One of the things that I have found over the many years of coding and building applications is the use of free stuff. Lots of tools are free. Some are not. Do you get what you pay for? Sometimes. It just takes some time and experimenting to find the things that help you build your stuff.

One of the things I do besides programming is building and fixing things. I like wood and mechanical things. I am fortunate to have the space for two workshops right now. One in my basement for smaller things, home projects, and making things out of wood. The other workshop is a never ending effort to work in my barn on old tractors, maintaining things, building outdoor stuff, gardening, and some mad scientist stuff that keeps me going.

Coding, programming, developing, or what ever term you use is a lot like this. Years ago I found a paperback called “The Java Garage”. This was an excellent book that concentrated on the nuts and bolts of Java programming and essentially laid out the key things I feel you need for much of the coding in any language today. His take was to take your project into the “garage” and work on it.

Years ago I found a paperback called “The Java Garage”. This was an excellent book that concentrated on the nuts and bolts of Java programming and essentially laid out the key things I feel you need for much of the coding in any language today.

Well to work on things you need tools. In each of my workshops I have tools that I have collected over the last 30+ years in all sorts of conditions. Some I have bought, some came from auctions, some came for free, and some I have made myself. In programming, your tools will come the same way. Some you buy, some you get somehow or someplace at random costs, some are free, and some you will build.

But why free?

While I use a good amount of software that is purchased by me or for me, I want to really get there and help others get into this great career world using free tools that work, make things, and will serve the user well. This stuff is out there and it works.

Why free?

Software development tools build things. Without the building of things software companies can’t eventually sell the things do cost money. Back in the wet behind the ears days at Microsoft, they built tools to build software for the simple reason of that costly operating system was nothing without applications that could run on it. More applications gave Microsoft the clout to push to become the leader and provider of DOS first and then Windows on just about every type of PC hardware for a really long time.

Starting with a good set of tools and knowledge of how these tools work, when to use them, how to handle problems with the arise, and finally how to test your stuff is part of the adventure. And what an adventure you will have.

So if you want to build stuff, you need an inside path to getting it done as well as help in knowing what to do to get started. So that is why free stuff matters. Starting with a good set of tools and knowledge of how these tools work, when to use them, how to handle problems with the arise, and finally how to test your stuff is part of the adventure. And what an adventure you will have.

So over time work on building your tool box, your garage, your shop, and your world of making things with code. You got this.

-Mike