How Do I Get Open Source Programs Written For Me?

An anonymous reader writes "I am a biomedical researcher interested in having general-purpose, scientific programs developed and released as open source. Interface design and reusability of the code are of primary importance to me. For my purpose, Cocoa applications relying on Core Data seem to be the best way to get the job done quickly. While I have some programming experience, I have few connections to the industrial world. So my question to Slashdot readers is: how do I find someone (individual or business) to write high-quality programs? Are there reputable contractors experienced in Cocoa? What sort of rates should I expect, to use as a starting point in negotiations? Would a requirement that programs are released as open source make it more or less difficult to find someone to do the job?"

Comments

Re:How Do I Get Open Source Programs Written For M

[Entropy2016]

Of course, how much beer & pizza is an important factor. Given sufficient quantities of pizza & beer, hell, I'd do it.

Its not like programming with Cocoa is terribly hard or anything.

School's CS department? USE IT!!

[plasmacutter]

Do you do your research at an academic institution?
Alternatively, Does your company maintain close ties with one or more academic institutions?

You can leverage this to the advantage of both you and their CS students.
There are undergrad practicum courses, students hungry for internships, etc. etc.

It probably won't be as fast as a "rent-a-coder", but it's a great way to get things done "on the cheap", and a lot more people than just the open source community will be helped in the process.