[ale] New website for H1B [Slightly OT]

[Jason Day]

On Tue, May 27, 2003 at 02:55:42PM -0500, ChangingLINKS.com wrote:
[snip]
> From what I have seen US programmers are like to Microsoft and "offshore" 
> programmers are like Linux (and that seems to include George Carless, and 
> maybe everyone on this list). Overpriced, slow, less (emotionally) stable, 
> egotistical, wanting to maintain a monopoly VS. cheaper, quick, professional, 
> humble (here is your working code, is there anything else you need?), just 
> wanting the work, and get paid the US dollar.

OK, I'm going to go on record as saying I resent being compared to
Microsoft.  I also resent being called overpriced, slow, less stable,
egotistical, and wanting to maintain a monopoly.

The monopoly comment doesn't even make sense; I don't think that most IT
workers want to be the only game in town, we just want to compete on a
level playing field.

> Further, I worked with one US programmer that had charged $5-7000 for a golf 
> web site, and then felt he was owed another $10,000 in the event the client 
> wanted "ownership" of the code and graphics. He went on to say that the code 
> he had written for me was owned by him and that I could not sell the code 
> even though we had no written/verbal agreement to support it. Rather than 
> argue the point, I simply re-wrote the code (several times) so that nothing 
> he did is in use anymore. I consider this attitude "proprietary" (like MSFT).

Unless you and he signed a contract stating that all of his work was on
a "work for hire" basis, then he does in fact hold the copyright for all
the code that he wrote.  That means that no one else can sell the code,
and he is entitled to ask for whatever he wants for the source.

> 
> Until the US programmers drop the attitude that they are "steak" and offshore 
> as "meatloaf" (like Grant implied yesterday) the work will go offshore. 
> 
>        Want companies to buy American and "save America?" 
> Don't form a union (LOL) . . . be part of the solution and not the problem.

The last thing anybody needs is more unions.  Just look at the steel,
auto, and airline industries for proof.
-- 
Jason Day                                       jasonday at
http://jasonday.home.att.net                    worldnet dot att dot net
 
"Of course I'm paranoid, everyone is trying to kill me."
    -- Weyoun-6, Star Trek: Deep Space 9
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