VB6 Fee Advice

Hi guys,

I'm after a little advice, please, with regard to a job that I've been asked to do at VWorker.

Basically their company manufactures a little box that logs data electronically about a cars performance. Recently, they have decided to provide a facility whereby video footage is linked to the logged data. The idea is that somebody can click on a point in a graph of the logged data and see the corresponding frame from the accompanying video. BUT! The video camera and the data logger are in no way linked and the point at which the data begins to be logged is not necessarily the same point in time that the video camera started recording. As a solution to this, they have devised an approach whereby the camera's mic socket is shorted-out to signify that data-logging has commenced.

In summary (still with me? LOL), there is a video file for each logging session wherein, somewhere in the audio track, there is an audible pop.

Anyway, onto my proposed solution, which determines how much effort is required on my part:

- Extract audio from the Video File to a WAV (using DirectShow File Writer)

- Analyse the amplitude of each audio sample in order to identify mic short-outs

- Store the Start and End points identified above, to be used later for frame-seeking

I know this is all kinda wordy, but I want to get these points across as this is all non-trivial stuff in VB6. The tenderer privately offered me $200 to do this work but I am of the opinion that this is too low: DirectShow is complicated at the best of times and doesn't play well with VB6. Besides that, the audio analysis is non-trivial too and the solution also requires me to develop a player.

Thoughts?

It is absurdly low.

Remember, people who advertise for work to be done at those kinds of sites are utterly unrealistic. Perhaps as unrealistic as those who bid on those jobs!

They are used to having people who live on $1 a day under-bid each other. Then of course the specs are usually loose, they underestimate the amount of back-and-forth it takes to arrive at a complete problem definition, etc. And in the end they often walk away with something that really isn't quite what they wanted after a war over the entire thing.

I'm not saying there aren't successes, though I can't imagine how.

Hmm, thanks. I don't actually do any other work at that site but saw that project and found it interesting. However, I've already spent in excess of 10 hours just researching the problem and testing possible approaches. That already puts me as low as $20 an hour and I've yet to start coding in earnest. As you say, I don't think the tenderer has much of an idea how much effort is involved in doing this and is probably used to getting things done cheaply in some third world country or other. From what I've seen of his other projects, that might be just fine (fix this Select Case statement, etc).

I also have a feeling that there would be post-delivery support questions pertaining to this project when his customers discover, for example, that playback doesn't work due to DS filter issues on their systems; that kind of thing.

Thanks for the input...

I wish I knew of some "higher class" work-for-hire sites but they all look like they atttract the same following on both ends of the deal.

This is the main reason I only do work by referral from existing serious clients. It is quite limiting though, and I'm sure there is an unmet need going begging out there for a next-tier "job matchmaker."

Alas, I lack the finances and web-dev skills to plug that market-gap! But, you're right, such a thing would be a valuable resource...

I think you may have hit on the only vaild reason reason for a Westerner to ever bother picking up work from those sites: "Because it looked interesting". Realistically we're never going make a sensible income from them because our cost of living is higher than India, South America etc. But if you see a project that looks kinda fun then, meh, why not?

I'm not convinced about the "unmet need" though. I don't believe the issue is with the quality or price of the developers from the developing world (no pun intended). Sure alot are rubbish but that's true of Western programmers too. I think the problem is the remote nature of the client and the developer and the effect that has on communication of complex information. Any simple match making web site is going to suffer from that if it's not trying to match up on geographical distance as well. If you could find a way of facilitating the communication in some way then you'd definitely be into something.

The distance is a serious issue, you're right on that.

While I can do a great deal at home either stand-alone or with remote access, and email and the occasional online conference take up some slack, I limit most of my jobs to my own region because almost every job requires some travel. It is hard to replace "face to face" especially when helping to brainstorm rough problem statements into implementable specs. I often end up doing some training for the in-house staff and it goes the other way as well.

Some of this depends on what you are working on. Most of my projects have to integrate with or mediate between existing systems.

But I still think there are projects going begging because some potential clients have no way of reaching reputable prospective contractors. I have no idea how this could be solved. The existing "low-ball coder for rent" sites have tried "reputation" systems but those just seem to price some developers out of the price range the potential clients who go there can afford.

I think there is a middle between low cost self-employed and high cost big-name-company-employed contractors.

That's why I terminated my account with VW (back when they were RAC) ... there simply was no way I could effectively compete with the low ball developers... no matter how interesting the project was. There have been some changes over the years with that site in an effort to help things out... I don't know how effective they are... the first is an "expert guarantee" ... which involves the developer putting up 10% of their bid into escrow. If the project is completed on time, and the buyer accepts it, then the developer gets their money back, along with the payment... great... if you can afford that... pushes people like me who are trying to earn a few extra bucks out. Bleh. Not every buyer uses that option though. I noticed recently they've got yet another new process where the buyer can select multiple prospects, give them a small piece of the "assignment", at the end, everyone submits their stuff.. from there the buyer can see everyone's work, and then decide who they want to go with. It's an interesting process... seems similar to job candidates submitting prior work or doing a programming assignment during an interview. In fact, that's exactly what it is.

-tg

I still have an account with VW but the prices they expect to pay for projects are always to low. I would not touch a project unless I am going to make at least $50 an hour on it + any expenses that may arise.