Selling MS Access Developements Legally

[Hierophant]

Greetings,
I've been writing databases for family friends and thier businesses now for some time, and as a student in need of money I would like to start selling further databases to paying businesses.

I'd be using Office 97 or XP (legit copies) and I was wondering if it is as simple as me selling my work or not!? I mean, providing the client has Office 97/XP on thier systems, is it legal for me to sell them a database?

Just fielding information... Anything appreciated!! Cheers.


Hiero

 

[Rich]

I mean, providing the client has Office 97/XP on thier systems, is it legal for me to sell them a database?

Yes, provided you can prove it was your design to start with

 

[Vassago]

Be careful though. Come up with terms of agreement between you and your clients. There may come a time when the database needs repairing or changing, they will probably want to contact you. If you don't want to play as tech support for the database, make sure they understand that. Also, to protect your code, try selling MDE's rather than MDB's unless you want them to be able to edit it and you will have nothing to do with it anymore. I find it hard sometimes to fix something someone else screwed up with the code in an MDB database I originally created.

Good Luck!

Vassago

 

[Hierophant]

Interesting.. cheers.

I should take this opportunity to ask a few other questions,

* How much do I charge my clients roughly? I understand it would be less than a professional developer, but I have no idea what they charge either.

* How do I prove it is my design?!

* Can MDE files be easily hacked? Similarly, can the Database Security password measure be easily hacked and bypassed?


Hope some of those can be answered - I am in Australia, and I take it most of you are British.. so feel free to give charging estimates in pounds... I'll try and make the comparison based on relative buying value of one unit of currency, rather than a straight conversion..

Cheers!

 

[bodvoc]

I use a runtime add-on for Access 97..... This makes full .exe files... The app is bullit proof from the end users but at an cost to you and extra work... And not easy at times to do a quick fix...

As for proof.. In the UK.. you can get a way with posting yourself a copy of your database and all notes/information/customers letters regarding it by registered post, sealed and dated. Keep it seal/un-opened and it acts as part of your proof of ownership.

Copywrite... Main thing, don't copywhole chunks of code from anyone elses work.. If you do.. make it yours by turning it or re-writing it ... Or get better still get premissions from them to use it.. Same goes with the look and feel... Recently court action stop a software house selling an art package here cos it looked to much like the market leader....!?! Copywrite here says that if you change 36% the copywrite is broken... and it is now your property... Though a legal fight may turn that over...

As for costs... I charge by the hour.. Some others for the finished app... Look at off the shelf programs prices and work from there.. Average rate here is about £75 - £125 per hour for a pro doing the job... As a hobbist... I charge about £30 per hour.. but this is often not what I charge as I seem to spend longer than I charge writing it...

Lastly.. if you read some of the software licences and write one to suit your app... Take Note the bits about Loss of Data, work, time, money, cost etc.. Like one of the leading PC software houses... make no promises that it is going to do what it should do.... and they get 45million $ an hour... !

Hope that helps....

I have recently got into Bolands Delphi..... A very good package... Lots of freeware source, tools and forums and little in the way of ties or constrates on how you sell on..... But you will need a server app if you want mulituser... But this is also freeware...

 

[Hierophant]

Don't you ever agree on a contract price before commencement rather than hourly?

125 pounds an hour is nuts. Must make a killing.

 

[bodvoc]

Wish I had the guts to charge £125 per hour... As I said, I charge £30 which is a fair price given all the work, and sleepless nights.. LoL

From my experince, the people that want a db often move the goal posts half way through... so hourly is a better way of keeping them in check... most of the stuff I write is med record based... but saying that I have played with some often alkward dbs along the way.... Best way is to bid high and come down... If they really want you to do it.. cost often isn't a problem... and if the competion don't want to take it on... they will quote telephone numbers to put them off.... And you will get the work by default...

Have done a few via an agreed cost.. but their concept of what is and what is not covered is so different to mine... well you almost end up working for free.... Even with a good contract, agreed start and end points, you get the odd (or many) "could you just add that while you are doing this?"

I used to cost for a Power House / Vis Basic app writer firm here in the UK.. Doing all the First stage design... They charged £170 per hour off sight - £1000 per Day onsite... 5yrs ago... Now thats a KILLING!!

Best way in reflection, what do you need to earn a day / week / month and cost to make that... Then if it takes off.. give up the day job and do it from home... If not, it makes nice beer money..

All I can say is have fun doing it..

 

[Pat Hartman]

use a runtime add-on for Access 97..... This makes full .exe files

- I'll bet cash money that your add-on does NOT turn an Access.mdb into an .exe unless you're talking about a self-extracting zip file.

 

[bodvoc]

Well it does make an exe.. it is a third party progarm.. it makes a fe exe.. but the db stays in access... it was written / sold by Quest .. not seen it for anyother version than 95 or 97 access.... However, it does have a problem with some Docmd and Setfocus.... Did Try the MS Access Runtime prog, but found it a pain...

 

[Vassago]

I would like to check this program out. Know where I can find it?

 

[Pat Hartman]

Is the program converting the Access app to VB?

 

[Vassago]

That's what I was thinking Pat. I guess we'd know if we knew the name of the program.

 

[mission2java_78]

I dont think thats possible.
The controls in vb are VERY different than those of access.

Jon

 

[bodvoc]

Hi All

I wish it did covert to VB...

Its Called Data Master, by Quest Software... Tell you how old it is... it came on 6 floppys!! I got it at a Ham-Fest... (Radio Ham boot sale for want of a better name)

I have searched the net and it seems that Quest went pop in about 1999... or was brought out??? It makes exes from access forms (but you cant use report access makes... it recomends Crystal?? heard of it, never seen it, some DoCmd fail, and so does Dlookup, if not fixed i.e. run via a combo box) It does make full exes from Data-ease and a runtime thingy for Peach Data Manager ( Never heard of that one)

It has a fight though... took me ages to work out what it was failing on......

Does any one know of a good converter?? People keep telling me to go over to Delphi?? But I don't think that convert either??

Disk 4 is Buggered, so if any one has it out there, please contact me... I am going for a pint now so.... Cheers all