On January 29, 2009 at 15:23, amirm said...
How do you write your proposal? The ones I have seen
go like this:
1. Cable/wire/connector: $X for material, $Y for install
2. Equipment (Crestron, TV, Touch Panel, etc): $Y
3. Programming: $XXX/hour, YYY hours = $ZZZ
So unless you write your contract differently, the only
part that smells, walks and talks like a work-for-hire,
is precisely the programming :).
The only way out would be to have a fixed SKU for #3,
that is independent of the amount of work you are doing
for me which I assume is not practical.
3. ProgrammingAgain.. are they paying for the programming that makes the system work.. the compiled code thats loaded on the system.. Or are they paying for the uncompiled code. This is the argument that would take place in a court room over the code.
In your last post you talked about software. Microsoft sells you Word for $100 bucks. It costs much more to develop that product and bring it to market. Your paying $100 for a finished uneditable product that provides a solution to your word processing needs.
Some Crestron programmers are saying that they are providing a finished product that allows the clients system to operate and thats it. A done, finished solution just like MS word.
Just because the cost is $50,000 for finished uneditable crestron programming and its only $100 for finished uneditable MS programming (Word) doesnt mean the two are different. Compare a ford to a porsche. Vizio to Fujitsu.
I think part of the issue is that people spend $500k on a system and this issue of the code and paying to have it rewritten to add a VCR is absurd to them. Personally i feel it is absurd but i also feel that you get what you pay for. As an example... compiled code is $50k uncompiled code is much more. Obviously its completely up to the programmer and client how this all plays out. Im just trying to shed light on the 2 sides of this coin.
For those who think its unfair to pay extra for uncompiled code... $100 AV integration exists.. The ipod :).
