OSX users only: Voting for zsh + iterm2 - best tool ever. You will learn the command line really good and it gives you a full power of git. For simplification to modify commit messages (only for that): http://gitup.co/

You can consider using Spring Framework ( http://spring.io ), if you prefer building your app in Java. Its really flexible, robust, well documented and easy to start framework. You can separate your app to different small micro services and make them use different technologies depends on what that micro service is gonna be doing. (e.g. data_processing -> python. etc.) That way its gonna be easier to manage and scale your app.

In short: 1) Developer - is a human being who is working on building some software/web applications using some frameworks, tools. From app to app the pattern how he is doing his job doesn't change much, sometimes new technologies replace old ones, sometimes some new requirements come in. etc... 2) Programmer - another human being (could be the same as above) who is creating completely new things. For example building those frameworks that developers use, they have a good understanding how algorithms work and where to use which. They can calculate the complexity of the functions they create. etc... . Developers are Programmers to a greater or lesser extent. PS: I guess we can add Engineer to this list as well :)