Re: PDM/SEU -- RPG400-L

Doug,

In a message dated 6/2/00 1:12:27 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
dhandy@isgroup.net writes:

> >Carrying around a "tool 
>  >belt" would _BREAK_ most independent contractors.  
>  
>  One copy of CODE/400 isn't *that* expensive.  And it may get cheaper;
>  we'll have to see.

No, but one copy of CODE/400 that you _NEVER_ use is.  As is a copy of Flex, 
coupled with a copy of VA/RPG, or VA/JAVA, or J-Builder, or Cafe', or...

>  Actually, I find it kinda ironic that the first thing every carpenter
>  turned contractor needs is a shiny $25K pickup, not to mention a horde
>  of tools.  And they work for much less per hour.

Vehicles can be written off your taxes, and provide basic transportation to 
boot.  Tools are a little more "iffy".  My brother-in-law repairs cars for a 
living, but can't for the life of him tell me (or the IRS) why he owes 
"Snap-On Tools" 10 large -- AGAIN.  Tools at $100 apiece are _CHEAP_.  I have 
legal licenses to two emulation products, nearly $400 apiece and no 
development going on _THERE_!

>  Hanging out a shingle as an independent programmer is actually kinda
>  cheap, even if you have to buy a small AS/400.

Then let me see _YOU_ do it Mr. 
I-know-everything-and-you're-wrong-even-if-you've-been-doing-it-for-twenty-yea
rs >8(!  Sorry, but I put more money aside than do most in my field, and 
charge nearly twice the average hourly rate.  I _STILL_ don't have my own 
AS/400 after over five years in business.  Why?  Try putting aside your own 
retirement, paying your own health insurance, life insurance, disability, 
unemployment, employer's portion of FICA, estimated taxes, taxes, business 
expenses, travel expenses, education expenses, unexpected expenses, marketing 
expenses, reserve for bad times, upgrading PC's to what your clients have, 
donating to the community, etc.  _THEN_ tell me how "CHEAP" it is...

>  >The "power Mitre box"  would generate code unmaintainable by the in-house 
> staff.  
>  
>  I'm not talking about bringing along AS/SET or COOL-2E or even PRO-GEN
>  or whatever.  Why is it harder to maintain code which I wrote using
>  CODE/400 or Flex?  How can you even tell?

I _KNOW_ you're not talking about it, but you _SHOULD_ be.  YOUR shop in 
particular might not require AS/Set, but most with BPCS _DO_.  Ditto COOL for 
MAPICS, PRO-GEN in some shops.  You _ARE_ talking bringing these along if you 
_ARE_ talking about a consultant being prepared for every single situation.  
I can tell...

Regards!

Dean Asmussen
Enterprise Systems Consulting, Inc.
Fuquay-Varina, NC  USA
E-mail:  DAsmussen@aol.com

"The nice thing about egotists is that they don't talk about other people." 
-- Lucille. S. Harper
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