Essential Web Development Tools (1 of 2):

Before getting into the nitty gritty of Web Development, you need to make sure you have the right tools to make your job quick and easy, so you can spend more time designing, and less time debugging, and searching for information.

The first key, is the Web Browser itself. As a developer leaning towards Web Standards, you'll want a browser, that will do a good job, steering you in the right direction, and helping you stick to the standards.

My recommendation, is to use Mozilla Firefox, as your default Web Browser. There's several reasons why, and I'll get to them later, but it is important to start with a default browser that will give you lots of tools to help you out.

That said, you'll need to install other browsers, (and virtual machines) to test out other systems.

In terms of priority, I would be inclined to follow the list below;

1. Mozilla Firefox
2. Internet Explorer v6.0
3. Internet Explorer v7.0 (currently in Beta*)[update! Its out! go get it!]
4. Opera
5. Safari
6. Konqueror
7. Camino
   

Items 2 and 3 (MSIE) will switch in terms of priority, within ~ 3 months from when it goes live, since it will be distirbuted automatically, most users will upgrade without blinking.




*Well, not Beta officially, as it is at RC1 stage, but for those familiar with its progress, Beta would be the more appropriate term.
(Update! Microsoft says that it will be out this October (2006))