Thought I'd help migrate the discussion on dev environments from the other thread to here. Feel free to repost, I'd hate for anything to get lost in the ether!
We're a Mac shop at EMPAC, and I use one for my consulting work as well. Though we allow our developers the freedom of tuning their own environments, most of us use Eclipse (or some fork of it). Paired with XDebug, it really cuts down on the number of blind dpr()s, and drush obviously makes just about anything Drupal-specific that much easier. As for revision control, we've been primarily using bzr, but are slowly migrating over to git for new projects for improved compatibility with d.o infrastructure.
I'm curious - what does everyone else use? Those who've had trouble getting a local environment up and running should feel free to chime in, too - I'd be happy to help!
Comments
My development environment
Hi David,
Thanks for starting a new thread.
I am fairly new to drupal development but I had Eclipse for Java already installed so I've continued with Eclipse adding in the PHP and Drupal specific stuff. I also use XDebug which has proven to be a huge time saver (it's also a good way to learn what is really happening under the covers with drupal). For version control I use git but I can't say I'm using it efficiently or effectively. I'd like to know other people's workflow, especially given drupal's reliance on a database for application logic. I use PHPMyAdmin for MySQL database administration.
I am developing on mac os x lion but also have virtual box running ubuntu 11 which I also use from time to time. I am mostly a command line guy. As a baby duckling many years ago I imprinted on vi and find myself gravitating back to that once in a while.
I'm using Balsamiq's Mockups for wireframes but no other front-end design tools (haven't done much with theming yet but am interested in what others are doing).
I have investigated the development environment offered by Pantheon going as far as creating an environment and getting remote debugging working through Eclipse. I haven't had a project though that I could try it with, but it does look promising.
Maury
Wireframing is an interesting
Wireframing is an interesting topic, because so many people are using so many different things.
When I need to wireframe things out real quick just to show how they need to be laid out, I just use inkscape (the FOSS version of a vector program like illustrator). Just rough ugly rectangles and text go a long way.
When I need to wireframe for a less technical audience, or if it needs extra shine, I've been using the web app called mock flow, it even comes with a drupal based template.
I was very excited about pantheon, until I saw the price. O_O
Otherwise in general my environment and technology stack are pretty plain. I run Ubuntu or Mint on all of my desk tops, Ubuntu LTS on all of my servers. I program using a combination of Kate text editor and the command line (vim, apache logs, drush, et al).
Now you have all of my trade secrets :P
@patrickavella pantheon only
@patrickavella pantheon only charges if you go live but another one worth checking out is Webenabled which allows you to deploy to anywhere
Aye; the price point was my
Aye; the price point was my biggest turn-off for Pantheon as well.
Re: wireframing, I use a combination of Balsamiq, OmniGraffle and (gasp!) pencil and paper/whiteboards. The cost of brainstorming concepts is much lower, and whiteboards especially are inherently more collaborative when communicating with a small team at the start of a sprint. :]
As for servers, I generally run CentOS (though switching to RHEL in some places), and have yet to be displeased.
Environment
I also work on a Mac and have been using Coda for years. The new release (Coda 2) is great. I find it visually pleasing, fast and easy to use + it has everything I need: powerful code editor, SSH console, live preview, file management, even working with MySQL and source control. It has some nice features like custom "snippets", books, nice find & replace functionality and iPad preview.
http://panic.com/coda/
Versions for source control but we are starting a migration from Subversion to Git and I will have to find something else soon. Too bad Versions doesn't support Git.
Adobe Muse for wireframing. A nice tool with built in publishing functionality (publishes to Adobe servers). It also integrates nicely with all the other Adobe products I use for design and testing.
Adobe Browser Lab for browser testing and Adobe Shadow for mobile testing.
JumpChart works well when working on a site map and collaborating on content. It also has a WordPress export feature...
I also have a collection of other tools to perform specific tasks like mobile testing and debugging, including browser plugins, apps, etc.
As for servers - Red Hat running Apache.
@topazzz When I was using SVN
@topazzz
When I was using SVN I started with Versions but ended up with Cornerstone as it was a bit more powerful . Anyway since moving to git I do 85% + command line but I ended up buying Git Tower for the other 15. I would highly recommend taking a look.
The bar was set pretty high coming from Versions and Cornerstone and Tower definitely was the only one that made it.
Just my 2 cents
I'm using a Mac and I also
I'm using a Mac and I also love Coda. There is a Drupal plugin for Coda, though I don't think it's available for Coda 2 yet.
Adobe Browser Labs is great for compatibility checking. I also use http://browsershots.org/
I do all my mockups in Photoshop. You can get grid templates from http://960.gs/
You can also use http://www.colorzilla.com/gradient-editor/ to take any gradients you made in Photoshop and quickly convert them to CSS3.