Development

The right choice boils down to a number of factors -- you might even consider using both.

Opscode's Chef packs the power of Ruby and plentiful Cookbooks, but lacks features and polish found in other solutions

Google's new Android development environment pairs rich layout and build capabilities with IntelliJ IDEA's famous ease.

Surprisingly beefy, browser-based JSFiddle, Icenium, Cloud9, and Codenvy stretch from client-side JavaScript to server-side Java and Web stacks.

PowerShell Plus is a straightforward, highly functional IDE for PowerShell, now released as uncrippled freeware.

Visual Studio is no longer simply an IDE, no longer a place you go just to write and debug C/C++ code. It has long since become something of a development mashup. It's where you go to tackle any task in the development process, regardless of the target. It's where you head to do your LightSwitch development, your SQL Server development, your Web application development, your Windows Azure development, and your ASP.Net or Windows Forms development in C#, F#, VB.Net, and -- oh, yes -- good old Visual C++. Naturally, it's where you build applications for http://www.infoworld.com/category/tags/microsoft-windows-azure and Windows RT.

Twitter Bootstrap, HTML5 Boilerplate, 52Framework, 320 and Up take sting out of building websites for both large and small screens

Finding a stable surface at the right height for comfortable work is always a challenge. Uncaged Ergonomics' WorkEZ line of portable, adjustable laptop (and tablet and reading) stands provides a solid range of flexibility with a few tradeoffs. And if you've ever wanted to try a standing-desk setup without spending the money on a new desk, the company offers relatively inexpensive packages for modifying your current desk for standing use. These flexible packages also let you switch easily between standing and sitting without adjusting a tabletop.

All-in-one Apache-MySQL-PHP server packages for Windows vary widely in features, flexibility, and ease

Yahoo's open source framework combines YUI on the client, Node.js on the server, and excellent use of MVC design pattern

You'll find no shortage of heavyweight PHP IDEs, but few are uncluttered, focused, and smooth