Lab

Coding Tools

These tools make writing code on a Mac a pleasant and effortless experience. From updating blogs to programming for the web, it's now quicker and easier than ever...

The Mac may be considered a designer's machine, but it's as good as any PC when it comes to writing code. The sleek, glossy interface lends itself particularly well to clean environments, and many software houses have taken advantage of this to produce beautiful coding applications that are truly inspirational to use.

Here, we've rounded up eight of the best tools across a wide range of applications, allowing you to update your blog, automate the Mac's most common functions or program for the web.

Intelligent use of drawers, pallets and head-up displays means that Mac OS X is inherently more flexible than its rivals, allowing you to tailor the working environment to meet your own specific needs, and maximise the space devoted to the job in hand.

Any one of these tools would be an excellent addition to your software arsenal, and as several are free and all have downloadable trial versions, there's no reason not to try a few for yourself.