Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!unmvax!gatech!udel!udccvax1!conan
From: conan@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (Robert B Carroll)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: How to Price a C Function Library
Message-ID: <3738@udccvax1.acs.udel.EDU>
Date: 31 May 89 02:05:15 GMT
References: <4980@stiatl.UUCP>
Reply-To: conan@vax1.acs.udel.EDU (Robert B Carroll)
Distribution: na
Organization: University of Delaware
Lines: 33

In article <4980@stiatl.UUCP> todd@stiatl.UUCP (Todd Merriman) writes:
>If you worked in a multi-platform C language development shop and
>could license a C function library (with source distribution) with 350 
>modules that compile under MSDOS (Microsoft C), VMS (VAX11-C), and
>Unix System V; what would you expect to pay?  I am trying to price
>such a beast and would like to be fair.  I have heard suggestions as
>high as $12,000 and as low as $250!
>
>   ...!gatech!stiatl!todd
>   Todd Merriman * 404-377-TOFU * Atlanta, GA

Price depends on:
 *) documentation of source(how much and how well)
    (this includes inline documentation as well as
     a programmers handbook)
 *) how complex the modules are
 *) how well written they are
    (non-portable constructs, fast, repetitive code ,memory efficient etc. etc.)
 *) how portable they are
 *) not to mention what you mean by a module
    (ie. 30 or 40 string functions in a module?
     or are they split up into 3 or 4 modules etc. etc. etc.)

all of which are inter-related to each other in different ways.
I know documentation(inline and otherwise) pretty well, so if thats
bullshit, then i wouldn't buy it. I don't want to have to look at the
code to learn how to pass arguements, side effects, return values,
global changes, memory usage etc. etc. Think about this before you
start pricing. Send email to:

-- 
conan@vax1.acs.udel.edu OR conan@192.5.57.1
CONAN THE BARBARIAN of Cimmeria