New tools for web design and development: December 2012

Considering the often frantic nature of the run-up to Christmas, December's releases have a surprising degree of substance about them. And not only that, variety: security, animation, gaming and debugging have all been getting updates worthy of serious attention.

There's a creative flavour too, some of it with a distinctly speculative edge – Webchemy being the most obvious example. This is good news, because there's a tendency towards homogeneity on the web that presents itself as the 'right way' to do things. New tools, which encourage a bit of independent thinking, help to balance this out.

Similarly, apps such as Hashcat and TraceKit give you another window onto the mechanics that drive the web, and may perhaps deliver some insight that makes your next project stand out.

But it's developing the confidence to make mistakes – and learn from them – that comes first. And in doing that it helps to keep tools on hand which ensure your underlying code is sound. The final days of 2012 provided something for both parts of this equation.

1. Hashcat

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Ecommerce Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Editor, Digital Art and 3D Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.