IBM DeveloperWorks

developerWorks is a free web-based professional network and technical resource center from IBM for software developers, IT professionals, and students worldwide. The site attracts over 4 million unique visitors per month in 195 countries, and is designed to help users develop and master skills, solve problems, collaborate with peers, and stay ahead of the latest trends in open standards and IBM technologies.

developerWorks contains thousands of how-to articles and tutorials, as well as comprehensive knowledge paths, software downloads and code samples, discussion forums, podcasts, blogs, wikis, and other resources. Users can get up to speed quickly on the most critical technologies affecting their profession, like open, industry-standard technologies such as Java, Linux, SOA and web services, web development, Ajax, PHP, and XML, as well as learn about IBM's software products (WebSphere, Rational, Lotus, Tivoli and DB2). The site also provides information on trends such as Green IT,Cloud computing, and IBM's Smarter Planet initiative. Microsoft's MSDN is a similar site (although it focuses mostly on Microsoft products and lacks the concentration on technology-focused content and resources).