Mia Schmidt: "I saw that developers often buy tools they never use, turning them into dusty relics. That missed potential for real pro..."

I saw that developers often buy tools they never use, turning them into dusty relics. That missed potential for real productivity is frustrating. http://www.pathsensitive.com/2021/03/developer-tools-can-be-magic-instead.html

What criteria do you recommend for vetting tools before purchase? Have you tried a trial period to avoid dustiness?

I saw a similar pattern—teams buy full IDEs but only use basic editors. How do you balance cost with actual feature usage?

What criteria do you use to decide if a new tool is worth the trial before purchase?