The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 4 (of 5) - Vendor Programs for software consultants?

Vendor Programs for software consultants?

I thought I would ask the collective JOS brain trust this one: can you guys enumerate the vendor programs you know of that exist for software consultants who are developers?

I am interested in knowing which vendors have programs in place that permit a SW consultant to approach end users, for the purpose of modification or adaptation of that package for user needs. Either businesses that already use that package, or businesses that would have need of such a package.

An obvious genre are the accounting packages that come with source code. While that sounds just dandy, I have trouble targeting a class of business users that broad (IE, almost everyone uses accounting packages).

I am open to any niche or class of application, from business to engineering to vertical market.

Even an RTFM style pointer would be helpful - perhaps there is a list somewhere.

Thanks.

Bored Bystander
Thursday, February 26, 2004

Goldmine is a contact manager that consultants configure for individual companies. I asked for a quote from a Portland, OR consultant and he quoted me $12,000.

I could have paid someone to write (a simple version) of GM for that much.

I did the work myself in about 40 hours (counting learning how to use Goldmine).

I'm guessing SOMONE must be willing to pay this guy $150 an hour (just not me :-).

SUGGESTION: whatever app you choose to "support", I recommend *eventually* develop a PRODUCT to sell instead of just your time. By the time you've consulted for a year or so, you'll have a good idea of what common need your clients have. Then, write a reusabel (read: resellable) product that addresses thier needs.

The problem with selling your time is... you're always running out of inventory.

The real Entrepreneur
Thursday, February 26, 2004

There's a contact manager program called Act that complete morons seem to charge a lot for in consulting.

They're not even developers, yet they charge more than developers.

A lot of this stuff has to make you wonder.

Friday, February 27, 2004

I remember hearing about these now. This is exactly the sort of thing that I am describing. Thanks. So far so good.

Bored Bystander
Friday, February 27, 2004

I worked with a product called ... I think it was Alpha5. It looked like forms and reports for some sort of backend database (dbase maybe). The client wanted to get his business online. Some woman 3 states away was his "consultant" for this product and had designed Alpha for his business but she wasn't much geared for the web. I thought it was pretty interesting. Just did a goole and here it is http://www.alphasoftware.com/

me
Friday, February 27, 2004

I used to be a registered Sage developer. You get quarterly CDs with the latest tools and SDK etc and loads of 'I'm a Sage boy' stickers.

Justin
Friday, February 27, 2004

I'm a Navision developer since 1997 :

www.navision.com

This ERP is a Danish product which has been purchased by Microsoft last year.

The programming language is similar to Pascal :
You can customize almost everything,
like the posting routines which creates the
different ledgers entries(Accounting, Item, Fixed Assets et,etc...)

The Database is either Native or MS SQL

ERP_Boy
Friday, February 27, 2004

MAS90 consultants get easily $150/hr and I think the same goes for many other accounting packages.

Joe Hendricks
Friday, February 27, 2004

As a Navision Consultant you could charge
1000 Euro a day (8 hours)

Joe :
Does MAS is written in Business Basic ? (MAI or Thoroughbred?)

ERP_Boy
Friday, February 27, 2004