<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 5:04 PM, Michael <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:michael@networkstuff.co.nz">michael@networkstuff.co.nz</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
<div class="Ih2E3d"><br>
> Not entirely. I've been trying for two years to get someone to work with<br>
> my small Linux system. One guy never had time to come. I finally got<br>
> someone out who was going to charge either $125 or $175 per hour (USD)<br>
> depending on whether he decided it was a computer problem or a network<br>
> problem (which is about twice what I charge for Embedded hardware and<br>
> software development). He spent an hour here and had to go to his next<br>
> appointment. My little Samba problem was beyond his ability to solve!<br>
> Fortunately, he realized that he hadn't done anything and didn't charge.<br>
<br>
</div>That sounds quite expensive.<br>
<br>
The only way ahead I can see for FOSS to become widely used in business is to<br>
integrate it in to *commercial* solutions, where the client is buying a<br>
*commercial* product, complete with the "i's" dotted and the "t's" crossed,<br>
like Cisco or Avaya does.<br>
<br>
And their solutions are expensive. The service is expensive. And guess what...<br>
the customer buys it!<br>
<br>
Where the 'client' is using FOSS to save costs or for ideological reasons -<br>
this is where the headaches are for I.T. professionals. The clients more<br>
often then not are nerds, DIYers, running a business in a 'tight' industry<br>
(like Internet Service provision), or just simply not in a position to pay<br>
the bill.<br>
<br>
Sorry if this sounds overly cynical, but when 9/10 cases can be fitted in to<br>
this category, the other 1/10 does not make a good business case. Further<br>
more I have been in the industry for long enough to have heard the same<br>
flawed, unworkable, commercial non goer business schemes more then enough<br>
times over... I do not wish to have any involvement in yet another wireless<br>
ISP....<br>
<div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c"><br></div></div></blockquote><div><br>Wilton and Michael,<br><br>$150 an hour is not expensive in this area. It also weeds out the guys that are in financial problems, and I try to get paid a percentage upfront. I have yet to get a "deadbeat client" and my customers have all been very viable (except mortgage brokers, but they were viable at the time). My customers have ranged from large call centers with a $30 million advertising budget all the way to the State Department, US Embassies, and USAID. <br>
<br>To compare the $150 an hour to your embedded system pricing is not comparing apples to apples. The consultant may have an hour or two minimum, then there is travel time and expense to his next gig, and there are also slow times, or seeking new clients that must be accounted for. When you really know your stuff, you sometimes shoot yourself in the foot by getting things done quickly as well.<br>
<br>BTW, did you get your Samba issue fixed? Maybe I can help?<br><br>I also think you should check the economic stimulus package. There are billions of dollars allocated to ISPs. It could be a windfall. <br></div></div>
<br>-- <br>Thanks,<br>Steve Totaro <br>+18887771888 (Toll Free)<br>+12409381212 (Cell)<br>