Tools For Startups
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Tortoise SVN
I’m not a fan of FOS or GNU as a general rule, but there are exceptions and Tortoise is one of them. Probably the best source control tool I’ve used. Super fast to install, extremely easy to configure and use. If you’re not using source control, and you should, then check out the Tortoise. Click the Tortoise logo to visit the official site and download…
Nifty little tool, a shell extension, for changing file/folder dates. Handy as well for the war on script kiddies. Change your build, leave the build number the same and change the time stamp to the previous build date. Voila! You’ll have them shout lamer at the script kiddie within hours… 
I wish MS had thought of the options this little trick extends to Explorer. Solves quite a few issues, as with the two above it’s open source and free to use.
I actually use two PIM like applications, this little one is my scratch pad for to do lists each day. There are two editions, standard (free) and Pro. Nicely written. If you’ve not got a PIM or aren’t happy with the one you have now (some are so darned bloated) then check this one out.
I’ve blogged about this tool and it’s the build tool I use now. The price is affordable, it’s well maintained and support is superb. BuildAutomator shaves heaps of time off the build process, Arnor is always improving it. If there are two tools on this page I think are must have’s for startups it’s Tortoise and BuildAutomator.
Mozy is a tool I’ve just recently started using and have been very impressed with. It’s an offsite backup service that features a desktop client and virtual drive technology (to access the server) that performs automated offsite backups. Comes in two flavours - free and a paid for version. It’s one solution to that problem of “what if the office burns down” and the need for offsite backups. Data is encrypted. For me the risk of storing data somewhere else is outweighed by the risk of a local catasrophe. Got to admit I feel a lot more secure now I’m using this one.
WordPress
OK, yes, this blog runs off WordPress. But I’m also using it as a CMS for the MixAction website (our primary product). I’m blown away, having been a long time Joomla! user, at just how darn good it is as a CMS. It’s takes some tweaking, requires some specific plugins, but once done it really is terrrific. While Joomla is awesome for large sites, for a single product site I heartily recommend WordPress. So much so I’m going to do a series of articles on this blog in the future on how to go about running an ISV’s single product website right off of it…
Update - the MixAction website has been switched to Joomla. This decision was not because WordPress is, in my opinion, the lesser but because I needed certain features that Joomla offers me that are not easily available in WordPress.
Oh - and if you don’t have a blog, what on Earth are you waiting for?
We’ve tried various tools over the years for protection of our software and licensing. From Armadillo to our own weird and wonderful routines. While we still code defensively and use some other tools ByteShield is the chosen tool for our Theater Audio product’s - MixAction- protection. Flexibile, durable and smart. Highly recommended!
Either one (or both) of these membership schemes represent excellent value to mISV’s and ISV’s. So far we have joined BizSpark with a view towards joining Empower in the near future. Both bring many advantages to the startup including, but not limited to, server side technology (BizSpark) MSDN memberships, access to Windows desktop and server operating systems, business software including office, complete IDE’s including .Net and much, much more. Plus access to marketing and support, all for prices that make these one of the best startup packages available today. If you’re not a member of one of these you are missing out on a lot of great startup assistance!
More coming as soon as I have a few moments…
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