why do Access developers give away so much for free?

[vba_php]

I don't know any other software developers who give more knowledge away for free than Access developers. Why do you guys do this? Most of you here that post often have your own knowledgebase files that you share with experienced Access users who ask questions. Not to mention that a lot of you have business websites where you're giving massive amounts of knowledge away for people to download for free. How can you guys possibly do this and still manage to stay employed as an Access developer? Am I to assume that most of you have full time jobs anyway, or work in other platforms that provides most of your income? Don't get me wrong, I'm guilty of it to some degree as I've given away plenty myself over the years, but it wasn't as extreme as some of you guys. Most, if not all of the contracts I've gotten for Access work have come from people that either had no desire to learn the program or didn't have the time to do it themselves. Everyone else I talked to, after giving them a little big of knowledge about what they want to do, usually said something like "well I think I can do this myself. Do you have any other tips you can give me?".

 

[June7]

I was never a professional developer. Developing Access DBs was incidental to my primary job duties. I found a lot of answers from user forums and like to 'give back'. Now I have retired I still like the mental exercise and hopefully help spare others some of the frustrations I had to work through.

 

[vba_php]

How can you guys possibly do this and still manage to stay employed as an Access developer? Am I to assume that most of you have full time jobs anyway, or work in other platforms that provides most of your income?

speaking of this, my friend from high school used to work with this individual and he told me to check out his github repository: https://github.com/tiraeth?tab=repo...4WnStJ2p2RgS00U7dSwDDg49UKFqCeVQeBmw-X7Wi-u2E

Why in the world would someone post all of that complex code on the internet? No employer is going to look at that stuff. They don't have time and they wouldn't understand most of it anyway! That just looks like desperation to me. he is employed and has been for years, but regardless of where he's working now, posting so much information like that is just ridiculous.

 

[Mark_]

There is an old saying that has held up time and again.
"If you want to learn something, study it. If you want to master something, teach it." Think of this forum as a bunch of people who want to master ACCESS rather than just use it. If we have to learn something new to not only answer a question, but show WHY it is the best answer, we get better as programmer.

 

[AccessBlaster]

People want to share regardless of the subject. It's the beauty of the internet.

 

[isladogs]

I answered this question in an earlier thread
https://www.access-programmers.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=1650082&postcount=10

There are several reasons why I give away code including:
a) Partly this is pay-back for when I got a lot of help as a beginner some years ago.
b) Other developers may be able to adapt the code for their own innovative projects
c) Sometimes the apps are cut down version of commercial apps and additional sales may occur as a result
d) Also doing so can lead indirectly to unrelated contract work

 

[Dreamweaver]

I work with access as a hobby and to help others I develope open code and accde files but all are free to use without limitations.


I used to run a business as an electrician which I did for a number of years but in the end failed but always felt if I had know what I know now I might have done a lot better so I built a project to help those now facing what I faced
https://databasedreams.createaforum.com/works-manager/

I did originally struggle with charging for my projects but in the end I decided to just add a donate button.

All my projects are free and I hope that never has to change is I enjoy building them.

mick

 

[isladogs]

Mick
Like many who have their own Access website with free apps and code samples, I also have a Donate button but find its very rare that anyone clicks it.
Just out of interest, how often does anyone make a voluntary donation on your site?

 

[Dreamweaver]

Mick
Like many who have their own Access website with free apps and code samples, I also have a Donate button but find its very rare that anyone clicks it.
Just out of interest, how often does anyone make a voluntary donation on your site?

I've only just started updating them due to the accsss Query Error but I don't expect to get much if anything.


my forums a free one and only costs if I need more space but I have limited who can upload but the project I'm working on at the moment may have an import/export for charts https://databasedreams.createaforum.com/chart-tracker-elite-2020/ It''s a rebuild of a project downloaded over 5000 times back in 2004

 

[vba_php]

I answered this question in an earlier thread
https://www.access-programmers.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=1650082&postcount=10

the purpose of this thread, dog, is to get everyone's thoughts on the issue.

while we're on the topic of charging people for work, how do u guys structure ur work schedule deliverables? generally what I do is:

> review the project files they send me.
> estimate the number of hours to complete.
> give a $$$ quote for completion along with estimated milestone dates and functionality that should be included at those milestone dates.
> get feedback at each milestone's deliverable / process change requests if valid from employer.
> final deliverable and tech support / training

 

[AccessBlaster]

the purpose of this thread, dog,...

Lol @ vba_php

 

[isladogs]

the purpose of this thread, dog, is to get everyone's thoughts on the issue.

Well pardon me Trump.
Actually lots of us answered the same question in that thread.

 

[vba_php]

Well pardon me Trump.

i hope to high heaven u r not calling ME trump! do i really act like him? maybe u say cuz it's obvious that i'm pro free-markets and private business? which of course i've never divulged here, until now.

 

[isladogs]

i hope to high heaven u r not calling ME trump! do i really act like him? maybe u say cuz it's obvious that i'm pro free-markets and private business? which of course i've never divulged here, until now.

Retaliation. Short for ajeTrumpet.
I'll leave others to judge whether you act like him.

 

[Dreamweaver]

the purpose of this thread, dog, is to get everyone's thoughts on the issue.

while we're on the topic of charging people for work, how do u guys structure ur work schedule deliverables? generally what I do is:

> review the project files they send me.
> estimate the number of hours to complete.
> give a $$$ quote for completion along with estimated milestone dates and functionality that should be included at those milestone dates.
> get feedback at each milestone's deliverable / process change requests if valid from employer.
> final deliverable and tech support / training

Me I use a program I spent years building works a charm for all the above and includes a lot of help from members of different sites I am going to create a version soon for everybody to use should thay wish.

 

[Steve R.]

I don't know any other software developers who give more knowledge away for free than Access developers. Why do you guys do this?

I don't believe that this question is correctly posed. It's not about giving stuff away for free, but exchanging information within a social community, such as this forum. Note Mark's response below.

There is an old saying that has held up time and again.
"If you want to learn something, study it. If you want to master something, teach it." Think of this forum as a bunch of people who want to master ACCESS rather than just use it. If we have to learn something new to not only answer a question, but show WHY it is the best answer, we get better as programmer.

Consider this. A great number of Access programmers may actually be working in isolation. When I was working with Access, I was IT. Nobody else. Not to also mention that the IT Department (located 150 miles away) shunned the use of Access. They did not provide any assistance. So, forums such as this are vital for the exchange of information.

 

[vba_php]

Not to also mention that the IT Department (located 150 miles away) shunned the use of Access. They did not provide any assistance..

i have yet to meet a single IT professional that likes using acceess, or supporting it for that matter, and I can understand exactly why. the bugs it's had over all these years are really numerous. when i worked for rockwell collins, I once had to explain to a programmer on my own team that access had it's own little "quirks" associated with it in terms of unexplained events and that the best way to deal with it was to just reboot the file everytime.

 

[SurreyNick]

All I can say is that I am very grateful there are people with expertise who are willing to share their knowledge freely. I doubt I could have achieved what I have with my little db without that help, or at the very least it would have taken a lot longer and involved lots of frustration too.

Is it financially worthwhile sharing ones knowledge? Who knows? The benefits can often be difficult to determine, however let me suggest there is rarely any downside. In addition to being altruistic and [hopefully] giving you a good feeling....

You share knowledge = you enhance your reputation and standing
You share knowledge regularly and widely = you get your name known and recognized
You help someone solve a problem = they will recommend you to others, who may be prepared to buy your services
You help someone achieve an outcome = potential business for a professional if that outcome develops into something bigger

In my case no professional has lost out financially. I wouldn’t and couldn’t have hired a professional. But if my son’s employer sees a benefit in the db I am helping create for him then they may just consider paying a professional to develop it into something they can incorporate across the whole academy. You just never know. And I can say with absolute certainty there are several people on this forum I would have no hesitation recommending to someone for paid work.

Nick.

 

[MajP]

I think this one is pretty easy to understand. It is well summarized here in understanding the demographics, also there are very interesting points about Access culture in general:

Microsoft Access: The Database Software That Won’t Die

What lessons can we learn from old code that becomes unkillable?

medium.com

I think his description is spot on.

1. The power user gap
The Access audience is a special crowd that’s rarely targeted these days: technical people who aren’t serious coders. They may know their way around an Office macro, but they don’t have a formal programming background. Not so long ago, we called this kind of a person a “power user.”
Power users can be a dangerous group to help. With a little knowledge, you can make a very powerful weapon for shooting yourself in the foot. But there is a serious untapped potential here. Give a technical person a way to solve their problems that doesn’t involve writing pages of code, and they can make a difference — automating small tasks, managing their own islands of data, and helping to keep their local environment organized and effective. Today, there remains a hunger for codeless or code-light tools. Motivated people want to do their jobs without paying expensive professionals for every semicolon. But so far the only offerings we’ve given them are a VBA macro language from a generation ago and pricey tools like PowerApps that only work if your business signs up for a stack of Microsoft cloud products.
2. True power is empowering someone else
If there’s one secret to Access’s success, it’s this: Access succeeded because it made people feel powerful.
Here’s another example of Access at work. My partner tracks families, students, classes, and attendance for a small music school that’s had multiple locations. There’s no danger of multiple people editing the database at the same time, and there’s no need to open the data up to other platforms. Would a full-blown SQL Server application better? Yes, and I could even do it for free with SQL Server Express. But even though designing such an application is a straightforward task, it isn’t a done-in-a-day sort of affair. And there’s no easy way for the user of that application to enhance it with their own forms and reports, like they can with Access.

So Access users like me are like those guys/gals who build hot rods, custom furniture, surfboards, aircraft etc in their garage. We are not Ford or a furniture factory. No reason not to share what you can do. Everyone wants to show off their rebuilt 65 Camaro. I am not in the software businesses and never sold a database or application, but I can build really cool useful things in my garage and like to show them off.

 

[CJ_London]

i have yet to meet a single IT professional that likes using acceess, or supporting it for that matter, and I can understand exactly why.

I know this is an old thread but my response would be 'people don't like what they don't understand'