Subj : Re: How much should I charge for fixed-price software contract?
To   : comp.programming,comp.lang.java.programmer,comp.lang.lisp
From : Pascal Bourguignon
Date : Fri Aug 12 2005 08:46 am

rem642b@Yahoo.Com (Robert Maas, see http://tinyurl.com/uh3t) writes:
> So anyway, how do I learn how Sun
> makes money?? I have no idea. I don't a Google search for "how Sun
> Microsystems makes money" would give me the info. OK, just to cover all
> bases I tried that search just now, and saw comments about how Sun
> ought to make money or is trying to make money, but nothing about how
> they actually make money, not even on selling operating systems.
> So do you know how they make money?? Or even if they do?
> [...]
> OK, back to Google: Sun Microsystems annual reports
> Done, none of the matches provide any online access to Sun's annual report.
> So I guess I don't have that option unless you know of a secret place
> where their annual report is available that Google doesn't have indexed.

finance.yahoo.com is better to answer this question.
http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=SUNW

See the SEC Filings: http://finance.yahoo.com/q/sec?s=SUNW

In the Net revenues. you'll note that it gets twice more revenues from
products (computers) than from services (programmers?).

From the Operatin gexpenses, you'll see that they don't send too much
on programmers anyway: most is spent on "selling, general and
administrative" (become a seller or an accountant), and the rest on
R&D (get a PHD).


> So, I ask everyone, how can I find somebody with money for hiring who
> would interview me for serious consideration for some kind of paid work?
>
> Is there any value in showing work I've already done as a sample of
> what I am capable of, toward the goal of getting a serious interview?
>
> Is there any online software-piecework morket where I can make bids on
> small (*) tasks somebody wants done, and if I'm the lowest bidder then
> I have one week to finish a fixed-price contract per my bid?
>
> * (expected 20-30 hours work needed to complete such a software task)

http://www.codelance.com/


By the way, you don't need to limit yourself to $200 tasks.  Microsft
offers $5M to track virus writers (you'd need a good Internet
connection to do that though).
http://money.cnn.com/2003/11/05/technology/microsoftbounty/?cnn=yes


-- 
__Pascal Bourguignon__                     http://www.informatimago.com/

There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not
want merely because you think it would be good for him. -- Robert Heinlein

.