BrainTree vs TrustCommerce for Credit Card Processing and Recurring Billing
Posted on April 23, 2008
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We’ve been using TrustCommerce.com for a over a year with SugarStats to do the recurring billing/subscriptions and credit card processing. Overall it has been a pleasant experience even though we had a few bumpy bits.
I’ve recently found out about BrainTree which seems to offer everything TrustCommerce does and then some in an all-in-one solution. While I’m a big fan of the “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” saying, we’re considering switching.
TrustCommerce Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Great Rails/Ruby Integration and API
- Fairly good support
- Great security and risk/fraud protection practices
- Decent prices
- Excellent recurring billing/subscription support
Cons
- Support has slowly been going downhill. I even hear sales is non-responsive to new accounts.
- Online Web Portal is a bit lacking and cumbersome for statistics
- Need a separate company to be the merchant
- Can’t combine multiple apps into one TC account
BrainTree
Pros
- Seems to also have a superb API.
- Rails/Ruby integration via a few diff plugins and especially great support via ActiveMerchant
- Active community
- Quickbooks Export/Import
- Good reporting/Analytics tools in web control panel
- All-in-one solution which includes merchant and gateway
- Can have multiple sites behind one web control panel login
- Great security and risk/fraud protection
- Supports both major credit cards AND Paypal/Google Checkout/BillMeLater
- I hear support is great
- Fee’s: ???
Cons
Don’t know yet.
The real benefit I’m seeing is the multiple sites behind one login, Paypal/Google/BillMeLater payment and the active community/ActiveMerchant support. If the web control panel interface is at all better than TrustCommerce I’ll be very please as well.
Tags: ActiveMerchant, BrainTree, Paypal, Recurring Billing, Ruby on Rails recurring subscriptions, Subscription, SugarStats, TrustCommerce.
Posted on April 23, 2008
Filed Under Analytics, Business, Design, Hosting, Ruby on Rails, Startup, SugarStats, Tech, Web, WebDev
Slurpr - The Ultimate in WiFi and Wardriving
Posted on April 23, 2008
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Now this isn’t new, I saw it a long time ago but though I’d post on it now that the project has matured a bit. You can’t buy them off the street just yet but it is pretty kick ass none-the-less.
What is Slurpr? Basically a Frankenstein mini-PC packed with 6 WiFi cards/antenna’s in one tiny box that aggregates multiple open (or closed) WiFi signals into one big bandwidth pipe. Or according to the site:
“A big, fat access point with a large antenna and a bunch of Wi-Fi cards that automatically connect to the strongest signals it can pick up. Then it would combine all these signals into one FreeLoading Broadband Canal for me to use”
Nice.
It can easily crack easy WEP passwords on the fly. Being that I used to do lots of WiFi when I lived in San Fran I would have loved to have one of these. Using maybe 6 x high-gain 15dbi antenna’s and the right arial placement we could be talking about some major bandwidth and great for war driving. I’ll take one. 
Find more here: http://geektechnique.org/projectlab/781/slurpr-the-mother-of-all-wardrive-boxes
Tags: Amsterdam, Antenna Antenna, Geektechnique.org, Slurpr, Wardriving, WiFi.
Posted on April 23, 2008
Filed Under Hardware, Mobile Tech, Tech, Travel
The Next Web 2008, Health 2.0 NL, BarCamp IV and Lunch 2.0: A whirlwind of good times and opportunity
Posted on April 16, 2008
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The past few weeks have been a whirlwind, I’ve just barely had a chance to catch my breath.
After being in Holland a few days I was able to attend the amazing TheNextWeb 2008 Conference in Amsterdam. The conference was top notch and was executed beautifully. The after parties, dinners and a live Diggnation were icing on the cake. I’ll definitely have to write a more indepth review about it but if you’re ever in the area while it’s going on I suggest you go.
Also last week I attended the Health 2.0 NL Unconference in Amsterdam which was just as great and surprisingly in a smaller volume. 50 or so people passionate about tech, health and how the 2 merge met up for a series of talks and networking. It was hosted and coordinated also by a top notch group of motivated go-getters and I have to say it was a smashing success. It was great to meet everyone here as well as give a presentation on SugarStats which was well recieved. I can’t wait for the next one as well as Health 2.0 Europe
Then of course there was the BarCamp IV Amsterdam which was put on by Peter Robinett, of course in Amsterdam too. Had a lot of great talks and got to meet a lot of bright, forward thinking folks. A keg of beer didn’t hurt all that much either 
This coming Friday is Lunch 2.0 in Amsterdam, should be a blash as well. So much to do I’ll have to defer a more in-depth post till later. Till then…
Tags: BarCamp, BarCamp IV, BarCamp IV Amsterdam, Health 2.0, Health 2.0 NL, Health 2.0 NL Unconference, Live Diggnation Amsterdam, Lunch 2.0, Lunch 2.0 Amsterdam, NextWeb, NextWeb 2008, SugarStats, TheNextWeb.
Posted on April 16, 2008
Filed Under Business, Design, Entertainment, Health & Food, Mobile Tech, Tech, Travel, Web
April 3rd: The Next Web 2008 - Amsterdam
Posted on April 2, 2008
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I’ll be attending The Next Web 2008 in Amsterdam on April 3rd and 4th in Amsterdam. It’s going to be one of the biggest gatherings in Europe for startups, web/media tech and trends going on. If you’re going to the conference or will be in the area feel free to drop me a line and maybe we can grab a drink.
More info and registration: http://2008.thenextweb.org
Tags: Amsterdam, NextWeb, NextWeb 2008, TheNextWeb.
Posted on April 2, 2008
Filed Under Design, Entertainment, General, Hosting, Marketing, Mobile Tech, Startup, Tech, Travel, Web, WebDev
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I'm Marston and here you'll find my rantings, rhetoric and other useful info. I dig tech, photography, quantum physics and organic food. I'm the founder of SugarStats.com and thats my days developing.
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