6 ms·

These seem like good improvements, although I'm still not really clear on the benefits of using Stripe's recurring billing system rather than building your own.

These seem like good improvements, although I'm still not really clear on the benefits of using Stripe's recurring billing system rather than building your own. Given that you still have to send out your own emails and handle adjustments to the plans, it seems like basically the same amount of work either way. I built my own recurring billing system using Stripe about 9 months ago because I need the per-seat pricing. It was incredibly easy, it gave me access to functionality that Stripe will probably never offer, and it allows me to plug in other payment providers if I ever need to.

jpadvo 14y ago
Anything Stripe builds is going to be orders of magnitude more battle-tested and reliable than anything I could possibly build. This is such a mission critical piece of an application, _I don't want to avoid touching it as much as possible_. Now it will take a couple lines of code to add another unit to a customer's monthly bill instead of dozens of lines of code and an extra database table. It's not too complicated, but it's enough to make it much likelier that I'd introduce a stupid bug. For me, that's the benefit. Context -- I'm a young programmer and don't trust my own code as a matter of course, and I'm working in a bootstrapped-to-the-hilt startup where any ounce of effort saved is gold.
- spitfire 14y ago
  "Context -- I'm a young programmer and don't trust my own code as a matter of course, and I'm working in a bootstrapped-to-the-hilt startup where any ounce of effort saved is gold." Seeing this on a young developers resume will get you an interview immediately with me. This sort of concern is a mature trait to exhibit. It's also risky to exhibit when around the unskilled (It's very subtle), which makes it an even more potent indicator.
  - jpadvo 14y ago
    Thanks spitfire, kind and encouraging words. Most of my understanding of programming as a craft I've picked up here, probably from people who are like you (and maybe you yourself).
- heretohelp 14y ago
  CTO here: I'm with Spitfire. > I'm a young programmer and don't trust my own code as a matter of course This attitude gets you an instant interview at any company I work for.
  - jpadvo 14y ago
    Thanks! I checked out your profile -- Nutrivise is doing great work. Hopefully I won't need a job anytime soon, but if I do I'll definitely talk to you guys. And I love the resume submittal via a post request. I may have to steal that idea in the future!
- smoyer 14y ago
  I'm an old programmer and I still don't trust the code I write. This attitude is useful as it reminds you that NIH can be a serious disease and that your code should be focused on your core competencies. I'd wish you luck with your career, but you've already shown you are making your own luck ... Kudos
  - jpadvo 14y ago
    Thanks smoyer, for the encouragement and also for the new acronym. I wasn't familiar with Not Invented Here syndrome, or at least the characterization of it.
MicahWedemeyer 14y ago
I built a recurring billing system on top of Amazon FPS and it was anything but easy, especially once the credit cards started expiring. I wrote a little about it here: http://peachshake.com/2010/06/15/saas-subscription-billing-or-how-to-avoid-getting-your-nts-in-a-vice/ http://peachshake.com/2010/06/15/saas-subscription-billing-o... And then the move to Stripe here: http://agileleague.com/2012/07/migrating-away-from-authorize-net-and-chargify-part-1-comparing-the-alternatives/ http://agileleague.com/2012/07/migrating-away-from-authorize...

jpadvo 14y ago

Anything Stripe builds is going to be orders of magnitude more battle-tested and reliable than anything I could possibly build. This is such a mission critical piece of an application, _I don't want to avoid touching it as much as possible_. Now it will take a couple lines of code to add another unit to a customer's monthly bill instead of dozens of lines of code and an extra database table. It's not too complicated, but it's enough to make it much likelier that I'd introduce a stupid bug. For me, that's the benefit. Context -- I'm a young programmer and don't trust my own code as a matter of course, and I'm working in a bootstrapped-to-the-hilt startup where any ounce of effort saved is gold.

spitfire 14y ago
"Context -- I'm a young programmer and don't trust my own code as a matter of course, and I'm working in a bootstrapped-to-the-hilt startup where any ounce of effort saved is gold." Seeing this on a young developers resume will get you an interview immediately with me. This sort of concern is a mature trait to exhibit. It's also risky to exhibit when around the unskilled (It's very subtle), which makes it an even more potent indicator.
- jpadvo 14y ago
  Thanks spitfire, kind and encouraging words. Most of my understanding of programming as a craft I've picked up here, probably from people who are like you (and maybe you yourself).
heretohelp 14y ago
CTO here: I'm with Spitfire. > I'm a young programmer and don't trust my own code as a matter of course This attitude gets you an instant interview at any company I work for.
- jpadvo 14y ago
  Thanks! I checked out your profile -- Nutrivise is doing great work. Hopefully I won't need a job anytime soon, but if I do I'll definitely talk to you guys. And I love the resume submittal via a post request. I may have to steal that idea in the future!
smoyer 14y ago
I'm an old programmer and I still don't trust the code I write. This attitude is useful as it reminds you that NIH can be a serious disease and that your code should be focused on your core competencies. I'd wish you luck with your career, but you've already shown you are making your own luck ... Kudos
- jpadvo 14y ago
  Thanks smoyer, for the encouragement and also for the new acronym. I wasn't familiar with Not Invented Here syndrome, or at least the characterization of it.

MicahWedemeyer 14y ago

I built a recurring billing system on top of Amazon FPS and it was anything but easy, especially once the credit cards started expiring. I wrote a little about it here: http://peachshake.com/2010/06/15/saas-subscription-billing-or-how-to-avoid-getting-your-nts-in-a-vice/ http://peachshake.com/2010/06/15/saas-subscription-billing-o... And then the move to Stripe here: http://agileleague.com/2012/07/migrating-away-from-authorize-net-and-chargify-part-1-comparing-the-alternatives/ http://agileleague.com/2012/07/migrating-away-from-authorize...