Writing business software, subtitled: How not to spend 3 years of your life

Mandala Spa Software started around 2006 with a loose comment at my old job, working on the front desk of a day spa. At the time, we didn’t have a decent booking system and discussing it one day I volunteered, “You know, I can do that”. Internally I was thinking, “After all, how hard can it be?”.

Well, over 300 000 lines of code later I can say with experience that perhaps, just perhaps, I underestimated the size of the project. It does all sorts of things like SMS sending, automated online backups, web status uploads, rostering, gift voucher emailing and a whole lot more. Technically it is all cross platform compliant code but in reality wxWidgets and mac cocoa have a little way to go yet, so it’s windows only for the time being. Still, I’m happy with the result and it is now in use in some of the top tier spas in Australia. Which is kind of nice.

Dec 2011 Update: Even though Mandala Spa Software is still technically "for sale", I turn down all new requests. The whole spa world just doesn't interest me anymore. So the code is now in maintenance mode, to be officially retired June 2013.