Referrals

Tools of the Trade

BitBucket
Distributed source code version control with free private repositories. What more can be said.

Dropbox
My personal favourite cloud storage service. Can be installed on your desktop, laptop, mobile phone, everywhere, so you’re never without a copy of your precious files. Also great for distributing assets to the wider world via public folders.

Evernote
Versatile note taking software that has replaced a swathe of my own memory’s responsibilities.

Mozy
Cloud storage back-up software. Works in the background on a schedule, suitable for both light desktop use (for a few files from your own computer) or on a server (for more substantial enterprise use).

Recommended Reading

Agile Estimating and Planning, by Mike Cohn
Estimating is a vital skill, and this book presents my favourite methodology. With some subtle adaptations you don’t need to be in a team environment to make it work.

Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship, by Robert C. Martin
Makes an excellent starting point for establishing your style guide. Plenty of food for thought, and I guarantee that after reading it you will transform your coding style.

Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction, by Steve McConnell
It’s not a book; it’s practically a degree course in physical form – arguably the greatest book there is on software craftsmanship.

Version Control by Example, by Eric Sink
If you get only one book on version control, make it this. Concise, easy to read, accessible for the newcomer and indepth enough for the old hand, it makes both for a worthy digest and a useful reference.