On Wed, Jan 05, 2005 at 08:26:48AM -0600, epyonne wrote: : Since I am using Outlook Express, I did not realize that I was attaching to : someone else thread and I apologize for that. I am starting a new thread here : and hopefully someone can help me.
It's got naught to do with your mailer, Outlook or otherwise -- it's in how you send a message to the list. Don't simply respond to another message and change the subject; create a new message and put the Tomcat list addy in the To: field. Now, on to your question: : I have been developing Java web application for my employer for a few years, : but these are all running on our company's intranet only. Now someone is : asking me to develop an eCommerce site. I don't know how to charge him. Can : someone please give me some ideas of the going rate and what kind of : contractual agreement I need? Is there anything else I need to watch out for? : : I am in the United States and I plan to use a commercial hosting company to : host the site. It will cost around $30-40 a month. You've already received a lot of great advice, so I won't repeat any of that. Just do yourself a favor or two: 1/ think twice about fixed-bid contracts. It can take forever to reach a firm, legally-supportable definition of "done" and you certainly don't want your attorney fees to eat your profits. (That's not a stab at attorneys, either; mine are fantastic, and their work helps me sleep at night. ;) The hourly scope also means you're less penalized for underestimating how long the project will take (translation: scope creep). 2/ Hammer out scope docs with the client and use that to set the hourly rate. You could also factor in the expected due date (charge more for a rush job), convenience (cut them a break if it's all telocommute, since you can work in your bunny slippers), etc. 2.5/ You'd do yourself a favor to negotiate an hourly rate + some minimum number of hours paid up-front. That makes it a little tougher for someone to run out on you without paying. (Yes, it happens, and some people do it because they know it's not worth your time + legal fees to hunt them down.) 3/ You could spare yourself some hassle and let the client deal with the hosting company. You can help them get setup with one; but clearly defining yourself as "the app architect/developer" gives you fewer long-term, day-to-day support/maintenance ties to this app. 4/ You asked what sort of contract you'd need: see an attorney for this. Their job is to take the plain-English of your agreement with the client and turn it into legalese, then plug any loopholes. 5/ Your other question: "Is there anything else I need to watch out for?" Yes: everything. =) Welcome to freelancing. The rest of the advice I've seen in this thread has been great. -QM -- software -- http://www.brandxdev.net tech news -- http://www.RoarNetworX.com --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
