Development

JavaScript is one of the most common scripting languages in the world. In fact, you're almost certainly using it right now, even if you're unaware of the fact. Every modern desktop and mobile Web browser supports JavaScript, and it's used in just about every current website. Cloud9 IDE is a Web-based development environment aimed at making it easier to develop JavaScript-based Web applications. It lives in the cloud, so you need only a Web browser to use it.

Adobe's JavaScript-based animation tool is rough around the edges, but shows incredible promise

Built on the foundation of repoze.bfg, Pyramid is powerfully flexible but takes time to figure out

Zope 2 provides everything you need in one package, including the database and development environment

CubicWeb tackles rapid Web app development with modular components and object reuse

Before hitching up with Windows Phone and Windows 8, Microsoft's cross-platform rich Internet application framework gets a modest upgrade

Node.js, Jaxer, EJScript, RingoJS, and AppengineJS combine the familiarity of JavaScript, low overhead, blazing speed, and unique twists.

Web development is often a scrambled task, requiring abrupt switches between different Web sites, different programming languages, and different frameworks. An integrated development tool like phpDesigner 7 is necessary if you want to keep your head from spinning. PhpDesigner (29€ for non-commercial use, 69€ for commercial use) is a full-fledged PHP, CSS, HTML, and JavaScript editor, with code completion and syntax highlighting for all four languages. Like any proper IDE, phpDesigner also allows you to debug and test code on your local machine.

It's been said that the iPad is only for content consumption, but a number of app developers have set out to prove otherwise. With these tools, you'll be able to write code and update your Web sites from the comfort of your couch.

LinkedIn is a great way to market yourself and your professional qualifications. Problem is, you have to rely on a lot of plain black-and-white text in order to do so. Wouldn't it be nice if you could use the social network to actually show colleagues (and prospective colleagues) what you can do, instead of just telling them about it? With the free SlideShare Presentations, you can. This LinkedIn app is an extension of SlideShare.net's professional sharing community, which allows you to upload and share a variety of content, including PowerPoint and Keynote presentations, Word documents, PDFs, and videos.

A slopeside location-based social networking service came to five ski resorts this season, allowing skiers and boarders to track their Vail Resorts vertical feet, earn virtual ski pins and connect with friends. Called EpicMix, Vail Resorts rolled the system out to mountains in California and Colorado, covering 17,000 acres or about 70 square kilometers of terrain.