The mISV Toolbox

Starting a mISV is challenging on so many levels, once you have an idea, a master plan or just some molecules scribbled on a napkin, the next step becomes a litany of questions.

What platform will I develop on?
What language?
How will I deploy?
Where do I host everything?
What about e-Commerce? Marketing? Taxes?

...it goes on and on.

As a mISV we needed to take advantage of anything and everything with 'free' attached to it. One of the areas I want to focus on in this post are the tools we have found indispensable to starting, building and growing the company. While some of these do cost money they are at the lower end of the cost spectrum in that space. Also worth noting is the "build v. buy" dilemma. We have in some cases decided to build tools ourselves in order to fill in the gaps. (more on this in a later post)

First and foremost...

Microsoft BizSpark
BizSpark is uniquely designed to accelerate your success by providing fast, affordable access to current, full-featured Microsoft tools and technologies, plus production licensing for hosted solutions.

Development
DebugView
Reflector

HelpMaker
HelpMaker is RTF-based, page-layout Help Authoring tool. It generates WinHelp, HTML_Help, Website-Help and PDF.

TortoiseSVN
TortoiseSVN is a really easy to use Revision control / version control / source control software for Windows.
Since it's not an integration for a specific IDE you can use it with whatever development tools you like.

Inno Setup
Inno Setup is a free installer for Windows programs. Versatile and flexible. Love this tool.

Unfuddle
Unfuddle is a secure, hosted project management solution for software development teams.

Code Obfuscation Software($)

Media
Sizer
Allows you to resize any window to an exact, predefined size. This is extremely useful when designing web pages, as it allows you to see how the page will look when viewed at a smaller size. The utility is also handy when compiling screen-shots for documentation, using Sizer allows you to easily maintain the same window size across screen grabs.

Paint.NET
Wow! What a tool. So easy a developer can use it! We have used Paint.NET for all our graphics.

Wink
A Tutorial and Presentation creation software, primarily aimed at creating tutorials on how to use software (like a tutor for MS-Word/Excel etc). Using Wink you can capture screen shots, add explanations boxes, buttons, titles etc and generate a highly effective tutorial for your users. Very easy to use, had 2-3 demos up in a couple of hours.


Marketing
Google Analytics
Google Adwords ($)

HiStats
Adds a different view on site analytics.

ClickTale
ClickTale is an in-page web analytics tool that allows you to record your users as they browse your site. Very powerful tool for us as it has helped us to design and redesign our site several times from this "virtual feedback".

Kampyle
Online feedback app to intake user feedback. Easy to install and customize.

Squidoo
A publishing platform and community that makes it easy for you to create "lenses" online. Lenses are pages, kind of like flyers or signposts or overview articles, that gather everything you know about your topic of interest—and snap it all into focus.

eCommerce
e-Junkie ($)
E-junkie provides shopping cart and buy now button functionality for site selling products online. Great service, low cost and feature rich.

PayPal

Communication
TeamViewer
Wonderful app to communicate, share destops, remote support.

FileZilla
Messenger

Yet Another Forum.net
YetAnotherForum.NET (YAF) is a Open Source discussion forum or bulletin board system for web sites running ASP.NET.

.Blog
Open source ASP.NET blog software.

Twitter
Facebook

Misc
KeePass
Free open source password manager, something you will definitely need as you open accounts.

PADGen
PAD is the Portable Application Description, and it helps authors provide product descriptions and specifications to online sources in a standard way, using a standard data format that will allow webmasters and program librarians to automate program listings. PAD saves time for both authors and webmasters

VCdControlTool
Mount ISOimages as virtual CD drives.