I don't know understand why this is so complicated. Perhaps I misunderstood some part of the summary.
If you've developed something useful on your own time, well outside of any contractual obligations or restrictions, then you now have a product to sell. The terms and conditions for sale or use are up to you.
But if the boss didn't contract you to write it, they're also under no obligation to purchase it. So you pitch it, and now you're over a barrel if they know it's whatever they offer or nothing. If they say "no, we don't have the money", then you're just plain out of luck. You've gambled with your time and lost, unless you can then sell it elsewhere.
Don't like that arrangement? Next time secure a contract with a well defined scope and terms for compensation before you start work.
I had a similar opinion. Used it for a while and had to bail on it.
And it's a little sad... I can't figure out how the Boxee Box is going to survive much longer. Not that it wasn't an interesting attempt, but they haven't nailed the inexpensive, "just works" end of the market like Roku has. They also haven't managed to nail the higher end, tinkerer land of htpc'ers. The market in between for $180 stb's that aren't great in either of those roles can't be very big.
And for what small middle-ground there is, it's probably about to get eaten up with solutions involving powerful, inexpensive hardware like Raspberry Pi's. Low cost like the Roku end, flexible like the htpc end, and capable of doing most anything in-between... can't see a lot of people deciding to buy the $180 "meh" option.
That was my point. If you take payment in USD, you set the price, leave it alone and the value of currency you receive isn't going to drop off by 90% in a few days.
Some of the other responses made it clear that the thing to do is try to keep the price you post updated with immediate or very-recent exchange value, then immediately change any funds you've received back into USD so you don't lose everything.
Right now that's not worth the trouble and exposure. If it hangs on and the value settles a bit, I'll certainly consider it.
Fair enough. Though I guess most methods or devices that have some utility don't work perfectly.
Since they've decided to patent it, they probably thought there was something useful in the technique. Maybe a modest hit rate isn't good enough to assume someone is a Christian or Jew in any way that could prove offensive, but it's good enough to boost sales a little by tweaking the "related items" someone sees.
I don't know how they'd have done it, but maybe they had a way to validate the results?
This I'm curious about. USD don't change in value much. What happens when you accept $60 worth of bitcoins today for goods and services, and tomorrow that currency is worth $2.50?
You've got quite a bit more going on than I do. I've seen folks recommend Prgmr.com too. Though I'll be honest, that one looks a bit hobby-ish. Perhaps good for a personal blog, but I'll probably stick with Linode for the revenue-generating stuff.
I liked Slicehost. They were pretty responsive and the service was good. They were even pretty competitive for a while. I've since moved to Linode... lots more options and you get more for your dollar. They're very comparable really... both know what they're doing and aren't fly-by-night operations.
I'll have to check that one out... I'm always on the lookout.
I used to use Slicehost, but they haven't really improved anything in years and they were not staying competitive on pricing. I've been migrating everything over to Linode, which I really like.
Those both have the usual local console feature, in case something goes wrong.
Really? I wasn't surprised. There's been quite a lot written lately about the platform differences and spending. Applications in the android market simply don't make anything near the kind of money that iphone apps do. That's why all the apps you see in googs market have ads... android users don't buy and developers want to bring in some revenue.
Some big name developers have been saying that the Kindle has had a major impact on sales though. It seems Fire owners are much more likely to purchase apps from the Amazon store than other android users from google's market.
Yikes. Yeah I've watched a few videos on making my own. Even considered a few of those cool contraptions to make it easier. I just know myself... I think I'm better off saving my pennies and buying one from someone that knows what they're doing.
It was a good write-up... I was curious about a lot of that when I saw it the other day.
I'm blown away by how much you put into the project. The cabinet rigs in particular came out really slick. Congrats, and go get your employer to use it as a demo for SketchUp.;)
This is one of the reasons I picked up a Roku. It's fast and easy to get to my streaming sources, no crap in the way. It uses very little power, makes no noise (unlike the 360's, which sound like jet engines) and it takes up a space slightly larger than a deck of cards.
For what they do, they're hard to beat at $50... or whatever they go for now.
There are a lot of articles about this, and probably suit his needs.
I'm waiting to see someone combine these remote tracking and accessibility methods with semtex and finishing nails packed in the old optical drive bay.
Good point. I knew I'd laugh my ass off at a Louis CK stand-up routine.
Add it to the list of stupid first world dilemmas, I guess. If you watch something for free instead of paying, then like it and think it would've been worth the money, do you go back and buy that item the way they wanted you to?
Nowadays I'm good about sticking to shit I know I'll like. That way I do what I'm supposed to and nobody gets screwed. It's just easier that way.
That NPR article also talked in greater detail about what happened when it was pirated.
The person that upped it apologized and made a modest attempt at justification... for which he was later chastised by a number of other users.
I went and bought it. You got a couple streaming tokens and (iirc) 5, drm-free downloads. There was even a little message to potential 'pirates' right in the checkout process... I should have taken a minute to read it.
Though I'm sure plenty downloaded it, I'm glad he made a profit on the project (he said he's never seen a check for a TV special) and that it, at least, somewhat vindicates what people have been saying all along about how entertainment is distributed.
Slashdot Mirror
I don't know understand why this is so complicated. Perhaps I misunderstood some part of the summary.
If you've developed something useful on your own time, well outside of any contractual obligations or restrictions, then you now have a product to sell. The terms and conditions for sale or use are up to you.
But if the boss didn't contract you to write it, they're also under no obligation to purchase it. So you pitch it, and now you're over a barrel if they know it's whatever they offer or nothing. If they say "no, we don't have the money", then you're just plain out of luck. You've gambled with your time and lost, unless you can then sell it elsewhere.
Don't like that arrangement? Next time secure a contract with a well defined scope and terms for compensation before you start work.
I had a similar opinion. Used it for a while and had to bail on it.
And it's a little sad... I can't figure out how the Boxee Box is going to survive much longer. Not that it wasn't an interesting attempt, but they haven't nailed the inexpensive, "just works" end of the market like Roku has. They also haven't managed to nail the higher end, tinkerer land of htpc'ers. The market in between for $180 stb's that aren't great in either of those roles can't be very big.
And for what small middle-ground there is, it's probably about to get eaten up with solutions involving powerful, inexpensive hardware like Raspberry Pi's. Low cost like the Roku end, flexible like the htpc end, and capable of doing most anything in-between... can't see a lot of people deciding to buy the $180 "meh" option.
That was my point. If you take payment in USD, you set the price, leave it alone and the value of currency you receive isn't going to drop off by 90% in a few days.
Some of the other responses made it clear that the thing to do is try to keep the price you post updated with immediate or very-recent exchange value, then immediately change any funds you've received back into USD so you don't lose everything.
Right now that's not worth the trouble and exposure. If it hangs on and the value settles a bit, I'll certainly consider it.
Fair enough. Though I guess most methods or devices that have some utility don't work perfectly.
Since they've decided to patent it, they probably thought there was something useful in the technique. Maybe a modest hit rate isn't good enough to assume someone is a Christian or Jew in any way that could prove offensive, but it's good enough to boost sales a little by tweaking the "related items" someone sees.
I don't know how they'd have done it, but maybe they had a way to validate the results?
Indeed, there were a few that ran specials for godaddy xfers with deal codes like SOPASUCKS.
I got "you're using a Droid, they rule!"
I'm not.
This I'm curious about. USD don't change in value much. What happens when you accept $60 worth of bitcoins today for goods and services, and tomorrow that currency is worth $2.50?
You've got quite a bit more going on than I do. I've seen folks recommend Prgmr.com too. Though I'll be honest, that one looks a bit hobby-ish. Perhaps good for a personal blog, but I'll probably stick with Linode for the revenue-generating stuff.
You're not alone. Moving a million units a week and directing them at their app store can't hurt. :)
http://gigaom.com/2011/12/05/the-kindle-fire-the-next-big-haven-for-developers/
I liked Slicehost. They were pretty responsive and the service was good. They were even pretty competitive for a while. I've since moved to Linode... lots more options and you get more for your dollar. They're very comparable really... both know what they're doing and aren't fly-by-night operations.
I'll have to check that one out... I'm always on the lookout.
I used to use Slicehost, but they haven't really improved anything in years and they were not staying competitive on pricing. I've been migrating everything over to Linode, which I really like.
Those both have the usual local console feature, in case something goes wrong.
Really? I wasn't surprised. There's been quite a lot written lately about the platform differences and spending. Applications in the android market simply don't make anything near the kind of money that iphone apps do. That's why all the apps you see in googs market have ads... android users don't buy and developers want to bring in some revenue.
Some big name developers have been saying that the Kindle has had a major impact on sales though. It seems Fire owners are much more likely to purchase apps from the Amazon store than other android users from google's market.
Indeed and, "No, we're not foregoing the opportunity to keep our own junk in front of your faces just so you can have the fancier OS."
Excellent, I'll have to take a look as well.
I assumed that was just an "anything to take GoDaddy customers" move, but found this pretty cut-and-dry:
http://community.namecheap.com/blog/2011/12/22/we-say-no-to-sopa/
It was intentional. Style guides will say it's incorrect, but it's common to pluralize numbers with an apostrophe.
See the bits about dates and numbers:
http://www.informatics.sussex.ac.uk/department/docs/punctuation/node21.html
I make plenty of other, genuinely awful mistakes to pick over.
Yikes. Yeah I've watched a few videos on making my own. Even considered a few of those cool contraptions to make it easier. I just know myself... I think I'm better off saving my pennies and buying one from someone that knows what they're doing.
It was a good write-up... I was curious about a lot of that when I saw it the other day.
;)
I'm blown away by how much you put into the project. The cabinet rigs in particular came out really slick. Congrats, and go get your employer to use it as a demo for SketchUp.
This is one of the reasons I picked up a Roku. It's fast and easy to get to my streaming sources, no crap in the way. It uses very little power, makes no noise (unlike the 360's, which sound like jet engines) and it takes up a space slightly larger than a deck of cards.
For what they do, they're hard to beat at $50... or whatever they go for now.
You forgot the moon. :)
I did exactly that. I love what I can see, but now I just want a bigger scope. [Insert beavis & butthead chuckle here]
Intimate physical contact and a free trip to Cuba?
There are a lot of articles about this, and probably suit his needs.
I'm waiting to see someone combine these remote tracking and accessibility methods with semtex and finishing nails packed in the old optical drive bay.
It means he's loaded, so it's probably worth looking at. Nobody would care what my home network looks like. :)
"What? You think just cause a guy reads comics he can't start some shit?!" - Brodie
Good point. I knew I'd laugh my ass off at a Louis CK stand-up routine.
Add it to the list of stupid first world dilemmas, I guess. If you watch something for free instead of paying, then like it and think it would've been worth the money, do you go back and buy that item the way they wanted you to?
Nowadays I'm good about sticking to shit I know I'll like. That way I do what I'm supposed to and nobody gets screwed. It's just easier that way.
That NPR article also talked in greater detail about what happened when it was pirated.
The person that upped it apologized and made a modest attempt at justification... for which he was later chastised by a number of other users.
I went and bought it. You got a couple streaming tokens and (iirc) 5, drm-free downloads. There was even a little message to potential 'pirates' right in the checkout process... I should have taken a minute to read it.
Though I'm sure plenty downloaded it, I'm glad he made a profit on the project (he said he's never seen a check for a TV special) and that it, at least, somewhat vindicates what people have been saying all along about how entertainment is distributed.