Vickery Consulting

Resources & Tools

The resources and tools that are used in our work with clients are presented here.

HTML

Arachnophilia: The best html editor and site manager I have found. Extremely customizable and very fast. The "Update Site" function allows for real time editing on the site and the "Beautify HTML" helps make coding very easy to read and edit/update.
Firefox: The best browser on the web.
World Wide Web Consortium: The place to reference tags and follow the development of HTML, XHTML, and XML. This is where the cutting, bleeding edge of the web can be found.
Index of the Elements of HTML: A part of the W3C site this page gives complete and detailed explanations of HTML tags and their use. This is the site you must have open while you do your coding.
Opera: An excellent browser, very compliant and quick.
Mozilla: What Netscape became when it returned to its open source roots and the source of Firefox.
Internet Explorer: Comes with Windows and while it's not the best browser (many would say that it is 'broken") it is the most widely installed. Firefox is giving it a run for its money and its dominance of the web may change but it is still the browser that most people use. Sites must be designed with its quirks and capabilities in mind.
WebGUI: The content management system that Vancouver Community Net has implemented. I've been using it for a number of client projects, and I have found it easy and powerful and quick.
SourceForge: SourceForge is the world's largest Open Source development website, with a huge repository of Open Source code and applications available.
Xenu Link Sleuth: Checks links and reports their status. Useful for ensuring that a websites links are not broken

RSS, Blogs and other Dynamic Website Tools

Listgarden: The Software Garden ListGarden program is a tool for creating and maintaining RSS feeds. I use it to create RSS feeds outside of a blog or CMS site.
Bloglines: Bloglines is a webbased RSS aggregator. Simple and available from everywhere on the internet. You can see my blogroll on the sidebar or go to www.bloglines.com/public/VickeryConsulting to see the feeds that I am following.
Blogger: Simple and effective blogging software. I used it to create and post to communicatingwiththeweb.blogspot.com the demo blog that Simon Ladell and I used for our presentation on "Communicating with the Web" for the 2005 CCIR Conference.
Typepad and Movable Type: Typepad a web-based blog service and Movable Type a blogging software platform (requires a server with webserver, database and a high-end operating system) are popular. www.211.ca uses this software.

Anti-virus/anti-spyware

Anti-virus and anti-spyware programs are essential. The following are the programs that Vickery Consulting uses for our computers and our clients. if you are unsure of how to install, configure or use these programs please contact us for assistance.

Grisoft AVG: This is a free edition of AVG. Please note the restrictions on use.
Spybot Search & Destroy: Excellent anti-spyware especially when used in conjunction with Lavasoft Ad-Aware and SpywareBlaster
Lavasoft Ad-Aware: Another excellent anti-spyware program.
SpywareBlaster: Blocks spyware from loading.

System Administration

Firewalls: Firewalls are part of both the sys-admin and the anti-virus/anti-spyware sectors. There is a wide variety of firewalls, both hardware and software. Most routers (hardware) come with effective firewalls and in many cases may be all that you need. Software runs the gamut from Windows XP native firewall (not bad) to Sygate Personal Firewall (very good)
Shields Up!: Gibson Research's "Shields Up!" site test the effectiveness of your firewall, hardware. software or combination. Test your computer Now!
For more information on Vickery Consulting services in this area please go to the Services page.
Windows XP Remote Desktop Access & Remote Assistance: Remote Desktop Access allows Windows XP Professional to connect via TCP/IP from other systems to your XP Professional system, operating the Windows XP system remotely. This works quite well and can be a real boon to making changes on client machines and networks.
Remote Assistance provides a way for assist clients with problems. It is very effective at allowing the consultant to show a client how to perform a a task and can be used to make changes to a clients computer.
UltraVNC: UltraVNC is an open source remote desktop access program that works on any pc regardless of the operating system and the speed of the client connection to the internet.

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Contact Information

Blogs

Resources & Tools

HTML

RSS, Blogs and other Dynamic Website Tools

Anti-virus/anti-spyware

System Administration

Critical Links

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