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.
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…
Oh – and if you don’t have a blog, what on Earth are you waiting for?
Not Sure about starting and running your own blog? No worries. Grab yourself a copy of Blog Blazers. Written by fellow ISV Steph Grenier it’s packed full of intereviews, tips and hints from some of the ‘nets brightest blogging sparks. Should be on every bloggers bookshelf. http://www.blogblazers.com/ I’m writing a review on this blog on Steph’s book and will update this with a link to the review in the coming weeks.
How to Generate Traffic to your Website is another must have book from Steph. Published as an easy to read (and economical to buy) e-book this high quality tome has some great little tips and techniques. I admit I’ve never had a lot of trouble with SEO. It’s simple if you follow, as I’ve always done, some basic logic and choose to avoid trying to game the engines as quality information beats black or white hat SEO techniques everytime. Confused about black and white hats? Throw away the nonsense you’ve read on this, you don’t need the hats. Grab a copy from http://www.followsteph.com/how-to-generate-traffic-to-your-website.html and learn that like most things in this business a professional, structured approach is worth it’s weight in gold. For my own review of this book here on this blog you can Click Here.
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!
Registration Service
I’m a bit critical of some of the registration service options available to ISV’s. Franky most of them suck and I’m not short of saying so when they’ve done something untoward.
However! There are two companies I have no hesitation in recommending. They are:
FastSpring and NorthStarSolutions.
Why? It’s a matter of two issues. Integrity and experience. Both FastSpring and NorthStar Solutions, both seperate companies run by seperate people, have both in abundance. Both companies fall over themselves to help you. Make no mistake either - you *need* two registration companies. First because the Internet does funny things, no point missing a sale if for some reason your customer can’t reach one solution - it happens to any of us. Second is that some people have personal preferences.
Run by Joel Sposky.
OK, not so much a “tool” in the traditional sense, more like an addiction. Seriously, a good resource for asking questions related to starting up, but be cautious, there are an army of anonymous trolls waiting for the unwary, like most internet forums. Post links to your website with care if asking for feedback. Consider that you might not want some of that feedback appearing in Google searches later on down the track.
CDROO Music And Sound Effects For Video And Podcasts, Theater Cues
CDROO is a resource run by me, aimed squarley at people, such as Micro ISV’s, who need economical access to original, royalty free music and sound effects for their online videos, sales presentations, training tools and podcasts.
CDROO music and sound effects are 100% Royalty Free, so you never have to pay another cent after you purchase music and sound from us.
More coming as soon as I have a few moments…
**All Product Names, Trademarks And Logos Belong To Their Respective Owners.
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