I hope that this is not a verbal contract, because then you are in the position of "he said, she said". You should have a contract in writing describing in detail how both parties are responsible, deadlines (if necessary), and specific clauses of what the software will and will not include. This list prevents the client from adding features in the middle of the project; which would require you to re-quote the job if they find it absolutely necessary.
it's a mix of verbal and email. the email explains what will be delivered and how much the payment will be.
Second, you should never give then non-expiring software (or the source code) until the project is completed and the contract completed. If it is a project which requires more than a few days worth of work, you should have a payment schedule based on the contract... for example, a 25% payment at contract signing, at the end of the Alpha phase (feature complete) there would be a 25% payment, and final 50% payment at the completion of the job.
so you build in expiration, e.g., two weeks? this is for the phases, or final prior to payment?
these are great ideas...some i've used in the past for websites, but since this company seemed ok, i've been really flexible. with websites, i always got explicit sign-offs from the client.
Specifically about the source code, it should also be written in the contract whether source code would be included or not. If it is, then the client should expect to pay a premium for your services.
i did that once, too. i'm gonna start doing that all the time. thanks a lot! -vv _______________________________________________ Unsubscribe or switch delivery mode: <http://www.realsoftware.com/support/listmanager/> Search the archives of this list here: <http://support.realsoftware.com/listarchives/lists.html>
