Negotiating Pay for Open Source Work?

OpenSourceforMoney asks: "For about nine months now I've been working on an Open Source software project; the first release was five months ago. It's reasonably popular given its age -- several hundred users at least (users, not downloads) -- but despite my best attempts, I've been unable to get even a few dollars in donations to help support this (and being a student, I really need to get some money from somewhere). Now suddenly I've been approached by a company which wants to pay me to continue working on this project. How should I handle this? Should I ask for an hourly rate, or should I come up with specific targets and attach prices to each? How much money is it reasonable to ask for, for doing work which I'd end up doing (albeit more slowly) even if I wasn't getting paid? How have Slashdot readers handled the transition from working on a project for fun to being paid to work on it?"

Comments

Re:a good price

[Anonymous Coward]

25$ ??? Where do you live? Venezuela? Seriously, if that is your project, don't settle for entry level. A couple things to consider. Do you want to maintain control of the project? If so negotiate to sell them support but keep development seperate. If I hire you to develop, the goals I give you ARE your goals and the project direction can be wrestled from you. Use your skills to find work but keep your baby as your own.

I'd love to get paid 25 dollars/per hour. I live in the US, and get paid $9 dollars/per hour programming C++. I work mostly with Microsoft's COM+ doing 3 tier work. I only have a high school diploma because I couldn't afford college but I'm a great programmer with 8 years experience in C++. I'm 25 BTW. I know what I'm doing, and my projects are always completed. I've NEVER had a project fail or get canceled.

I live on the west coast in Oregon. It has the highest unemployment rate in the country. I guess that's why I can only ask for 9 per hour especially since I only have a HS degree.

Re:a good price

[Anonymous Coward]

Wow, trash men get paid $9 an hour where I am ... oh wait, you did say Microsoft COM+

I know how to program in Linux too. I'm familiar with CORBA, so I can easily transfer my COM knowledge. I've made a couple of device drivers for my winmodem so I could dial into the internet on my linux boxen.

I wanted to go to college but my parents didn't care about me. They made too much for me to qualify for student aid, but they never spent a dime on me. I had cloths from goodwill all my life, and didn't have health insurance either because my parents thought it was too much money to waste on a kid (I haven't seen a doctor since I was like 9 years old, only imunizations at the health department for school).

I don't know why they didn't get an abortion when they had me, but I guess it was because they wanted to get into this country back in the 1970's and they thought having a kid would make it easier.

I would rather program for Linux, but I have to take any job I can get. If an employer says COM, I do COM. If it is .NET, I do .NET.

Re:Contact me.

[los furtive]

You can't leave a $9/hr job? Is there some hidden $15/hr loyalty premium you failed to mention before?