The Old Joel on Software Forum: Part 4 (of 5)

Joel, check this out!

it seems that you have atleast one fan who wants a complete ripoff of your site....

http://rentacoder.com/RentACoder/misc/BidRequests/ShowBidRequest.asp?lngBidRequestId=154107

Yep, most of what's on these places is "can you make me a site just like XXX, but do it for $10?"

KC
Friday, May 14, 2004

Did anyone catch that nice pdf file about the African IT industry, on Slashdot a couple days ago? One African mentioned his frustration with these "ridiculous" $100 contracts, explaining he had to take them because the gov't udnerestimated local software developers.

I suspect the 'work for hire' stuff is questionable under copyright law too, even in the presence of a contract...

Tayssir John Gabbour
Friday, May 14, 2004

That reminds me - I also have a 'very small business project' done too. I need a clone of Microsoft Word done, but the numbering should work intuitively and teh help system should be modelled on Access 97. Delivery will be in 15 days, shall include source code and copyright ownership will be exclusively 100% to me. I am willing to pay a maximum bid of $118, but if you can keep it below that it would be preferred.

Let the bidding begin!

Code Buyer for Large Corporation
Friday, May 14, 2004

ROFL!!! Too true, too true...

Tim Lara
Friday, May 14, 2004

The flip side to this is that development *is* becoming a commodity of sorts (although still worth a little more than those contracts suggest).

Which means (and this is something Im still thinking about) that although Im too busy to build and develop my *own* little projects that Id like to do, its now at least theoretically possible for me to outsource that stuff to overseas developers and thereby get both my paying work done, and my personal projects done and maybe also making money.

There _are_ opportunities in this great global economy, the idea appeals to me in all sorts of ways.

FullNameRequired
Saturday, May 15, 2004

And software development will continue to be a _commodity_ for a while.

Name it. Someone has already done it. For free or not is not the issue. Just browse SF or any of the code banks. Enough has been done to warrant a cut 'n' paste job.

KayJay
Saturday, May 15, 2004

Sure $100 isn't much for a project. But the beauty is I can crank out 4 or 5 of these small projects a day.

Just yesterday, I made an office clone, and Oracle clone, and an SAP clone. I could have done one more, but SAP is rather complex so it took most of the morning. Of course maybe if I replaced this aging 486 I use I could do more projects per day.

Sooper Koder
Saturday, May 15, 2004

"And software development will continue to be a _commodity_ for a while."

And so will the inexperienced code-monkeys who churn out steaming piles of rotten code...

But good software, and good software developers still remain somewhat elusive.

Mark Hoffman
Saturday, May 15, 2004

As in every other industry. The pioneers and inventors and geniuses are always the handful of exceptions.

"I stand on the shoulders of a very many great men. Therefore, I am that little bit greater." ;-)

KayJay
Saturday, May 15, 2004

OK, so how much do you guys and galls think a quick clone of just the frontend of this board software should reasonably go for? I'm sure Joel has a quite nice backup setup to monitor and admin this system, but it seems the contract does not specify any of this.
So how much?

Just me (Sir to you)
Monday, May 17, 2004

I'll bite.

Around INR 20,000? That is about 50% of the salary for a decent Software Developer over here. As the design is already available, for free, it is the nuts and bolts that need to be screwed on.

KayJay
Monday, May 17, 2004

> "I stand on the shoulders of a very many great men. Therefore, I am that little bit greater."

Or a pigeon.

Monday, May 17, 2004

Funny! Not. <rolls eyes>

KayJay
Monday, May 17, 2004