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My Experience On A Software Project by chim14(m): 9:33am On Oct 30, 2014 |
Have you ever wondered what its like to work on a software project for a company? Well, mine was a sweet and bitter experience. I was summoned upon by a company through one of friends to build an accounting software like Peachtree. The MD of the company said that he did not like Peachtree so he needed his customized software solution built from ground up. To cut a long story short, I signed for the contract and given an advance payment to deliver the software with a period of 1month as deadline. It was an exciting project and I was the best programmer suited for the project, I have knowledge in Accounting and Economics. Programming this software was tedious, I had to spend 8 hours or more everyday writing code, dealing with UI design and a bunch of other stuff - it was great. I finished the software a week before the deadline. The MD of the company and the staffs that were to use it, were pleased with what they saw - I put my spirit, soul & body to build that stuff, believe me. It had a Project management feature, Banking, Human resources, sales etc. Now the bitter side of the story was that, the company refused to complete my payment for the software and were already using it to keep track of their ongoing projects. As a programmer, I had to do something! I went back to my source code and programmed the software to run on a trial period of 5 days! I went back to the company, met with the MD, but he still refused to complete my payment. So, upgraded the software on their system with the trial version unknown to them. Five days later, I got a phone call from the company requesting that I should come to fix the software and collect my payment. That's all folks. I wonder why some Nigerians underestimate the value of REAL NAIJA PROGRAMMERS. 07014312741. 1 Like |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by Nobody: 10:16am On Oct 30, 2014 |
LOL Rule #1 when dealing with Nigerian clients... always make sure there is a consequence for not paying you. Nigerians under-estimate the value of ANY service. Which is why you need to cover your bases, like you ended up doing at the end there. Nigerians will never pay you if they don't have a pressing need to do so. That's why most of them don't even take their payroll seriously. 1 Like |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by CodeHouse: 3:13pm On Oct 30, 2014 |
It is not enough to start a poject based on advance payment only, you should also get a signed written document in case such happens. Now where is my share? ![]() 1 Like |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by aslan(m): 5:20pm On Oct 30, 2014 |
na waa o |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by asalimpo(m): 9:51am On Oct 31, 2014 |
I think your story is made up. Writing the equivalent of peachtree in a month (200-300hrs) is a fairy tale. 5 Likes |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by Nobody: 10:12am On Oct 31, 2014 |
asalimpo: ![]() |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by chim14(m): 10:34am On Nov 01, 2014 |
asalimpo its not made up, Its the truth. I wrote my code both night and day without sleep. I am a serious programmer and take my job seriously to meet my deadline. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by chim14(m): 10:38am On Nov 01, 2014 |
aslan Most people love complicated programs but are not willing to pay for it becos they feel its easy to build. 1 Like |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by chim14(m): 10:40am On Nov 01, 2014 |
CodeHouse I signed a document before I commenced the project of which he denied - very funny |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by sarutobi: 11:59am On Nov 01, 2014 |
chim14: Did you build a peachtree-like software in one month?? Or i didn't read correctly. Is that even possible in a month? Kudos. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by asalimpo(m): 7:33pm On Nov 01, 2014 |
Given 1 month dead line. You finished a week earlier. You worked 8hrs+/day. You worked 3weeks. 21 days. Assuming u worked 10hrs/day = 210hrs. Assumg 15hrs= 315hrs. Coding+debugging ,which even with modern ides is a very time consuming task. And you replicated peachtree in between 200hrs - 300hrs! Applications like peachtree take many man years. And code lines number in d millions. You cant code 100k loc in 6 months without serios risk of jeopardizing ur health. Take it easy bro. Your story is suspect and very illogical. Look at time frames for some apps you may know of. Emacs - original draft (5 month: sept-march) youtube - 3 months (workg prototype. More than 1 coder) paint.net (version1 almost 4 months/36000 loc) mayb u created a very stripped down basic accountg software (with pre existg code base and frameworks) but peachtree equiv! Give yourself a year+. If not years. 4 Likes |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by sarutobi: 8:24pm On Nov 01, 2014 |
asalimpo: this is what i wanted to say jare. I didn't just have the patience to type it. But if the OP pulled it off. I give all my respect to him. He is a genius. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by CodeHouse: 8:48pm On Nov 01, 2014 |
The OP said, "An accounting software like peachtree" and yes it is possible to develop some complex applications within the shortest possible periods. I've worked on such acounting software, not totally like peachtree but complex enough to perform peachtree-like functions within weeks of constant coding. One big secret is to get perfect details and understanding of the job ahead, it is also easy to write complex apps especially when you have an existing sample. Our experiences, speed, coding ability differs. Good documentation of your codes will also help you as sometimes you don't need to rewrite codes, just link it to an existing class or libraries you've written before. The money is also a good motivator, if the price is worth it, then give it all it takes. 1 Like |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by Sibrah: 10:23pm On Nov 01, 2014 |
If the company had requested for the features they need that are present in peachtree then it is possible. With the help of a existing project, it is possible. @chim14 and codehouse, where can i get good materials that will help me understand financial/accounting related business logic? Do i need APIs, Frameworks, Models[uml & co.],open source project, or books to implement a good financial/accounting/banking app? |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by aslan(m): 10:53pm On Nov 01, 2014 |
chim14:chim14, exactly. i don't know why people think like that! maths and coding is not that easy. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by CodeHouse: 11:02pm On Nov 01, 2014 |
Sibrah: I learnt Financial accounting in school as a minor but to really understand its implementation in real life situations, I used Accounting Coach...Just visit [url]www.accountingcoach.com[\url] and you are on your way to really understand financial accounting, the easy way. And then you can develop accounting applications easily. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by chim14(m): 11:18pm On Nov 01, 2014 |
@ asalimpo : That software project left me with an almost PERMANENT BACK PAIN. I did suffer some side effects for a while. The program doesn't contain all Peachtree features. Let me list the features of my software: 1. Handles Banking transactions such as credit or debit and alerts the company by email when it occurs. 2. Project Management: Handles and cordinates all projects in the company, cordinate project document and photos. 3. Track company Inventory and sales of products. 4. Track Income and Expenses 5. Calculates the Net Income of the company resulting from business processes such as income from projects and sales, minus expenses. 6. Human Resource Management. I had to show up for presentation on various stages of the development and lots of suggestions were made by the accountant and the MD. So the software was customized and streamlined to meet the corporate needs of the company. I AM NOT IN ANY WAY COMPETING WITH PEACHTREE OR QUICKBOOK. I MADE A COMPARISON TO MAKE READERS HAVE AN IDEA OF HOW MY SOFTWARE FUNCTIONS. 1 Like |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by chim14(m): 11:26pm On Nov 01, 2014 |
@ aslan You're right. Its serious business, everything must be done right from UI design to software functionality. 1 Like |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by chim14(m): 11:32pm On Nov 01, 2014 |
@ Sibrah The first thing you need is to get a complete tutoring on Peachtree accounting or Quickbook and any book on Business Finance. Believe me, this will help you ALOT. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by chim14(m): 11:36pm On Nov 01, 2014 |
@ CodeHouse That's it. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by CodeHouse: 7:38am On Nov 02, 2014 |
Sibrah: Hi mate I wrote a response to your question as soon as I saw it yesterday but someone banned me from posting, I wonder who that is..I had to post this https://www.nairaland.com/1977753/moderators-programming-section And wait till this morning, only to find my priviledge restored and to answer your question, I studied Financial Accounting in school as a minor back then..but I understood it more with Accounting Coach. www.accountingcoach.com It is quite easy with the way Accounting is explained by Accounting Coach. With that you will be able to learn the basics and rubrics of all you need to know in accounting, which will in turn help you develop accounting Apps. My Accounting App is robust with the ability to generate all accounting reports, Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Trial balance, etc I am sure you will learn a lot from the site. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by Sibrah: 10:35am On Nov 02, 2014 |
CodeHouse:I 've checked out the site. From the look of things it has valuable information but requires payment 90% of the resource requires payment to access. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by CodeHouse: 12:12pm On Nov 02, 2014 |
Sibrah: You could still learn from the available free resources, if you don't want to subscribe to the paid resources. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by asalimpo(m): 5:16pm On Nov 03, 2014 |
Sibrah: Get a good book on accountg and read it. Accountg doesnt require anythg above basic mathematics. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by asalimpo(m): 5:46pm On Nov 03, 2014 |
@codehouse my point was that there's a somewhat objective time estimate to a project. Which is unaffected by differences in programmer skills or talent. A program that has a time cost of 2000 hrs, will take the best of programmers at least over 4months to write. Another may write it in 10 months - 2 years. Time cost remains unchanged. With this in view,implementg a 10 000 hr program in a year or two is a joke for a single programmer. The problem however is about objectively determng d time cost of a program. @op your second post clarified the point. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by CodeHouse: 6:20pm On Nov 03, 2014 |
asalimpo: True that..but complexity depends on skills and experience, there is no program that serves as a benchmark to define how complex or simple other applications are..we cannot shy away from the fact that experience, available tools, good algorithm, better understanding of the task and good programming skills has a lot to do in determining programming time of any project. I could program a soft TV in matter of hours and that might take a green programmer weeks to comprehend what a soft TV is all about not to talk much of writing the first line of codes. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by asalimpo(m): 7:15pm On Nov 03, 2014 |
Your right . Learning the domain is increases d time cost signifcantly. Using backlogs of old codes and framework is a mighty leverage. But speaking objectively here is impossible cuz as programmers you are either workg on a new domain or an old familiar one. So my assumption is for programmers of adequate to v levels of skill. E.g say you're writing emacs from scratch, it's a very advanced editor. Even if stallman were to rewrite from scratch, it may take him 4months to reproduce it. That 4months objectively cud b 1000 hrs which one cud assume you cant go lower than irrespective of skill,typing speed, normal work hours. A less hard working person or incompetent person could go higher of course but the barest minimum, remains. That's d time cost i'm talkg of. Bear with me if it is confusg. Or like the time cost to build a one story buildg usg a fixed number of workers and technology. The time cost increases with d size of d buildg, which cud b likened to software features. A sky scrapers time cost exceeds time resources of a small team by years. At a point the best hands cant go it alone. Personal skill counts less. And there's still very high time cost even with d best most experienced teams e.g a sky scraper could take a minimum of 3 years to complete. This duration isnt because of low grade workers but size and complexity of d project. It cud take longer but not lesser(hypothetically speaking) and may b impossible for a small team to complete in a lifetime. Its d lowest minimum time cost i'm talkg about. Tht there's this fixed minimum in every project. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by CodeHouse: 7:49pm On Nov 03, 2014 |
Yes there is this fixed minimum in all projects but I tell you that with a sample and my clear understanding of microsoft office ( that's just one example out of thousands of other complex applications ) I can personally develop that editor within 3 weeks as we speak and I'm sure the team designed, developed and tested the application for more than a year, catch my drift? |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by Sibrah: 9:37pm On Nov 03, 2014 |
asalimpo:Whem i say financial/accounting logic i mean one that explains it beyond simple equation. |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by jacob05(m): 8:37am On Nov 05, 2014 |
asalimpo:my thought exactly... I guess it wouldn't have rich reports... |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by Nobody: 4:22pm On Nov 05, 2014 |
Lmaooooo! Are you trying to say you can personally develop Microsoft office in 3 weeks? CodeHouse: |
Re: My Experience On A Software Project by CodeHouse: 4:28pm On Nov 05, 2014 |
iamDemigod: Yep mate, not the complete suit anyway, separately: Microsoft Word Micosoft Power Point Microsoft Excel Micosoft Access (less than 3 weeks) Micosoft Paint (1 week) Etc I am not trying to put on a clothe of pride here, don't get it all wrong, just tying to prove a point. |
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