Re: PDM/SEU

Doug,

In a message dated 6/2/00 9:52:25 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
dhandy@isgroup.net writes:

> >Tools at $100 apiece are _CHEAP_.  I have 
>  >legal licenses to two emulation products, nearly $400 apiece and no 
>  >development going on _THERE_!
>  
>  So why did you need emulation products if you don't have a 400?  And
>  if $800 was justifiable for them, why is it such a stretch to pay $1K
>  for CODE?

To dial into my clients and connect via my laptop when they don't have a 
spare workstation.  My clients are pretty well split between NetManage and 
Rumba (none use CA).  The stretch is that I've used the emulation products 
hundreds of times, but have never had a client using CODE.  Hence my unused 
tool argument.

>  >>  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(!  
>  
>  I started working on IBM midrange machines in 1979, and I don't
>  pretend to know everything -- I follow these forums to learn.  I do
>  have some very strong opinions on certain topics, the value of a PC
>  editor being one of them.
>  
>  But as a matter of fact, I do have my own 400 in my home.  And I
>  didn't even go through PID to get it at half price or 1% of value  per
>  month lease.  And I didn't buy a used machine.  And I still thought it
>  was cheap.
>  
>  Today with V4 licenses being legally transferrable, you could do it
>  for a fraction of the price I paid.  Go to
>  http://www.egghead.com/category/Servers.htm or eBay.  For just over
>  $2K you can get a RISC machine with legal V4 OS/400 in the P05
>  software tier.  Then just buy licenses for the compilers and program
>  products you need -- the P05 tier is affordable.  
>  
>  If necessary, put that in a 2-3 year loan.  Add $40 per month for
>  software subscription for the P05 tier.
>  
>  My phone bills cost more per month than one of those 400's would cost
>  me monthly across a couple of years.  I don't know what you charge per
>  hour, but if it is "nearly twice the average hourly rate" it would at
>  most cost you a couple of hours pay per month.
>  
>  If that still sounds expensive for a machine that lets you develop
>  code compatible with your largest client's box, then there are also
>  the new timeshare machines available over the internet starting at
>  about $25 per month.  That wasn't an option when I bought my machine.
>  Neither were transferable OS licenses.

Yes, but to purchase a box with all of the tools I need is cost-prohibitive.  
ADTS, Performance Tools, Languages, SQL, etc.  These things add up, 
especially if you're planning to stay current on the OS.  If I'm off-base 
here, please let me know offline.  When I have clients that stay on the last 
supported release until the last possible minute due to upgrade costs despite 
performance upgrades, something tells me that TCO has increased significantly 
since the old Silverlake days.  Although I don't consult on systems matters 
anymore, those matters seem to constantly fall in my lap.  I wouldn't feel 
comfortable advising on LPAR or SMP if I didn't have a machine of my own that 
would handle those options.

>  >Try putting aside your own ...
>  
>  I know whereof you speak -- I'm self-employed too and have been for
>  all but about 4 of my years in this business.  I charge what I'd
>  consider to be under the "average hourly rate", and I still think
>  having a 400 is very affordable.
>  
>  >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. 
>  
>  
>  Obviously it is not practical to license a copy of BPCS modules  or
>  JDE One World or SAP R/3 or whatever if that is your target market for
>  clients.  But I don't think anyone expects an IC to do that; that's
>  not what I meant when I questioned why it is unreasonable for an IC to
>  have their own copy of an editor.

I see.  But using that editor at client sites can be a problem.  Most of my 
consulting involves training client developers on new methodologies -- can't 
do that if we're not using the same editor...

Regards!

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

"My father always told me, 'Find a job you love and you'll never have to work 
a day in your life.'" -- Jim Fox
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