This morning, FreshBooks successfully released version 3.9 with Estimates. So far, people seem to be enjoying it, here is some early feedback:

The estimates look great! I also like the new header bar at the top that has the customer’s profile/logout link. Customers used to have problems finding the profile link. This will make it easier for them to find.

You just eliminated one more piece of additional software for me. Thanks!

Thank you, thank you, thank you. In my opinion the new estimates feature is a milestone that will go down in Freshbooks history as the moment when it all got tied together into one huge killer app.

If you haven’t had a chance to try it out yet, the way it works is you can create an estimate before you start any project.

You can then send the estimate to your client and the client can review it online just like they would an invoice. If they are happy, they can accept the estimate or request changes.

You can have a conversation back and forth about the estimate.

Once you and/or your client is happy with the estimate, you can convert it to an invoice or a recurring invoice with one click.

Tomorrow morning (Thursday, May 31, 2007), we are releasing FreshBooks Version 3.9 with estimates/quotes.

Please expect a short period of downtime between 6:30 AM and 8:00 AM EDT (NOTE: this is 3:30am in LA, 6:30am in NYC, 11:30am in London, 6:30pm in Hong Kong, and 8:30pm in Melbourne).

We sent a detailed email out about this and other FreshBooks news last Friday. If you didn’t receive it, you can go here to view it online.

Version 3.9 includes the estimate/quoting feature for you to review estimates with your customers and convert them into invoices. It has some other improvements that I am sure you will like.

Mike put up a FreshBooks user group on Facebook last night. Check out some of the comments on the Wall below:

Technology moves fast — on the web, even faster. If you’re a developer, how do you stay on top of new techniques, tools, and languages? Below I’ve shared some resources that help me stay current.

User voted content

There’s a lot of garbage on the web. Sorting out what’s good and what’s not is a mountain of work – for one person, at least. Digg, Reddit, and DZone are user communities where members vote and rank new content. The front page might be full of celebrity gossip and other distractions, but searching for key terms that interest you (i.e. “php” or “ruby”) can yield good results.

I particularly recommend checking out DZone, which focuses on developer-oriented content.

Developer blog feeds

You’ll find there are blogs that you’ll come back to again and again – the experts. This might go without saying, but why not cut out the middle man and add them to your feed reader?

Some of my fave developer blogs right now are Coding Horror (Programming & Technology), Err The Blog (Ruby on Rails), and Modern Life (Web).

Social bookmarking sites

Social bookmarking sites like del.icio.us and ma.gnolia let people share their bookmarks online. You can check out what’s generally new or popular, or subscribe to feeds tracking what your friends or co-workers find worthwhile.

Tip: A lot of bloggers share their public bookmarks. If you like what they write, there’s a good chance you’ll like what they read.

Have any suggestions? What do you use to stay current?