>unfortunetely, i have been burned in the past from clients that have >requested source code, under the guise of "local backup", and have seen my >scripts/objects/code(that i spent months developing and optimising) wind up >in their next projects..
There's a pretty simple solution for that. You can put the source code in escrow with a third party if the client's main concern is your being hit by a truck. I'm afraid I'm with Al on this, though. I was trying to think of a way to phrase it diplomatically, but Al expressed my reservations well. I like to think through the ethics of something like this. I don't know your particular situation, so I can't criticize your approach. You'll have to come to your own decisions. In general, though, when I negotiate a contract, if the client wants the source code, they get it--for a price. In any event, my own personal ethics would balk at providing the customer with anything less than I agreed to, both in the letter and the spirit. That fits in with your photography metaphor, too. If the contract calls for you to deliver the negative, I wouldn't scratch it up before delivery. In the long run, it does help to keep relations with customers on a positive note, and ends up making me more money in repeat business. Cordially, Kerry Thompson [To remove yourself from this list, or to change to digest mode, go to http://www.penworks.com/LUJ/lingo-l.cgi To post messages to the list, email [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Problems, email [EMAIL PROTECTED]) Lingo-L is for learning and helping with programming Lingo. Thanks!]
