Dream software package for online news: Your answers

⚠️ This post is more than five years old. Links may rot, opinions may change, and context might be missing. Proceed with cautious optimism.

Last week, out of curiosity — and the need to hand in a list to IT folks at work — I asked for your suggestions for software-that-costs-money for an online news PC.

Here’s the list I started with:

  • Photoshop
  • Flash
  • Dreamweaver
  • SoundSlides

Here’s what you added:

  • For image editing: Fireworks or Aperture or Lightroom
  • For graphics: Illustrator for 2D; Lightwave, Maya or 3D Studio Max for 3D; a Google Earth license for maps
  • For Flash: SWF Decompiler and the Flash Video Encoder
  • For sound editing: Audition or ProTools
  • For video editing: Avid or Final Cut Pro or Premiere and After Effects
  • For text editing: UltraEdit or Crimson Editor
  • For print editing: InDesign and Acrobat
  • For sanity: iTunes and Comic Life
  • For the love of all things good in the world: Get a Mac!

Thanks to Prof. McCune, Bryan, Angela, Daniel, Danny, and Mindy for the tips.

Regarding the Mac and audio/video audio editing: These items live together in another room where my desk isn’t, and I’ll be looking to outfit Mr. Friendly Intel iMac with toys shortly.

Regarding print-side stuff: That all comes installed on the PC in question, so I’m set up on that.

Regarding sanity: That’s what my personal laptop sticks around for: Google Reader, iTunes, looking at my own code to figure out how I’ve done things in the past, watching completely work-related news videos that have nothing to do with the Colbert Report or Sesame Street, and checking my work in different browsers/resolutions.

My favorite bits on this list: SWF Decompiler, UltraEdit, and this from McAdams: “Adobe Audition if at all possible. Audacity if you work for cheap bastards.”