UML is a software designer's dream-come-true. By providing a standard visual notation for design, UML does for software what blueprints have long done for houses and buildings. UML allows our developers to describe and communicate the structure and intricacies of our software designs.

Together is the tool we use to make our UML designs, which are then posted to each project website. Together was created by Peter Coad and company. Peter is a well-known object-oriented analysis & design guru. His deep knowledge of the subject shows through in this well-crafted design tool.

CVS is a version control system. At Immuexa, it's more like our central nervous system. We rely on CVS as a rock-solid way to record the many changes we make without stepping on each other's toes. Unlike other systems, CVS allows developers to make changes to the same file at the same time, which is essential since most of us work offsite in different time zones.

Araxis is DIFF with a difference. Like other DIFF utilities, it allows you to see exactly what's changed between two versions of the same source file. Araxis goes further to allow difference checking between entire directory branches. It allows you to merge portions of one file into another, making selective reverting of individual changes a simple task. Best of all, it has a simple and elegant user interface that lends itself to constant use.

Apache is by far the world's most popular web server, primarily because it's fast, full-featured, and free! This unlikely combination is possible because Apache is an open-source project, which means that programmers from around the world donate their talent to add features, perform tests, and fix bugs. With so many eyes watching, Apache has become as solid as software gets.

Dreamweaver is the best web authoring tool on the market. For visually crafting individual pages and interrelating them easily, there's no other product with comparable ease-of-use and power. Dreamweaver makes it easy to add Javascript "behaviors" and cross-browser dynamic HTML. Its site manager is deceptively simple, making ordinarily arduous tasks easy, such as moving files and adjusting all the links automatically.

Flash is a vector-based illustration and animation program. We use it to make lightweight web animations and demos (such as the Plate-It test drive test drive). While not as good as Java for sheer programming power and graphic expressiveness, it's perfect when you want something small that downloads quickly.

Photoshop is used to manipulate bitmap images such as those from scanners and digital cameras. It's basically an electronic darkroom. We use it constantly to tweak and enhance photos and logos in our websites and software.

We use Illustrator when we want vector-based drawings that are easier to manipulate than bitmaps. Illustrator is capable of producing a wide range of artwork from black and white logos to full color illustrations. Like Photoshop, Illustrator is a standard in the graphic design industry.

Fireworks is another image editor that combines the most commonly used features of bitmap editors, like Photoshop, and vector-based editors, like Illustrator. It's particularly well suited for web-specific images such as rollovers and buttons.

If Photoshop is a digital darkroom, then Painter is an electronic easel. Painter has dozens of drawing tools that resemble "real media" such watercolors, pastels, charcoal, and airbrushes. Combined with a graphics tablet, Painter is as close to the real thing as digital imagery gets. It's an art studio with undo!

Probably the best desktop publishing software available, Quark Xpress is used to create all forms of printed publications, including layouts for books, brochures, and flyers.