Many software projects limp along without using a version control system. If you or your project isn't using a VCS, adopting one might well be the single most important tooling improvement you can undertake.

When trying to create a tool for collecting metrics, the author discovered something important: writing stand-alone tools that you can combine efficiently with others to handle more demanding tasks appears to be becoming a forgotten art.

With the evolution from general-purpose scripting languages to Java and .NET, the niche occupied by scripting languages is rapidly shrinking. Software developers, as avid tool users, can enjoy viewing the battle from on top and reap the benefits.

Using an editor to help with programming can save time and effort. This episode discusses some of the ways editors can help as well as pitfalls programmers should avoid.

This podcast explores the interplay between you, the software practitioner, and the tools you apply to your development problems. Each episode will discuss software construction activities and the tools you can employ--the tools of our trade.