https://wintertrace.com/blog/ Maintainer notes on winter service documentation, self-hosting, and open-source software. en-GB Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://wintertrace.com/blog/winter-service-inventory-module/ https://wintertrace.com/blog/winter-service-inventory-module/ The Warehouse module for Wintertrace has shipped: stock keeping for a winter service, inside the software that already documents the work. Also the reason the core stays deliberately small, and what 4.19 billion tokens went into. Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://wintertrace.com/blog/start-snow-removal-side-business-canada/ https://wintertrace.com/blog/start-snow-removal-side-business-canada/ You have a truck, a full-time job, and a neighbour willing to pay you to clear their driveway. Here is what it takes to do winter service on the side legally in Canada — registration, tax, GST/HST, insurance and workers' comp, province by province. Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://wintertrace.com/blog/winter-service-across-canada/ https://wintertrace.com/blog/winter-service-across-canada/ What winter really looks like across Canada — from mild, rainy Vancouver to the Prairie deep-freeze and St. John's snow — and why the rules that govern snow clearing are municipal, not national. Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://wintertrace.com/blog/try-wintertrace-in-your-own-live-demo/ https://wintertrace.com/blog/try-wintertrace-in-your-own-live-demo/ You can now test Wintertrace the honest way: request a demo, confirm your email, and run your own real installation free for 48 hours. Here is how it works, and why I built it. Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://wintertrace.com/blog/trial-winter-service-software-in-summer/ https://wintertrace.com/blog/trial-winter-service-software-in-summer/ Mid-July is the unglamorous but ideal moment to trial winter service software — time to test it live, train drivers, and decide calmly before the first snow falls. Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://wintertrace.com/blog/winter-service-software-in-klingon/ https://wintertrace.com/blog/winter-service-software-in-klingon/ Wintertrace now has a Klingon language pack, alongside French and Czech. A look at why open source ships things no one would ever put up for sale. Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://wintertrace.com/blog/how-a-documents-module-became-a-signing-engine/ https://wintertrace.com/blog/how-a-documents-module-became-a-signing-engine/ The Documents module for Wintertrace has shipped — and getting online signing right meant building a separate signing engine, NoSign, from scratch. The story of how a simple module spiralled, and what an operator actually gets out of it. Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://wintertrace.com/blog/telegram-notifications-for-winter-service/ https://wintertrace.com/blog/telegram-notifications-for-winter-service/ A new Wintertrace module sends winter-service notifications over Telegram — to drivers, customers, and admins. Consent first, no instant send, and a building block other modules can use. Thu, 04 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://wintertrace.com/blog/bringing-contracts-into-wintertrace/ https://wintertrace.com/blog/bringing-contracts-into-wintertrace/ A new Wintertrace module, currently in development: store and assign customer contracts, and have them signed online — with an audit record and a privacy design that deletes the document once everyone has signed. Fri, 29 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://wintertrace.com/blog/audit-trailed-service-proof/ https://wintertrace.com/blog/audit-trailed-service-proof/ What goes into a Wintertrace service proof — and why an audit-trailed record of a winter operation is harder to dispute than a written log. Sun, 24 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://wintertrace.com/blog/how-a-favour-became-wintertrace/ https://wintertrace.com/blog/how-a-favour-became-wintertrace/ The story behind Wintertrace: a colleague asked for GPS-backed proof on his side job, and it grew into open-source winter service software built in the open. Sat, 23 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT