Case Study

CyberPenguin

Internet & Gaming

This case study documents the development and implementation of a custom management and billing application for a completely open-source Internet Cafe in the Philippines.

Background

Midway through 2007, the idea of opening an Internet Cafe using only open source software in the Philippines was born.

Research showed that although thin clients would be most economical to procure and maintain, the demand for computer gaming in the Philippines is very high - something thin clients are unable to accommodate. Instead, centrally managed gaming-capable PCs were deployed using DRBL; this allows PCs to boot off the network rather than their local hard disks, limiting management tasks to the central server - similar to a thin client environment.

A search for robust, open source internet cafe billing software turned up only disappointing solutions, so the decision to custom develop a suitable application was taken.

Specifications were written for a web-based internet cafe billing application, to be hosted on the server, with which the operators could accurately bill customers.

Requirements & Specifications

Specifications were crafted to define required functionality:

• Pre-paid accounts, similar to pre-paid phone cards.
• Minute-by-minute billing; most customers are locals and often just want to check their email on the way past rather than committing a whole hour. Credit is retained between sessions.
• Each customer receives a unique password protected login ID and storage space. All documents, settings, browser favourites, game high scores etc. are saved from session to session, regardless of which PC is used to login.
• Automated low credit warnings for users.
• Flexible settings to allow different pricing at different times of day, days of week and among different user groups. Low credit warnings, currency settings and lower level commands that execute tasks on the server can also be modified by the administrator on the settings page without in-depth IT knowledge.
• Full usage logging of user accounts.
• Basic statistics.

Development Process

Before bidding for the project, Dave Sherohman read the specifications thoroughly, and posing a number of pointed questions and making suggestions as to how the application and its development process may be improved even before bidding.

Although not the lowest cost proposal received, Dave's bid was accepted based on his reputation, thoroughly thought-out proposal and common sense approach.

He was able to discuss technically complex subjects in easy to understand terms to allowing technical and design decisions to be made effectively.

Development got under way swiftly and Dave provided regular and clear progress updates. He quickly identified any unclarities in the specifications and sought answers directly rather than making assumptions. He often suggested better ways of accomplishing a task than was specified and was able to discuss these in depth before a final implementation decision was made. Usability also improved as a result of this process compared to the original specifications.

Development was successfully completed slightly ahead of schedule, providing increased testing time.

A small test deployment was done locally and all issues were ironed out before travelling to the deployment site.

Opening & Operations

Deployment went smoothly and no major issues were found with the application once installed on-site and Dave responded quickly to all installation questions. The cafe opened successfully, on time.

The operators find the software very quick and easy to use. On an overview screen, they can view which PCs are powered on, which are occupied by which user, how long they have been logged in for, how much credit they have and how many minutes they have left.

Operators can add credit in a single click, and a full account history can be provided at users' request. They can also start up, shut down PCs from the interface and log off misbehaving users if necessary.

Customers are impressed by the internet cafe and frequently commend the speed and reliability of the hardware, the minute-by-minute billing system and the ability to store their documents and settings persistently. A lack of Microsoft Windows does not appear to impact business much - it is quite is busy most days.

Enhancements

Approximately 9 months after opening, a series of enhancements to the original application were specified, and Dave was rehired to implement the changes. The cafe would also be relocating to a better location and the server would be upgraded to the latest version of Ubuntu (8.04).

Enhancements included:

• Comprehensive graphical statistics (using Google Chart API).
• Add Point-of-Sale functionality to be able to sell products and services (printing, typing, training, CDs / DVDs / flash memory, soft drinks etc.).
• Enhance speed and usability for commonly performed operator tasks.
• Multi-user operator interface, enabling the secure use by different operators - all actions are individually tracked.
• Improvements to the accounting system.

Dave delivered the enhancements on time and in line with the requirements. The server operating system was upgraded and the enhanced management application installed without major issues.

A number of days into operation after the upgrades, some small accounting inaccuracies were discovered. Despite the project being officially closed and signed off, Dave dedicated a great amount of time and effort to tracking down and fixing the complex issue, showing dedication above and beyond his contractual obligations for the full success of the project.

CyberPenguin continues to operate successfully and will hopefully do so for years to come. Dave's contributions are wholly appreciated!

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Screenshots of the Management Application