What software do I use?
Sometimes people ask me "What program should I use to do X"? Well, here is a list of programs I find most useful. Since I mostly use Windows, most of these programs are only available on Windows, though some do have Linux and Mac versions. I've excluded some programs which I barely use or are very specific to my system, like driver software.
The Programs
Click on each one to find out more about it or get a download link.
Programming Stuff
Microsoft Visual Studio
Visual Studio is my main IDE. It does C# and C++. It also can make .msi installers which is good for distributing your programs.
Choco install code intentionally left blank. This is best installed with a visual installer
Arduino IDE
Arduino IDE simplifies the creation of Arduino code and the writing of said code to the Arduino itself. It supports C and C++. It also comes with the drivers or your Arduino, which is always handy.
choco install arduino
Atom
Atom is like Notepad++, but has more hackable features. Despite my love for Notepad++, it just doesn't support some weirder langauges (such as the JSX found in React Javascript). It also can Teletype, which allows for collaborative file editing, or so I hear; I have never used it.
choco install atom
SourceTree
Want to use a Git repo but don't want all the hassle of learning Git commands (or want other people to use Git that don't know Git commands)? This is the program for you. It slaps a nice comfy interface onto of your Git, and manages all your Repos for you. It can work on any Git repo too, not just Bitbucket ones!
choco install sourcetree
Chocolatey
It's like a package manager, but for Windows!
@"%SystemRoot%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\powershell.exe" -NoProfile -InputFormat None -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))" && SET "PATH=%PATH%;%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\chocolatey\bin"Notepad++
Notepad++ is like Window's Notepad, but better. It highlights your code, so you can see if you have messed up any bits of it. I usually use it for when i'm modding games or writing webpages like this one.
choco install notepadplusplus.install
HxD Hex Editor
It a hex editor which comes in useful when you want to know whats in those binary files you might find when modding a game. It can also inspect other programs RAM, which might come in useful for... ...reasons.
choco install hxd
JetBrains DotPeek
dotPeek lets you look inside .NET programs to see how they did things. It decompiles .NET assembly into C# and can create a Visual Studio project from this code for you. Also its free!
choco install dotpeek
XAMPP
It's like WAMP, but better. I mainly use it to get Apache with PHP, MySQL and phpMyAdmin all set up together. It can also set up a FTP server, a mail server, Perl, a Java server and more.
choco install bitnami-xampp
Game Dev Stuff
Unreal Engine 4
Here is a "proper" game creation tool, used by the big boys (and some children's TV shows). It's most useful for making 3D games (and has relatively easy multiplayer) but can do 2D too.
You need to download it through the Epic Games Launcher which can be found here.
Gamemaker Studio
A long, long time ago, I used to make games. They were terrible. This is what I used to do it (well technically I used Gamemaker 7 but this is the latest version). More recently somebody used it to make Hotline Miami, which I'm told is not terrible.
System Overclocking / Benchmarking
Maxon Cinebench
Ever wanted a basic test to prove your computer (and by extention, your ego) is better then theirs? This benchmark tests CPU single core and CPU multi-core proformance. It also comes with a limited selection of other CPU's to compare too just in case you have lost all your friends. It also has a GPU benchmark too, if your into that sort of thing.
CPUID CPU-Z
Not strictly a benchmark, more a information gathering device. It tells you about your motherboard and RAM, unlike Windows.
MSI Afterburner
Lets you overclock your GPU, usually a lot more reliably then your GPU drivers. You can skin it as well, should you want to.
Geek3D FurMark
To compliment MSI Afterburner is FurMark, a program that is like the Prime95 of GPUs (minus the bit that ruins your CPU). Basicly, its used to stress test your overclocks so that you can turn them down before they crash you mid-game.
3D Design and Printing
Cura
Used for slicing objects and creating gcode for 3D printers.
choco install cura-new
Autodesk Fusion 360
Program for making and editing 3D models, which can imported to Cura to be 3D printed. Its free for startups and hobbyists!
3D Object Converter for Windows
This is an amazing program for creating model for games. It can convert pretty much any format under the sun to any other format in the solar system.
SketchUp
I wouldn't bother with any more. It need the plugin below to output .obj files.
Video Editing
Open Broadcaster Software
Excellent for streaming or recording games.
choco install obs
Handbrake
It converts pretty much an video file to any other video file, but with a GUI.
choco install handbrake
Audio Production
Audacity
It can record audio, cut audio and most inportently, remove white noise from the background.
choco install audacity audacity-lame
Communication
Photo/Texture Editing
GIMP
Its the free alternative to photoshop! It also supports DDS files now, so you don't even need a converter!
choco install gimp
OS Customisations
f.lux
Stops your eyes from catching fire at night time and to some extent helps you fix your sleeping patten.
choco install f.lux
Zune Se7en
Every hacker needs that black theme, amiright? Its a nice working Zune theme for 7.
SageThumbs
Lets you see thumbnails of lots of strange file types (like .dds) in explorer.exe.
choco install sagethumbs
Virtual Audio Cable
Lets you create virtual audio devices so you can route sound from one thing to another. Useful for annoying your friends.
Command Line Tools
FFmpeg
It converts pretty much an video file to any other video file, re-encoding and all.
choco install ffmpeg
ImageMagick
The "swiss army knife" of image converters. It works on the command line too, if you want.
choco install imagemagick
PHP
You never know when it will be useful to have PHP on the command line. Well, usually when you want to run a webserver, etc.
choco install php
Python 3.6.5
I don't like python, but lots of programs make use of it, including the discord music bot (which doesn't support 3.7). For this reason, the below code will install 3.5.6.
choco install python3 --version 3.6.5
Screenfetch
To show off your hardware on the internet, you need a good screenshot of your specs.
To install, do the following:
Open a Powershell window as an Admin, and copy and paste Install-Module -Name windows-screenfetch.
Say "Y" to both. Input Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted and then Import-Module windows-screenfetch
Screenfetch.
Other stuff
Mendeley
Makes referencing super simple. If only I had this during my bachelor's!
choco install mendeley
Thanks for reading!