June 2005 - Posts

[Tools] UMLet 5 Free UML Tool
29 June 05 12:29 PM | CSharpener | 2 comment(s)

If you are not already using it, go and get the wonderful absolutely must-have "fast and free" UML tool, UMLet.  If you are using it, you may want to know that Version 5 is out now. 

 

UMLet is a tool for us agile, nimble folk!  No crufty code generation or 200 page pseudo-marketecture reports here -- just what may be the quickest way to sketch UML this side of a whiteboard! 

 

Filed under: [Tools]

[Tools] Avant Browser - tabbed IE browsing and more
29 June 05 12:09 PM | CSharpener | 2 comment(s)

Finally tiring of not having Mozilla-style tabbed browsing with MSIE, I somehow stumbled upon the free Avant Browser, self-billed as a "fast, stable, user-friendly, versatile multi-window browser."  Until Microsoft wakes up and gives us a new browsing toy, you may also find Avant Browser useful.  I have found it worthwhile enough to recommend it here.

 

Filed under: [Tools]

[Tools] Scott Hanselman recommends some cool new tools
24 June 05 10:18 AM | CSharpener | with no comments

Time to revisit Scott Hanselman's 2005 Ultimate Developer and Power Users Tool List.  He has added some nifty new tools to it.

Filed under: [Tools]

[Music Composition] SynthEdit and CSound
09 June 05 03:29 PM | CSharpener | 2 comment(s)

Lately, I have been doing a lot of research and experimentation with VST plugins, particularly synthesizers.  In the near future, I will report many of the cool things I have found.  It is extremely cool to be able to create your very own synthesizers. 

In the Steinberg World of VST, the most fun tool I have seen yet is SynthEdit. To get a handle on synthesis at a more detailed level, though, it looks like the universal training ground is CSound.  While built with a much older technology, CSound is great if you want to really understand how to go about creating sounds.

I highly recommend playing with both.

Filed under: [Music Composition]