SolidWorks:Heard! - Episode 372 - Engineering Via Web Apps
/Engineering Via Web Apps:
This podcast covers an array of web apps that I use regularly or have tried to help organize the information that I need to get my job done. Centralization, collaboration and mobile access have become the criterion I use to find the next app to get things done. Topics covered:
Tasks:
- Remember the Milk (RTM)
- Backpack (tasks/project mgt)
- Trello (Multi-layer task management)
Notes and research capture:
- Evernote
- Springpad (notes and tasks)
- Google Docs (I use ScratchPad on my Chromebook)
Mind Mapping/Flow Charts:
- Bubbl.us
- Many others listed here (have not tried)
Document sharing and storage:
- Google Docs
- Dropbox, Box.net, and other back tools that have simple access like Carbonite, Mozy and BackBlaze.
IM, Voice/Video conference:
- Yahoo/MSN (I avoid but very popular)
- Skype
- Campfire (group chat rooms)
- All via Plus.IM
With SolidWorks World starting next weekend and me crossing my fingers of some web announcements... I can only hope, I wanted to share the long list of web applications I use to organize my professional life. If you have listened to this show for any length of time you know about my belief in the web. Although mobile apps are very popular and have their benefits, however whether they are tied to a web service that is accessible from any device from anywhere has become my new metric for adoption.
Since we (Engineers) don't just sit at our desks doing CAD all day, I wanted to talk about a list of services that can help organize tasks, notes, research, storage as well as ways to connect with others instantly. Collaboration and real-time interaction is becoming a way of life for many of us on and off the clock. Tools that leverage the web can also allow remote users be productive and make the distance between collaborators vanish.
I asked for feedback before recording this show but would like the feedback to continue here. If you have other web-based services you use to get your job done and they were not mentioned here, please share your experiences and why they are crucial to your workflow. ~Lou
Remember to check out the SolidWorks: Heard! Blog and to follow me on Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!
