Software and Tools

Up to now I have worked with many different Operating Systems including Windows, Solaris, Linux and OS X. For my backup I am still using a FreeBSD box, but since three years I call myself a switcher, and converted to Mac.

Of course there is always a love / hate relation between man and machine, but overall the Mac is the best computer and software combination you can buy at the moment.For my paper management I am using a software called Papers, which also handles the access to some databases and search engines. The one I used most up to now is still scholar.google.com. Most of the papers can directly be imported from Google into my library and if I have the corresponding PDF I am able to attach it there.

For reading I am using the OS X built in PDF reader, it has some nice features to highlight text and make comments. To enhance the reading I am thinking about getting one of those Kindle 2 from Amazon or a similar eBook Reader.

At the moment I am preparing my Exposé, and I am switching between different word processors available on the Mac. I have a valid license for Pages (the Word version by Apple) and there are a few other programs like this (e.g. Word itself or Mellel). At the moment I am aiming more in the direction of a simple text editor, preferable with an emphasis on few distractions like WriteRoom or OmmWriter, in combination with MacTex the Latex implementation for the Mac.