10 Open Source Tools Every .Net Programmer Should Have

Every great programmer needs to have great tools.. Yes, we all like to brag that we need nothing more than a text editor and a compiler, but be realistic. In this day and age, a simple text editor won't cut it even if it does support syntax highlighting. It is becoming increasingly important that we have the best tools possible in our hands so that we can be as productive as possible. We also need to be efficient and utilize the tools that make the best business sense for the project. We can't always license the most expensive tools available for everything.

With that in mind, I have compiled this list of 10 free and Open Source tools that I think every .Net programmer should at least be aware of.

1. FreeMind

http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page.
FreeMind is mind mapping software. Although it isn't a .Net application it is open source and can be extremely useful. If you're like me you probably have difficulty keeping track of everything you have going on in a project. Mind mapping with free mind can help to organize your thoughts, and keep you organized from planning all the way through to deployment.

2. OpenOffice

http://www.openoffice.org/
OpenOffice provides powerful capabilities through its word processor, presentation program, mathematical function creator, vector drawing tool, spreadsheet and database tools. If you need an open source tool for writing Documentation, OpenOffice writer will be indispensable.

3. Snippet Compiler

http://www.sliver.com/dotnet/SnippetCompiler/
This useful tool will allows you to compile and build snippets of code out side of your projects. Any time you need to isolate code from the rest of a project to work on it, this tool will be invaluable.

4. The Regulator

http://tools.osherove.com/CoolTools/Regulator/tabid/185/Default.aspx
When you have to work with regular expressions The Regulator, written by Roy Osherove, is an excellent tool to have on hand. This tool goes far beyond simply testing regular expressions. It supports working with match, replace and split operations as well as providing visual feedback Overall it's an amazing tool that I highly recommend.

5. Regex Kit Visualizers for VS 2005

http://weblogs.asp.net/rosherove/archive/2005/11/26/AnnoucingRegexKit10.aspx
These are yet another gem from Roy Osherove. These allow you to use Visual Studio 2005's Visualize feature with regular expression objects.

6. IKVM.NET

http://www.ikvm.net/
IKVM.net is an implementation of JAVA for Mono and the Microsoft .Net Framework. Supposedly this includes a Java Virtual Machine and Java class libraries implemented in .Net. Finally, this claims to also provide interoperability with JAVA. I have not used this myself, but there was one point where I wish I had known about it.

7. Nant

http://nant.sourceforge.net/
Nant is a build tool for .Net. If you're familiar with the Unix make tool, this is very similar. It provides the ability to create a build script that will function across multiple platforms.

8. Nunit

http://www.nunit.org/
http://nunitforms.sourceforge.net/
http://nunitasp.sourceforge.net/
Nunit is a unit testing framework for all .Net languages. This allows you to write unit tests, and run them whenever you change the code. If you don't already leverage unit tests, you probably should be. Being able to run your tests quickly whenever you make a change to your code is very helpful. Another extension, NunitForms, will allow you to build reusable tests to test the functionality of your forms appilcations. The NunitAsp extension allows you to do the same with ASP.Net Applications.

9. FXCop

http://www.gotdotnet.com/Team/FxCop/
Do you want your applications to be in conformance with the Microsoft .Net Framework Design Guidelines? FXCop will help you get there. It can detect more than 200 defects in library design, localization, naming conventions, performance, and security. GUI and Command line versions are available. At some point this tool will be moved to MSDN, but until then the link I provided will work.

10. Ndoc

http://ndoc.sourceforge.net/
Ndoc is one of the best tools available for generating documentation from the XML documentation files generated from your code. I have been using it for years, and still have not found anything that works better. If you use or want to use the XML comments in your code, I definitely recommend using NDOC to generate your final documentation.