Off to work I go...

Ok Invoice will be a Web based application service. The idea is simple (but, I hope, appealing), cash flow drives any small business. The path to cash starts with invoicing. I come at this from the perspective of having run my own consulting service for about 15 years. All well and good. I’ve mocked up a user flow, I know what features I need, now time to fire up the editor. But what to develop in?

My day job involves (among other things) developing and maintaining an ASP.Net based site. I’ve also done a few applications in PHP. Two mainstream, well supported environments. Which to choose?

I started out figuring PHP under Linux/Apache would be the right choice. I already pay for a Linux server ($99 a month from Server Beach) that I run a few sites on., so why not take advantage of the already sunk cost. Another bonus, if I need to expand in the future I won’t have to pay any Microsoft tax. Under Linux I can use Postgres - a full featured, reliable, free database. I was all set.

I knocked out a Schema in a nice low cost modeling tool I’ve used for a few years. (DeZign for Databases), created a Postgres DB. Then I mocked up my first screen in Dreamweaver (Ok, I’m using more tools than a simple editor) and started to write some Javascript code to manipulate the page. Invoices on OkInvoice will be delivered as PDF files, generated by code after the user enters their data. I went to look at PDF support under PHP and got a nasty surprise.

The leading PDF generation library for PHP is PDFlib. First problem, it’s not exactly free. The $995 per server license would offset a lot of the savings I’d expected from the Linux solution. Secondly, it can’t handle vector graphic images. Ugh. A major part of our value proposition is how professional the printed invoice will look. Pixilated bitmap graphics just aren’t going to cut it. I tossed PDFlib and it’s hefty price tag. Unfortunately, the other open source libraries are fairly immature. None of them supported vector graphics. I could be a good open source citizen and add such support to one, and I suppose I might have if not for the easy availability of another solution.

Turns out I’ve had to generate PDF files before, at the day job, in the .Net world. After evaluating a few libraries I ended up being very satisfied with Siberix’s Report Writer product. It handles vector graphics and is reasonably priced. Since the PDF invoice is the product I was back in the Microsoft world.

Luckily, I just checked a different box in DeZign for Databases and generated my SQL Server database and I was off. Well, almost. Since we haven’t done much new web development at the day job lately we’re still using ASP.Net 1.1. Should I start Ok Invoice with 2.0 or stick with what I know?

Also, I just bought this interesting book, Agile Web Development with Rails. The siren call of greener grass on the other side. Would I resist? Stay tuned…

Hello World

I’m Doug Veenstra, the founder of Ok Invoice (and currently holder of all other job titles here too). What is Ok Invoice? Simply, a place on the web where you can quickly and easily create Invoices. After all, what’s more important that getting paid? And the first step in getting paid is sending an invoice.

As you can tell, we (ok I’m) just starting out.

I want this Blog to serve as a “behind the scenes” glimpse into building what I hope will be a service our customers love and can’t live without. I’m going to try and give you an unvarnished look at the “sausage factory” and bet you’ll still want a bite when we’re done. Please feel free to let me know what you think.

Welcome aboard!