My position is not from the programmer's viewpoint. It is from the=20 client or service organization that commits to making it work for some=20 time frame. If it is to be a temporary crutch for a short term it might be OK. I outsourced CAD drawings to a vendor Who decided at delivery time that=20 all that I received were paper copies, no CAD files. When I explained that = I needed the source to apply refinements in the future he explained that=20 he would do that for a fee. My operation was a diverse collection of vendors with several who tried=20 to control my success by changing the rules mid game. At least for me, I must have full title and control over whatever I=20 fund. My vendors are not entitled to any part of tooling that I funded. No more single source of supplies or exclusive relationships either! Lessons learned: You can be friends or you can have written contracts. Nothing in-between. Expect people you trust to betray you. Never give anyone enough resources to become your competitor. When a vendor choses to take undue advantage of you, don't let them know=20 you are aware. You just never know how you might use or mis use them in=20 the future. Don't bother telling a vendor why you have no interest in doing business=20 with them in the future. Let them work with the competition. On 4/13/2014 7:47 AM, smplx wrote: > Sorry John I tend to agree with Vicent. > > Is the goal to write a piece of software that performs a specific well > defined task or something that will evolve to perform other yet to be > defined tasks? Are you making the customer pay for a specific project or > for something that can be adapted in the future for use by another > customer? --=20 John Ferrell W8CCW "Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear." - Mark Twain --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .