I use a number of programs for development. They can be intertwined, have nuances, etc. I offer some thoughts on each, but also serves as a reminder on my development setup.
NetBeans
This is my IDE for web development. I use it because it compiles LESS, stages files to another directory, and has a hook to generate documentation. I wrote an extensive article comparing IDEs – read up for more details on what else came close.
Photoshop
For years, I directly used Paint Shop Pro and Paint.NET. Photoshop was more of a support job than something I was willing to pay for. Unfortunately, Paint Shop Pro has been crashing a lot lately. In fact, it even had trouble opening a file I had just created with maybe 30 font layers. That was unacceptable, so I’m giving Adobe a deeper try. Simultaneously, I am keeping Paint.NET as a lightweight solution.
Perforce
I’ve used maybe a half-dozen revision-control systems throughout my career. After a deep investigation, I found that P4 is the solution.
Google Drive
No longer am I versioning assets that do not really need significant history. This largely applies to binaries that I would never diff anyway. Additionally, putting documents up in the cloud means that I can share such documents with their respective clients.
Trello
Project management can be really important – there are so many competitors out there. Trello is simple to use and can be accessed through my phone.
WAMP
It helps to develop locally. It means faster iteration and reducing the risk of dismembering a live site.