Subject: Re: Arthur I have porting question sir!
From: Arthur Corliss (arthur@corlissfamily.org)
Date: Sun Mar 17 2002 - 12:39:25 AKST
On Sun, 17 Mar 2002, Eric Fortner wrote:
>
> Okay here is some of the low-down on this subject
>
> list:
> need to be able to keep track of:
> dentist/accounts
> patients/names of work done in lab
> product/prices of product
> times/when work is due/ sub past due
> units/production for the day/ not to exceed an amount configured
> calender showing working days/production/units due that day......
>
> This application doesn't have a gui like windowed apps do it uses dos
> just like locate: position well you know......
>
> above is some of it.......so what do I need to do in order to get this
> out so I can get some sort of feel for what is would cost.....he only paid
> $500 for this app 4 years ago in Chicago @ the dental convention there
>
> Should I send you or call you the entire list of what needs to be done
> I mean Functionality wise for the app......
>
> let me know.....I want to see if this is cost effective for him to have
> a firm move this app or write a new one close to what he has now.....
I think you should first make sure he has some realistic expectations. That
$500 he paid way back when in no way covers the cost of development of that
app, they're amortizing that over the expected size of their market share.
Unless you're going to pay some Indian firm to produce an equivalent program
(where they can get away paying programmers $15/hr) this is going to cost him
several thousand dollars to write at a minimum.
As much as I'm for companies finding an excuse to deploy Linux, I doubt
there's a solid business case here, *unless* he's going to become a software
reseller as well. And that would require that he have a good enough pitch for
why others should switch platforms, away from something that may very well be
getting the job done (regular reboots not-withstanding).
As far as GUI/non-GUI, I think that question is more or less irrelevant given
the current availability of good development tools on Linux. Hell, with Kylix
Linux even has a top-notch RAD tool. And there's always Perl/Tk. ;-)
So, is his current platform costing him enough in lost productivity to justify
a considerable out of pocket expense, or can he convince the applicable
firm/programmers that there's enough of a market to justify the time
investment in hopes of selling the title to a larger market?
--Arthur Corliss
Bolverk's Lair -- http://arthur.corlissfamily.org/
Digital Mages -- http://www.digitalmages.com/
"Live Free or Die, the Only Way to Live" -- NH State Motto
This archive was generated by hypermail 2a23 : Sun Mar 17 2002 - 12:31:51 AKST