Configuration Clusterfuck.

So after the “fiasco,” or rather, “disappointment” of signing over my software today all hell broke loose.

The company that shares office space with the company I’m contracting for moved out today and they wanted me here to make sure they didn’t take our server down.

That went smooth so I decided to disconnect all the unused ports from the empty offices so I could add two switches. We for some reason, have a 24 port switch for over 50 data ports in the office. So the <omitted> company that was moving had installed their own switches to add computers to offices. So I wanted to add the switches to the locked telco room instead of having them floating around under desks.

I disconnected several of the ports, careful not to take down any of my company’s offices. So then I come back to my linux machine and I can’t get internet. At the same time no one can print. And the fax machine ran out of ink.

So I could not figure out why I couldn’t get an IP address on any of the connections that had been unplugged and plugged back in. Turns out the DHCP server was on one of the servers that got moved. Awesome. So I fire up the <omitted> beast and get DHCP working after an hour of trying everything else.

Great, now I can get a connection, cool. I hook up an old fax and the old lady trying to use it keeps getting an error. I decide to ignore her, usually best to leave frustrated women the hell alone, and I focus on the printer. After another hour of tinkering turns out the printer can’t get an IP. I end up having to set it statically and no config of any other machines on the network was needed.

Ok, awesome, internet and printing, but no fax. I decide to fax my dad a test sheet. He’s not at his office at 7:00 fucking-o’clock on Friday but it went through without error. Old lady musta had her numbers wrong…I’ll deal with her on Monday.

What a Friday…t<omitted> deadline. I think I’ll get schwasted tonight.

Don’t Get Screwed by your client Part 2.

So here’s what happened.
Yesterday afternoon at about 4:00 the CFO approached me about this
matter. This is after 4 months of development, so its seemed a little
late and out of the blue.
They were concerned that my product is so well suited for this
industry, and that there is nothing off-the-shelf for less than $100k,
that they want full control of the product.
I talked to a few of people and they said here are your options:
1. Pull the plug and walk away. Finish it and try to sell it on your
own – this forfeits about $4000 of income in the next three weeks.(which I never actually got from them)
2. Agree to share in the future licensing and sign over the copyright
for a period of time.
3. License it and make them agree to open source (yeah right)
4. Hand over the copyright but demand full market value for the
product.
So this morning I walk in and the big boss has his golf club out ready
to “discuss.”
He says “Sign over everything by noon or walk.”
“Well I need some legal counsel on the matter I’ll get back to you by
Monday.”
“No way…noon or your outta here”
They do pay me a monthly “retainer” and have provided me office space
so I’m in a bit of a bind with a half finished product.
So I actually just signed everything over with a provision for an
agreement, after full completion of the product, that I get paid a
portion of any licensing or sale of the product (their attorney was
witness to this).
They stated that since it was a “funded” project (I’ll have made about
$15k over a 6 month span of development) that they “own” the copyright
- which isn’t so according to work-for-hire law. They have to have an
agreement signed and it was foolish not to sign one at the outset.
This is my first programming job and they allowed me to learn as I go
and I’m only 23 so there are plenty more opportunities out there.
And like Brian said I can always start a new project from scratch as
long as it is sufficiently different in design and function for any
other competitor and I have not signed a non-compete, thank god (I’m
sure they’ll have one lined up after product completion)

Don’t Get Screwed by your client.

I was hired as a contractor to advise on technical and IT issues for a
<omitted> company in April.
They were searching for a database system that would work for them.
We couldn’t find one off the shelf so I said I could code one with
Rails for them.
Well now the <omitted> piece is done and the <omitted> piece
is half done and they asked me today to sign over my copyright so I
can’t sell the software to any other companies.
I am employed as a sub contractor and the checks go to my LLC.
I am (well was) planning on marketing this software to several other
<omitted> companies as there is no solution like the one I’ve made
available so my price is (was) going to be substantially high.
My question is how do I retain copyright, appease my
client, and sell my software?
My thoughts were to license it exclusively under some sort of open
source license to the client, so that I could, as an “outside”
developer, use my own code and resell it after modifying under the
terms of the license.