Well here goes the second try.  I posted a list of useful development tools and it somehow disappeared.  I believe that these tools are necessities to developing software.  Some are .Net specific but most are not.  Some are Open Source (I actually prefer this), but give highest preference to the tools that are the best ones for the job.   I would consider purchasing these tools even if the company you work for does not reimburse you.

·         Allocation Profiler / NProf / nProfiler – Tools for profiling .Net applications

·         FXCop – Checks .Net assemblies for a number of common problems.

·         Windows Application Verifier – Checks Windows programs for a number of common problems.

·         Adam Nathan's CLRSPY – A great tool from tracking down CLR related problems.

·         Lutz's Reflector – A great decompiler that allows plugins and supports multiple language targets.

·         XmlSpy – It is worth every penny!

·         SharpReader – The blog reader of choice!

·         Cdex – CDRipping program

·         Thunderbird – Much better than Outlook Express for reading newsgroups

·         VMWare – Great for testing on clean Operating Systems and lots of them.

·         FileZilla / DAP – Great FTP downloading tools.

·         Ethereal – Network Sniffer great for tracking down those pesky network problems.

·         Trillian – Integrates all instant messenger applications into one nice client.

·         SnagIt – I thought just using ALT-PRTSc was sufficient until I saw this application.  I didn’t know what I was missing.

·         Mcafee – I am generally opposed to Virus scanners, but this one has saved me from virus at the last two places I’ve worked.  It is not too intrusive and has won me over.

·         Araxis Merge – The best file diff program I’ve ever seen.

·         ArgoUML – A good UML editor (I like the price) that lets me do what I want with UML.

·         Microangelo – The greatest tool for creating ICONS.

·         PGP – Pick you favorite distro.  I think it is easy to use and integrates with Windows and Outlook well.

·         Emacs – The one and only text editor J

·         Cygwin – For all those slick unix command-line tools that windows is missing.

·         PhotoShop – To put those finishing touches of graphics on your UI.

·         OpenOffice – The functionality vs. size of distribution ratio is amazing.

·         CVS / WinCVS – I guess I just like the familiarity and portability of these time tested SCM tools.