First off, I need to say (for those who don't realize it), I don't work for Gossamer-Threads. I don't get paid in any way for the time or code or problem solving I do on the forum. It's my own time, and in addition to my other work. I have only a limited amount of that time: there are only 24 hours in any given day, and only 7 days to any given week. My main job is developing, maintaining and operating our own network of sites.

Secondly, this document was quickly put together due to the number of requests in the past few weeks, and is not by any means complete, or well done. All our rates are negotiated on a per-job or per-contract basis, and these are only guides.

Due to popular demand, and the number of email requests I'm getting, I am posting some basic rate information. You can now purchase my time for your projects at reasonable rates, and in hourly, per-incident, or support contract packages.

Rates vary with the type of job, and the complexity of the problem needing to be solved.

Charges are based on TIME, and estimated for the per-project total. Regardless of the number of changes to the original project, or unforseen problems, we bill for TIME. We'll make as many changes to the original project as you want... provided you pay our hourly rate. Works well for everyone. In short:

2000-12-16: Links SQL Upgrade or install of Version 2 - $150

• Basic Rates: $125/$250 hour.
• Upgrades & Installs: $75 hour.
• Basic Support Contract: $225/month. -- 2001 Special -- only $150/month paid quarterly.
• Annual Support Contracts depend on your site and needs.
• Per-incident support: $35/$75 by contract only.
• ICQ support/questions available, on a fee basis only (support contract or per-incident).
• Inquries welcome! If I've already done it, you're only paying for my time to install it, or get it to you, not for development.

Completion dates, and estimated charges for TIME are made up front, and based on the original proposal. Changes, unforseen problems, or delays in communication can delay the completion of the project, and result in additional TIME charges.

We do not price or quote jobs on a flat-rate, per project base, and all quotes are best-guess ESTIMATES.

We do not "sell code" or programs. We charge for our time, and our services. Unless arrangements are made beforehand, all code is considered to be our property, and released under the GPL agreements as commonly interpreted. (Copyrighted public domain, and free use provided all modifications are made public under the same agreement.)

Time is figured on an "active hour" basis.

An "active hour" may represent anywhere from 1 to 3 clock hours of preparation time, or planning, and represents the actual time in front of the computer working on the project. It doesn't specifically reflect prep time.

Strict clock hour billing is available, at a lower hourly rate, but the hours billed will be significantly higher, since you will be billed for all research, email reading and replying, and other time related activities to your project, PLUS the time in front of the computer.

Rules, Policies, Explanations:

• Rates apply to Unix systems ONLY. I do not support NT. (I will support Links on an NT box, but not NT. No exceptions.)
• I primarily support Links SQL on Unix, with MySQL and related modules. General PERL, SQL and MySQL support is available.
• Monthly Support Contracts start at $225/month which affords up to 2 hours of priority e-mail problem solving and site support. No per-incident charges for fixes or solutions, up to the 2 hour limit. "Programming" beyond minor fixes is NOT included.
• Annual Support Contracts are available with monthly and term limits, but at a good discount for advanced payment.
• Support Contracts are written on a per-site basis. Contact me for a quote for your site.
• Per-incident problem solving is $75 per problem or solution. (Minor code fixes, single template (or template group such as add*.html or search*.html) changes, SQL queries, etc.) Anything above a "minor fix" is billed at custom rates, below.
• Custom programming rates are offered on a per-job basis, but reflect a base $250/active hour rate. Clock-hour billing is available for $125/hour, but it's almost guaranteed to be MORE expensive on a per-project or contract basis.
• Installation and maintenance, program/software upgrades, etc are $75/hour, 1/2 hour minimum.
• Upgrade Links SQL version 1.1x to 1.13 is $150.
• Flat-rate, best-guess quotes for the New Links install will be posted once the program is released.
• Daily rates are $1200, and $75/hour travel time, plus any extra expenses.
• NOTE: Any code maintenance, upgrades, etc requires access to the Links SQL Admin, Telnet and FTP access, and the main account or "root" password, otherwise you will be billed for all delays caused by inaccessibility to the operating system.
• My availability is reflected in the Links Support Forum posts (odd hours, late hours, most days, almost every day, etc), and can be arranged in advance as well.
• My participation in the Links Support Forum is on a volunteer basis, and I have to pick and choose what requests I find solutions for. Usually simple, broad-based problem solving, or short answers. I'm posting these rates for those who would like to purchase a solution for their more complex problem.
• ICQ support was just added (still new to me), and is not available for general chat, or for things being handled in the support forum. It's only for paid contractual support or per-incident agreements. ICQ directly occupies my time, and interrupts anything I might be doing, even if it's nothing, and is available only on an "urgent" basis.

Explanations & Ground Rules:

• Rates apply to Unix systems ONLY. I do not support NT. (I will support Links on an NT box, but not NT. No exceptions.)
• I primarily support Links SQL on Unix, with MySQL and related modules. General PERL, SQL and MySQL support is available.
• The above needed to be repeated, make sure you read the "Basics" above for more.
  
• All contracts are paid in advanced, and we prefer to bill quarterly (or annually).
• All contracts have reasonable limits, and are operated under rules of good faith on what constitutes an "incident".
• Per-incident contracts are available for people who primarily want a way to get questions answered in real-time, or to have a fix applied in real-time. We prefer to start with a base of 3 regular email-incident requests at $35 each. These are questions, SQL queries, minor template changes, etc. Average time 10-15 minutes. Anything beyond that has to be upgraded to the next level of support of $75 for about 1/2 hour of support. Above that, hourly rates will apply.
• If you have a pressing need for per-incident help, for instance during a new install, some program changes, or upgrades, and you want to pay in advance for a time-period, such as 10 incidents in a 2 week period, I offer a $75/incident/hour rate when paid in advance. Contracts expire at the end of the term, or when all incidents are used. This is at a significant discount over the per-hour rate. Minimum term is 5 incidents over 2 weeks, maximum is 25 incidents over 2 weeks. Beyond that, annual contract rates apply.
• We perfer the PayPal system, or a faxed MC/Visa order for all support and per-incident contracts. If we have a working relationship, and/or per-incident contract, you can purchase more incidents at any time via PayPal, and just notify me that you've completed the transaction. I can verify that usually in real-time. Faxed orders need to be done 24-48 hours in advance -- the longer the better. We can accept checks and money orders in US funds for all contracts, with the appropriate lead time for processing.
• All contracts, and support options, are custom priced. These are only guidelines to answer most questions, and filter out jobs that expect $5,000 of programming or support for $100. You'd be surprised.