Kraken is a heavily advertised Git GUI. It is a free application for open source projects and $50/year for an individual license. Prior to finding Git Kraken, I used Atlassian SourceTree, which is also on this list and is free. I found that GitKraken has an easier to use interface for almost all basic Git tasks. Atlassian has a better code diff tool and is able to perform more complex operations, which Git Kraken has some difficulty with.
Site: https://ninite.com/
When working on new machines, where it is common to install a bunch of applications all at once; this website can help by bundling applications into one installer. The website only bundles a handful of common, but safe, applications, so it is meant to provide a head start in setting up a new computer.
Site: https://www.displayfusion.com/
This is an indispensable program for those who use more than one monitor in their work. Since being released, Windows 10 has added the ability to have the taskbar show on all monitors; however, DisplayFusion goes a step further. DisplayFusion has context aware display of taskbar icons, so only windows on the respective monitor will show. This program also adds the ability to add custom TitleBar buttons to all windows. I find this functionality is great for moving windows to other monitors, quickly; making some windows pinned on top of other windows; and minimizing windows to the system tray.
Site: https://www.connectify.me/
This is a great tool for sharing internet connections. If you are at a hotel or on the go, this utility allows your computer to become a virtual mobile hotspot that can be used by any of your devices.
Site: https://1password.com/
I’ve tried several password managers, and none of them compare to 1Password. 1Password truly focuses on security, with an integration with https://haveibeenpwned.com/, a master key for your account, and quick lists for reused passwords/weak passwords. Another great benefit is the ability to perform two-factor authentication requests, except for Duo, for most popular websites, through the use of QR codes.
Site: https://www.sublimetext.com/
This is a program that I had saw used by programmers at conferences and it took awhile to get a hang of using the tool. Memorizing a few key shortcuts really made this tool my go to for anything with a textual element. You can paste code into the editor purely for formatting, you can perform mass edits to multiple lines at once; multi-cursor selection. This program is really a text editor on steroids.
Recently, I have been referred to VSCode, which I have been actively testing. VSCode is a free alternative with similar functionality. It also appears to be more frequently maintained than Sublime Text.
Through the use of this program, I came across numerous packages that helped with performing various tasks. Below are some of the packages that I use frequently. Their descriptions can be viewed at https://packagecontrol.io/
Site: https://www.royalapps.com
This application has been a tremendous time saver. This application is able to handle all of your connections to servers, whether you use RDP, SSH, SFTP, VMWare, or VNC. This application also simplifies management of your connections by creating a credential object, which can then be assigned to your connections for quick accessibility. To differentiate production, test and qa environments, you also have the ability to color code folders, and child objects can inherit the color.
Site: https://www.litmus.com/
This is a service that allows for mass testing of emails across multiple devices/operating systems at once. Great for testing responsive emails and if you receive user feedback from a user with a particular type of device. Unfortunately, this is not a cheap service, and is likely best left to businesses.
Site: https://www.emeditor.com/
emEditor is a tool that I purchased for a specific need, and SublimeText was not able to handle it. I needed the ability to open an extremely large CSV file and manipulate the CSV data in bulk. Specifically, the CSV had sporadic use of quoted cells, commas where their shouldn’t have been, etc. emEditor was able to open the file and, in attempting to parse the CSV, it was able to pinpoint lines that had a mismatch in the number of columns for the CSV. This allowed me to correct those records manually. Another feature that I used at the end of the project was the ability to mass-quote each individual cell, for consistency. Although not quite to the point of excel and its formula language, emEditor allowed for tabular display of CSV data, which allowed for quick sorting of data.
I still do not use this editor on a consistent basis, but it has unique functionality that I have not been able to find anywhere.
Site (Free): https://dbeaver.io/
Site (Paid-Enterprise Edition): https://dbeaver.com/
This is a connection manager for databases. You can share common settings amongst connections, color code connections, and standardize your keyboard shortcuts across different SQL languages. Free edition should work for most users; paid edition includes advanced export functionality and more connection options.