More good points Frank. (I should hire you as a consultant for this decision.) :]
Frank wrote: "It does depend on what sort of support your associates would be looking for. Standard proprietary software "support line" contracts don't go very far if that's what you were comparing to." Roger that. I'd be handling any technical support/training issues myself. The only tech support that would need to be handled by the consultant would be show-stopping bug fixes. If I'm buried in another project (which happens frequently) I need someone that could get my client up and running again. I don't think you'll get that type of support from most proprietary software. Frank wrote: " As suggested by others, the amount of money you are talking about for a service contract won't really go very far with proprietary software either and it will be on top of the software cost itself." I guess I had only thought about licensing fees when I came up with my number. I really need to look at total cost of ownership. This would include: [1] My client's time to learn the selected software from a user's perspective. [2] My time to learn the selected software from a user's perspective. [3] My time to learn the selected software's API. [4] My time to learn the programming language for the selected software's API if it must be accessed in a programming language in which I am not proficient. Am I forgetting any other costs of proprietary software that need to go into my calcs? Landon -----Original Message----- From: Frank Warmerdam [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, October 30, 2008 12:31 PM To: Landon Blake Subject: Re: [Geowanking] Request For Opinions On MapInfo Landon Blake wrote: > That's possible Paul. Although in this economy maybe someone will be > hungry enough? > > Anyways, if I could find the right one man shop I think that would be a > workable solution in this case. > > If all else fails, back to proprietary software... Landon, As suggested by others, the amount of money you are talking about for a service contract won't really go very far with proprietary software either and it will be on top of the software cost itself. It does depend on what sort of support your associates would be looking for. Standard proprietary software "support line" contracts don't go very far if that's what you were comparing to. Best regards, -- ---------------------------------------+-------------------------------- ------ I set the clouds in motion - turn up | Frank Warmerdam, [EMAIL PROTECTED] light and sound - activate the windows | http://pobox.com/~warmerdam and watch the world go round - Rush | Geospatial Programmer for Rent Warning: Information provided via electronic media is not guaranteed against defects including translation and transmission errors. If the reader is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this information in error, please notify the sender immediately. _______________________________________________ Geowanking mailing list [email protected] http://lists.burri.to/mailman/listinfo/geowanking
