As far as ethics are concerned, the company who issued the exploding offer is putting you in a bad spot and they know it. They're forfeiting their right to ethical treatment by not showing you the same.
As far as ethics are concerned, the company who issued the exploding offer is putting you in a bad spot and they know it. They're forfeiting their right to ethical treatment by not showing you the same.
For example, in your case you should find out why they need an answer next week.
If they have a rule that offers can only be open for 7 days, you could ask them to issue the offer later after you've gone through your interview process.
Or if they have backup candidates they might need to engage, let them engage those guys, and you sync up again once your interviews are done.
And you should articulate your constraint: you have an interview "process" that continues for the next xx weeks, after which you can make a well-informed decision. You can also tell them it's in their interest for you to make a well-informed decision - they want someone who chose to work there for the right reasons and will be a long-term, productive employee. Turnover kills companies.
I wouldn't accept an offer unless you really intend to work there. One day you'll be a manager or director, and the karma will come back to bite you :) You always want to be a class act, even when confronted with someone less-than-classy.
If they're reasonable people and they want you, there's probably a good reason for their constraints, and they should be willing to find a solution that fits your constraints too.
If they're not reasonable people, or they don't want you, better to find out now.
Asking for more time only tells them that at this moment in time their offer doesn't interest you, and you'd like to shop around.
Every company believes they are the best place to work and what they offer is more desirable than other businesses and the ego of a large business is especially big, by asking for more time you might hurt their ego, they may only want people who desire to work for such a firm like themselves.
Do not ask for more time, interview as much as possible, and accept the job offer the day before or on the last day -- I think accepting the offer on the day before the last might convey that the clock didn't just run out for you.
If you get a much better offer later, take the new offer, it might not be the best move but this isn't so much a question of ethics so much as it's a question about burning bridges; nobody looks favourably on people who in hindsight only accepted because their ideal job wasn't yet available. These people will remember you and although they may understand the reason why you would do that, or they may do it or have done it themselves, it wont matter as you have wasted valuable time for everyone in the decision making and training processes.
Carefully choose whether you want to burn the bridge or not.
I've asked a few developers this question and the reasons for not contributing tended to fall into 3 camps:
1. Not enough time. These folks come home from a long day coding at work and want to spend their free time with family/friends.
2. Not enough interest. They're not opposed to the idea of contributing, but 'just never got around to it'.
3. Not sure where to start. This was particularly true among younger developers. They'd be interested in joining a project to improve their skills and work w/ others, but they weren't sure how to get started. What should they work on? Where is the project headed? If they just start hacking on stuff, will the lead contributor find it useful?
I don't think there's much you can do to change the first reason for not contributing (no time). But I think if Open source projects had better communication tools, possibly the second, and definitely the third reasons could be addressed.
I'm working on a pre-launch startup to make it easier for open source teams to better collaborate and communicate with each other. We want to create a space where developers can have face-to-face meetings, code reviews, and pair with new programmers to get them up to speed.
You can see the prototype at www.codemeet.com. If this sounds like it'd be of interest Isaac, I'd love to talk to you more about how it could be integrated into some of the projects you're working on :)
10% is writing tools to solve problems I have that aren't adequately solved by existing things.
Of the open source software that I use, I've yet to contribute back. The biggest reason is just a lack of time. On top of digging through the code to fix the bug, most projects have guidelines and a process for submitting patches. Even a little bug can be a big time sink the first time through. I do submit bug reports, if that counts...
Now these days, more than 10 years later, I have a family to support so most of my OSS contributions are fixing bugs that are show stoppers for me, in existing projects. I have open sourced a few very small things that I use for myself, in hopes that it saves some people from wasting time on doing something that has already been done.
EDIT:
I used to always think that it would help me out in getting a job, but the only way it helped me out was that I had a lot of experience. Having a OSS project on my resume never really helped out it seemed, in the jobs that I got.
Every 'serious' line of code I have written has gone straight into my public github, even if I think it could be in future be used as a startup.
I think code belongs in the open, we wouldnt be anywhere near where we are in terms of technology if everyone kept a tight hold on their code, I think every line of code that is released as oss is another brick in a pyramid for others to build on, there isnt a limit to how high it can go.
I don't find that this is just an OSS motive to me though as even in closed-source I'll often find myself in disassemblers (in .NET) or JS files, etc trying to work out how something works so I can provide the best feedback I can.
The other motive is the "I know what it's like" feeling being a coordinator on a few projects myself. I know what it's like to have people say "what doesn't it do X" or "why are you doing Y", it's generally because I don't have time, so if I'm on the other side I am more than happy to try and solve that problem myself. Again this is somewhat related to my first point but really it's a bit more than that. Just because I need a product to do XYZ doesn't mean that that is what everyone wants to do, or what the other contributors are in a position to make it do, so if I've got the skills why don't I tackle it myself?
Lastly there's the exposure aspect of it. As much as I'd love to think that everything I do for OSS is altruistic in nature it's not. I like that when I go for a job I can put on my CV that I've contributed to projects so a prospective employer can see my skills as well as just relying on my word. I like that github handle/ twitter handle/ bitbucket handle/ etc get recognised by members of the community and that people can see my as an authority on what I present about, blog about or yammer mindlessly on twitter about.
Getting to the point of contributing code to an existing project (usually via submitting a pull request or the like) always felt more intimidating than writing my own small libraries, but I eventually started doing this and I have to admit it has a "warmer, fuzzier" feeling associated with it. This is generally regardless of whether the patch is accepted or not. Helping out feels good.
In short, writing opensource software feels "right". That's why I keep doing it. Knowing people are using it (or think it's cool) helps, but it's not the main driver for me...
Just to be useful to people. I don't have an economic incentive to program, but I enjoy solving intellectual problems and I like feeling that I've contributed something.
One example of a particularly useful program I wrote is TankCalc (http://arachnoid.com/TankCalc), a Java app that profiles storage tanks. It's pretty popular among tank farm managers worldwide, people who need to know exactly what their tanks contain but who don't have the math background that would require.
To be useful -- that's it in a nutshell.
Making something you're intending to ship to strangers (or to yourself writing future projects with your tools) forces you to write good documentation (if you want anyone to use it), which in turn forces you to hone your API design skills. If you're having trouble writing the docs for something, you probably haven't adequately solved the problem yet.
I'm not claiming to have done a great job at this on all my projects, but it's a learning process and occasionally my projects find a user base, which keeps me busy, provides new challenges when they find bugs, and if your code's any good it boosts your reputation as a nice side effect.
I do it because people need software, and they don't have the time/resources to acquire it.
2. It feels like changing a flat tire for a stranger.
3. Effects? Get in contact with me if you have a position open and would like me to work with you (after trying out my work). Though this is not my motivation, it is a nice side effect.
4. I enjoy shipping software, so that motivates me to continue building more and more apps.
I definitely don't have a problem with contributing changes, it just doesn't come up very often.
I use a handful of FOSS libraries - and I'd readily contribute - but I find that most of the FOSS projects I use are bug free, as is? Perhaps I don't use enough 'cutting edge' libraries (in which case, I'd like to hear how these are discovered)...
I'm curious if some of the delays in launch are to allow some of the instructors to hastily cobble together the textbooks that they are using for these classes. For example, the Stanford SAAS class starting this February is taking a "customer development" approach to the class textbook. The SAAS class is testing the textbook on a Berkeley class and then testing it on the 50,000 people signed up. But they aren't just "testing" it, they are selling it at a reduced rate ($9.99 on Kindle) for the early adopters who use the alpha electronic version in the class. They are also launching an iPad and print version. Such a brilliant way to craft an excellent book with user driven errata reporting and feedback while making a great profit on a first class of over 50,000 people. This free class business model is going to make a pretty penny. Here's a link to the SAAS book: http://beta.saasbook.info/
Also, I know what your question means, be careful of your wording "open source", patents are, by nature, open source, ie you can view what makes them work. (this is part of the point of patents) It's the licensing them that's the tough part, as they don't exactly operate under anything like the Apache/BSD/GNU license.
Variation: a consortium where all participates share their patents in a common pool. If you are in the consortium, you promise not to sue any of the participants.
This is good because startups can join the consortium. It needs at least some good patents inside it to bootstrap. As the patent portfolio of this consortium gets better, larger players have an incentive to join.
I can see the ibankers frothing at the thought of it all.
The idea here is that you are getting a risk-less technology, but if you do hit it large you have to pay it forward in a very minimal amount. And of course you are afforded the 'patent umbrella' by utilizing tech you know is in a portfolio and properly documented/owned.
In a big company, you have a very big load with a lot of momentum behind it and a lot of people are responsible for pulling the load. If this guy pulls really hard and that guy can barely pull at all or gets tangled and pushes it in the opposite direction...it keeps moving.
In a startup, you're trying to juggle an ever-heavier load while making everything up as you go and trying to figure out what route your on, while everyone is riding full gallop and trying not to break their necks. Throwing someone into that who can't handle it can be quite disruptive. At best, it can be inefficient.
Maybe you'd learn fast and that period wouldn't last long - but if so, you should just do it and then try to join a startup (or whatever).
Finding a mentor will greatly reduce the potential gap between where you are and a useful level of skill, but that should be something you look for independent of involvement at a startup. As a stopgap, look into attending developer meetups in your area and look for organizations like ACM chapters. This can give you people to turn to when you get stuck. Eventually, you can help tutor others and learn even faster that way. Maybe it's what leads to developing a good mentoring relationship too.
Buy term life insurance on your own for you and your wife, assuming you have dependents.
(Google it; start with a link from Suze Orman's site, or anything. It's largely commoditized for most people from what I can tell. I had to buy from one of two specific vendors because many policies exclude dying when serving as part of an airplane crew; I'm a private pilot; my family needs financial support without regard to my manner of passing, so...)
Scripting out unit tests, integration tests, feature tests, regression tests is good, but there's always going to be stuff you miss. I'm not saying you have to hire a full-time tester, but get your friends, family, or other people good at breaking stuff to test your app. You'll be amazed how some people will use (i.e. break) your app in a way you never considered.
Do you want to basically work on your own app but perhaps do custom installs of it, or integration work with it and other systems? Then focus on building on a basic app - while you're talking to potential clients. See if any actually want to use it, and what the pain points are.
I don't do 'design' work specifically, but I suspect if you were pitching 'web site design' to people, they'd want to see a portfolio.
Here's my 'portfolio':
website with my name on it, my location, and some description of what I do.
links to sample code/projects (just a handful)
link to blog
link to resume (outdated by 2 years)
list of some moderately current projects (yes, I know you won't have that right now)
list of tech I like to work with
That's my 'portfolio' on my site.
What often gets people to me, however, isn't that. It's referrals. Word of mouth referrals from people in my network. But perhaps even more importantly, I participate in local user groups. I nominally still run the local php/mysql group, although I don't do as much day to day as I did years ago. But having my name associated with the local PHP group on meetup.com means I get cold calls from people just because I organize the group.
I get probably 1 a month on average - some random project someone needs done, and they don't know where to turn. They don't care about my resume, portfolio or anything else. They have a need and need it done fast. I sometimes refer them to other people in the local group or my larger network, or take it myself.
"networking" is important, but sometimes a nebulous idea, especially for people who are just starting out. Join other networks - get out there and socialize some, and let people know what you can do. But also promote yourself. An easy way to do that is to run your own group and publicize the heck out of it.
Here's another idea:
Go to local chambers of commerce and organize a 'meet the geeks' ("meet and geek" as a name?) night for local web freelancers in your area and the chamber members. Have it be informal - maybe a couple short presentations by people in the group about "how to get started on the web" or "things to look for in a web designer". DO NOT present yourself, but do organize it. Get everyone's name.
The local chambers should be able to find a space and food and get the word out to their members.
Make yourself known as the go-to guy/gal in your area for work. Even if you can't do the work yourself - that's not as important as being the middleman for that information.
This will end up paying dividends simply because almost no one else will ever do this. The fact that you put 3 hours in to organizing an event and getting people to do something will raise your stature and peoples' estimation of what you can do 100x what it actually is, but that doesn't matter.
Feel free to ping me if you want to discuss this more, or need more help getting started freelancing. I run indieconf.com, a conference for freelancers - perhaps you could attend this fall? (shameless plug!)
EDIT: Someone wrote me asking why I said to not introduce yourself. I was saying "don't present yourself" as in "don't do a presentation yourself", but instead have the event be a spot for other people to present themselves. You'll still have a chance to meet and mingle with X other people, you won't have to be as nervous, and the people you spotlight will reciprocate nice things back to you over time.
Freelancing is a Business
-------------------------
First make sure you realize you're starting a business. You may be working by yourself but you're starting a business like any other. You'll need to do accounting, marketing and sales, planning, etc. You can't sleep all day, lounge around, and expect work to get done. Make sure you're disciplined enough to do the work.
If you have a full time job don't quit just yet. Get a few freelance projects under your belt first. Make sure you have months of income in the bank to get you through the slow times. If you've decided to move to freelance because you lost your job think long and hard about it. Do you want to run your own business or do you just like to code? Are you prepared to chase down clients and sell your services to them?
Learn about billing and invoicing. Don't expect to bill 40+ hours a week, especially when you first start. There's overhead in running any business. You'll have tasks that aren't billable. Account for this.
You need to have people skills to run a business, especially if you haven't already established yourself. If you're not great at selling or interacting with people focus on improving these skills.
Build Credibility
-----------------
Your potential clients need to know you're credible. This is why many people have recommended improving your portfolio. In reality there are multiple ways to build credibility and the best one for you depends on what you do.
Understand your target client. You are trying to sell your services to them. You need to know what they want and need. If your client isn't technical then what good will code samples do? If your client is the CTO of a development firm how useful will a pretty website be without code?
In general it's a good idea to have a nice looking website with some sample work. It doesn't need to be an amazing design but make sure it doesn't look like a coder with no design skills made it. Pay someone if you have to, you want your business to look good after all.
The actual samples and quantity doesn't matter too much so long as it fits two criteria: it's good and it highlights what you do. If you write code have a few samples from the languages you work in. If you build basic content sites for businesses (eg CMS or ecommerce sites) put some screenshots up or link to them. If you're a designer put up some nice designs.
Portfolios are best for incoming leads, when potential clients come to you. They don't know who you are and are making a judgement based on your website. As I highlight below networking is a much better and more likely way for an unestablished freelancer to get work. Don't expect many (if any) people to stumble onto your portfolio and hire you from it.
While a portfolio style website is nice it's even better if you can establish yourself through work, video, or words. This means blogging, speaking at conferences, starting or contributing to open source projects, and hosting or organizing events related to your expertise. Establish yourself as an expert at what you do.
Set an hourly rate that reflects your skills and raise it over time. I recommend billing at least $50 per hour. Setting a higher rate actually implies credibility. That said, you'd better be able to deliver. Someone paying for your time expects to get quality work out of it.
You'll always have more credibility if you can meet someone in person. Which leads to networking.
Network, Network, Network!
--------------------------
In my opinion this is the absolute best way to get clients. Get out there and meet them in person. Reach out to people you've worked with in the past and see if they need some work done (don't steal your employer's clients though). Get on meetup.com and go to events, lots of them.
Don't network for just yourself, do it for others. If you run into someone who needs a designer but you write code put them in touch with a freelance designer who does good work. Help out your fellow freelancers and small business owners and they will return the favor. Even if they don't you'll be happy to know you helped a friend.
Try Everything
--------------
Just because people are giving you recommendations doesn't mean you can't get work elsewhere. Try everything that comes to mind.
Try looking through the computer gigs section of craigslist. I tried this once when I needed new clients. I emailed less than 10 people, had a few respond, and ended up with one client.
Get Your Hands Dirty
--------------------
Finally, be prepared to do work you hate when you first start out. You may have to accept work you don't enjoy doing to establish yourself and get experience. My first substantial freelance gig was a content site / CMS project. I hate content sites. I find them tedious and boring. I did it anyway. You have to do what you have to do.
Once you start getting enough work you can turn down projects you don't want to do. Find what you like, focus on that, but for now do whatever people will pay for.
I wrote a Ruby gem[1] because it was a fun project. It was in a problem domain that interested me. A developer found the gem, saw that it would be useful for his project, and soon became my first client.
I tried the "MVP for $500" approach a few months back[2]. It generated some solid leads, but none of the projects were remotely as fun or as interesting as my current one. It's certainly doable to compete based on some perfect balance of price vs. quality, but I've found it's much more rewarding (mentally and financially) to compete by being the #1 expert of some piece of software a client wants to use.
Further reading:
Ruby dev Giles Bowkett wrote a pretty good blog post on lead generation for freelancers, http://gilesbowkett.blogspot.com/2010/03/programmers-what-to....
Have you thought of scoping out the established freelancers in your area and contact them to do some of their lower level work at a competitive rate and with permission to link to those projects that you worked on? You certainly don't want to claim credit for work you didn't do. So you do need to be clear as to what you did. Showing your are a dependable team worker is going to be in your favour.
My pitch was: MVP For $1k. You get an MVP for 1k. 0 iterations. I could have charged $3-5k at least, looking back.
See hn thread here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2075928
This was the building block of my former consulting company.
Additionally, I'd recommend cold calling (you have to be good in sales, if you're not, get better at it now -- go read the ultimate sales machine). It's highly effective. Personal experience.
My problem was my network. I had only one regular client, a small web consultancy that gave me a couple projects. But they weren't very profitable themselves and so didn't want to pay me much, and were slow to pay even then. Beyond that I had to get work from freelancing job boards, which are a poor way to get good-paying work.
After about 6 months of trying to set up a sustainable business, only getting the occasional small gig and going into debt for the trouble, I had to call it quits. I now work at a consulting firm. I like it because it's a similar experience, but other people bring the work to me :)
My point is that having a network of people who respect your work is important. Ideally, starting out this alone should be enough for you to break even (net of living expenses). From there you can nurture those clients (they're your lifeblood) and try to expand. You should only resort to job boards as an act of desperation to keep your pipeline from drying up.
Good luck!
Reach out to an open source project that needs a new website and offer your services for free, or make a simple online utility to show off what you can do, and open source that as well (open sourcing your products shows confidence in your code).
Also (shameless plug ahead): if you're looking to pick up some freelance gigs, sign up at http://gun.io and get notified when new freelance gigs for your skills are posted.
Build a personal site - nothing crazy and nothing that is difficult to update or requires constant maintenance to stop it looking dead (e.g., blog component or 'latest news').
Make sure friends and family all know exactly what you do and that you're looking for work. They'll keep an ear out for opportunities. Sometimes they might be over-enthusiastic, but any lead has value. If your work queue is empty, you can handle a few time-wasters or painful jobs to get your start.
Major charities will usually turn down offers of unpaid online work (they want donations) so try for smaller ones. Or community sports groups. Companies may be wary of someone without a portfolio but given your spare time, you can afford to design a concept to prove your ability - no obligation to them. There is a line re: 'work for free or full-rate, but never for cheap', so you might have luck doing some charitable freebies rather than cut-price for small businesses.
Remember that the little jobs will often be the most painful, so don't give up when the early projects drag out. Always be building in your head a picture of how long certain types of tasks take you. Track it manually if you need to - concept design, cut to HTML/CSS, etc.
Business networking can help. Many areas have little small business organisations that will have get togethers or advisors.
Especially look to connect with marketing people who work for small businesses with suppliers/sponsors/etc and marketing freelancers who need a go-to web guy. Make an initial contact through an unrelated interest rather than going in with a sales pitch immediately IMO. If you are a strong programmer, speak with small graphic designers who likely farm out their backend work. Or if you're a designer, try to get a feel for which IT companies want a designer they can tap either as a contractor or someone directly in contact with their client.
(Me: Web developer about to complete a 14th year in business, now with two employees. Started by working on the side during an on-the-job traineeship. All work is now just word of mouth; have never advertised, barely bothered networking, etc.)
http://echostats.com/blog/03-31-10/find-hundreds-great-jobs-...
Here's the text:
Many have asked how I'm finding freelance jobs in this market. Well, here it is! A couple months ago I decided that I was not going to be able continue bringing on clients if I didn't bust my butt trying. I spent some time on CareerBuilder and Monster Jobs but had zero luck. Those sites are not built for the freelancer, but Craigslist is.
Craigslist is a Freelancer's Dream Come True
There are so many job postings on Craigslist it seems impossible to sift through them all. To add to the problem, Craigslist is still playing this "locals-only" game where they try to trap you in your city's section. Well, as a freelancer, location is irrelevant. We can work from our home in our pajamas. So, how do break out of this localized prison? Thankfully, Craigslist gives you almost everything you need.
Craigslist Loves RSS Feeds Almost as Much as I Do
Ever notice there are no images on the Craigslist site other than those inserted in the listings? If so, you missed a very important one. At the bottom of each search results page there is an orange RSS feed button and that's the most important part of this setup.
Craigslist + RSS + Netvibes
Forget about your love affair with Google for one second. Google Reader is lame in comparison to the nifty, easily customizable Netvibes. For this example, it's what I'm using and it works perfectly.
Tools Gathered: Check. Now It's Time to Find Jobs
On Craigslist's home page, you may or may not have noticed that there is a list on the right hand ride of the layout labeled "US Cities". This isn't by accident. It happens to be the largest cities in the US and that's exactly who I want to be targeting as a freelancer. Click on the first one in the list (Atlanta) and let's get started.
Under Jobs, I select "Web/Info Design". Select whatever option you'd like.
Select all the search options you like, specifically "telecommute"
No need to enter any search terms, just click Search
There it is! Your list of jobs for that city.
Scroll to the bottom right and grab that RSS feed
Import that into Netvibes
Title the feed whatever you'd like (e.g. "Web Jobs: Atlanta")
Now repeat these steps for all the other cities you'd like to charge a premium for your amazing services
Contact the Job Posters
Once you have the list of jobs, you need to start contacting the job posters. Be courteous, include your resume and your portfolio and don't forget your phone number! Try your best to stand out. Be very clear with your subject line what it is you're e-mailing them for. They are getting hammered with requests so you don't want to blend in.
It's a Numbers Game
Recently, several people have asked how I am using Craigslist to push my freelance career forward. I thought this would be the easiest and most beneficial to spread the very simple concept so that more of you can try it. It is not fool proof and it does take work. Before I recently became maxed out with work, I was sending out 20 resumes a day. I would go for days without a single response because of the amount of e-mails the job poster was receiving. It's a numbers game and if you're persistent, it will work to your advantage.
Good luck!
Most people that get into the freelance game have little experience selling themselves (I know I sure did), I would suggest sales skills will help you much more than a portfolio.
A person will hire you if they believe you can get the job done at a price they like. A portfolio is just a small part of saying I'm the right person for the job.
No-one ever asked me for for a portfolio when I was doing websites, because they aren't interested in what I did in the past, they are interested in what I can do for them. Obviously the more complicated the job, the more proof someone will be likely to ask for. Wasn't sure if your talking about making websites or more complicated development.
Can you post specifically what you have done to try and get a freelance gig. I feel we can help you much better then, rather than give generic advice about yeah portfolios are helpful(which you already know).
If you are a developer, and you seem relatively smart, there are hundreds of people waiting in line to hire you. Everyone needs a web developer. Everyone.
1.) Think about a project you'd like to work on. It doesn't have to be crazy, but preferably has elements that will challenge you. The best projects will hands down will be the development of tools that are useful to you/open source.
2.) If you have any network at all: friends, family or previous clients, send out a quick email. Tell them what you're offering and ask if they need anything done. Make use of those closest to you/familiar with your work.
3.) Post your info on the monthly HN "Seeking Freelancers" post. This is a great way to churn out quality projects.
4.) Get on and contribute to communities like Forrst (if you don't have an invite, let me know and I'll set you up) and GitHub. There are a lot of people on these sites that tend to have overflow work that's perfect for a freelancer. Just be helpful with others and contribute ideas frequently and you'll come out on top.
If you have any other questions, feel free to shoot me an email: me@ryanglover.net
Best of luck!
Ultimately if you land a job freelancing the client is looking for a few key things, an excellent portfolio, good communications skills, and most of all experience. These qualities take time to develop and allow the client to put more trust in the hands of someone outside the company.
An alternate to freelancing is working for some small startup for a year at a time. You'll get a wealth of experience and also a chance to build your portfolio. Good luck.
https://www.elance.com/s/zmorris/
I've had one gig so far for $750 (that was an invite, not sure if from elance or the client) and it went really well. I'm hoping to find two gigs a month in the $500-1500 range each, because then I will be able to sustain myself indefinitely here in Idaho.
I think that most of the people on Hacker News are very talented and may not know it, or are sitting on achievements that they don't recognize. So maybe do some soul searching or ask friends if you have done anything they have found useful/impressive and then use that for your portfolio.
I have also been fixing computers over the last year to bootstrap but am pretty burned out on it because I did that for 3 years before quitting my job a year ago. I'm wary about being on call in my town because the main reason I'm going freelance is autonomy.
I'm very interested in being part of a freelance network that uses strength in numbers to find gigs and help guarantee work without putting undo pressure on individuals, or forcing them to give up their independence.
I guess this was an overshare but I've given up on pride and am willing to do whatever it takes to succeed this time.
1) While I found most non-technical folks seeking freelancers to prefer a portfolio over a resume, the same wasn't true for dev firms. They usually have technical
staff on board, so even though I lacked a portfolio at the time, they still recognized my technical accomplishments and background (whereas my non-technical clients really don't understand that stuff, they'd rather see a portfolio).
2) Many make use of contractors at a regular frequency, so if you're able to hook up with one, or a few, they'll help provide steady work during the early times.
3) Since they provide steady work, you don't have to concentrate as much on networking or marketing yourself. You'll eventually have to worry about that stuff, but when you're starting out you have so many other things to worry about. Dev firms help defer that burden, or at least keep the work coming while you figure that stuff out.
Best of luck. Freelancing can be tough when you start out, but very rewarding once you get into a good rhythm.
Here's a sample invoice:
https://github.com/aantix/big_bucks_no_whammies/blob/master/...
http://blog.asmartbear.com/cold-calling.html
Basically the gist of it is to offer people something simple for free, to build relationships.
Keep in in mind that technical is only half of it. Communication in the other half. The client wants someone that they can talk to, feel comfortable with and trust. If the client and you are comfortable, you're a long way there, even with limited experience. So again, talk to people.
If you do get online work, great, but I think you will have a better chance of getting yourself established by starting locally. Also, only take work you can comfortably handle, especially when building a reputation. Don't get desperate and say yes to bad jobs. Clients value dependability over heroic efforts.
Also, the startup I'm currently working on does something directly relevant, so you might be interested in updates: http://www.instahero.com/
Even though those seemingly unimportant jobs were all I had, I was grateful because I knew they would lead to more spectacular and promising prospects.
As expected, almost a year later, I was landing great jobs thanks to my quick, small jobs at the start. People starting seeing that the jobs were finished, people were happy etc.. Although my work is now in another realm, those qualities hold true anywhere.
Try to find some jobs in your own network, see if anyone knows someone that needs a website built or even just a simple button designed. That's how I would start again if I had to.
Freelancing can be a great job but it takes time to build up a good client roster. The key to having a decent life while freelancing is having a client roster that needs ongoing work so you aren't constantly hustling for work.
Once I did something similar with a prototype, but it was on reddit instead of odesk, and turned into a great high-paying gig.
Of course, it would be better if you networked.
Ask everyone you have interacted with on some sort of professional level to recommend you on LinkedIn. If they don't have an account, offer to help them sign up.
Email everyone you know and tell them you're looking for work, and make it clear what you do (this should be in completely non-technical terms).
Answer job postings personally. Online jobs have a lot of applicants, so make sure you are showcasing your personality, as well as your skills. Not every job is a good fit, so better to eliminate the obvious duds as early as possible.
Be honest. Don't try to sound like you have more experience than you do, but also don't be afraid to speak authoritatively about topics you know well.
Respect yourself. You are interviewing to solve someone else's problems, so if you're the expert in the room (so to speak), don't be afraid to be firm on how things should be done. Quality clients should respect you for this, and you're better off without the few you'll lose anyway.
Network anywhere and everywhere!
Otherwise you basically have to either undercut everybody in your bids to make yourself attractive on a cost basis, or when you bid on a project, show the customer a "proof of concept" or something that shows you already have something solid to show them before they choose a freelancer, which may or may not be feasible for the type of projects you're interested in doing.
When I first started freelancing, I spent 10 hours on a redesign for a local fitness boutique. It was an easy project that earned $700, but I would've done it for free if I knew all the business they'd send my way after. After seeing the site, the receptionist's brother wanted a website for his bike store, another client wanted a new site for his business, even the guy who cut my hair wanted me to make him a website after seeing the one project I had done.
If you can't find anyone in your network that's looking for help, try contacting local businesses with crappy websites. You can create some screen-shots of a potential redesign or even create a working demo page using pre-built themes (check out trial.mysitemyway.com). You'd be surprised at how many projects you can get from this type of outreach.
I am a fan of what he gives away for free: https://www.odesk.com/blog/2011/04/5-techniques-to-double-yo...
For the provision they will do all the legal work - which can be considerable. I'm very satisfied with this arrangement.
I would recommend you to get in touch with agencies. Just make sure they don't screw you over - the division should be at least 80/20 in your favor.
http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/cssubscription.h...
I don't think you'll find any hourly-based software usage although that would be really interesting to see ... something like EC2-running-x-application boxes.
Nope, against the EULA too. http://www.adobe.com/products/eulas/pdfs/Photoshop_On_a_Serv...
http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/other/taking-a-crack-at-...
has a detailed analysis of why it's necessary and how to implement a subset of those rights.
And noone will steal and run with this. It's not a trivial business you can just start in a weekend.
However, I don't really see why Amazon et al. would be happy to sponsor such a program; and anyway, 100 (ad-free) Kindles plus 20 iPads for 300 users seems ridiculously high, ~$70/user at retail prices. (Amazon's own affiliate program pays out ~8% to its more successful affiliates, which would imply that Amazon expects to derive value equivalent to a ~$875 purchase from your customers.)
Usually the prizes on offer are 'money can't buy' type prizes, lunch with a well known person, a trip to hangout at a famous location etc.
That way it's easier for the prize-givers to offer repeatedly and it's a unique experience for the winner.
If it was on behalf of for-profit companies, you need to examine the motivation of prize givers. Why would they want to give away those prizes?
Alternatively you could flip the idea on it's head and instead of expecting sponsor companies to donate prizes, just set up a really solid referral system, This process is pretty tricky using existing methods.
So a company that wants users starts a campaign. Your site generates a unique url for each promoter so that they can tweet/share. The company then tracks the signups through your leaderboard and rewards each promoter per sale, perhaps with a bonus for the top performer.
Nothing motivates like helping others to earn money. I guess it's similar to how Clickbank works in a way.
I'm working on it everyday, but despite my best efforts I know I don't have the design chops of a true professional.
9Cloud is aiming to be a replacement for Flickr, et al, focusing on what no one else does right now---the community and not social networking, local search, or anonymous uploading.
I think the fun of finding great people, and great artwork within a site has been lost in the new trends and I want to bring it back since its something I enjoyed immensely.
[1] About page: http://9cloud.us/about/
I was a bit surprised that you are showcasing designers and linking to their sites, allowing potential customers to contact them directly. This is something we struggled with.
I think you nailed it though. There is huge value in posting to the network and finding out who is interested and available to take on the project. I would love to see a clone of this for developers as well, so I could actually use it. :)
http://zacharytong.com/mockup.jpg
Tangentially related, how often do Folyo emails go out? Basically, I'm a new freelancer and terrified a client will come to me asking for design work. I'm handy with photoshop...but not a designer.
If that happens, would Folyo be a decent place to find someone to work with/subcontract to?
As I mentioned in a recent thread (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3547019) I tried to publish a new design that my users didn't like and I had to roll back.
Some users also suggested I get a designer :) http://weekplan.userecho.com/topic/93916-hire-designer-bette...
The app is growing steadily (10K+ users), a better design would help growing faster.
Thanks!
Is it possible to ask for feedback on image renders as opposed to production sites? I've been playing with this exact idea so your post couldn't arrive at a better moment.
Please checkout: http://www.StartOpedia.org
in conjunction with this thread:
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3548292
My portfolio: http://happykoalas.com
My resume: http://happykoalas.com/docs/resume.pdf
I'm primarily a backend/web developer with strengths in PHP, Java and C++. My background consists of stints in the video game industry, co-founding a new media advertising startup, and a collection of client work.
Cheers :)
See our portfolio here:
We can code anything on the web, all the way up to high performance sites with a complex data architecture that can serve hundreds of thousands of uniques per day. The co-founders' GitHub accounts are:
https://github.com/janhartigan
We're used to taking innovative ideas and making them work with the constraints of the technology. We also have successfully built several enterprise systems, including one that let an ad purchasing company manage nationwide marketing campaigns for all radio, tv, and cable stations in the US. Drop us a line...there's a good chance we'll be able to help!
I'm primarily an embedded Linux software developer working with C, but I do everything from micro controllers, through device drivers and system daemons, to audio processing, Kinect hacks, web apps, and Javascript.
I have varying levels of proficiency in PIC microcontroller assembly, C, C++, Java, C#, Ruby, OpenGL, WebGL, and Javascript. I can learn anything needed for your interesting project that plays into my areas of interest. See the progress of my startup at http://www.nitrogenlogic.com/, or get more information on my skills via my blog and personal web site.
Domain expertise: low-level computer graphics, hardware interfacing, home/commercial automation.
URLs:
https://github.com/nitrogenlogic - Github projects
http://www.nitrogenlogic.com/ - Startup (contact me here)
http://nitrogen.posterous.com/home-automation-and-lighting-c... - Early Kinect work
http://www.nitrogenaudio.com/ - Personal web site/portfolio of links
I'm a designer/coder which I hear is rarity. So there you go!
- Front end: HTML 5, CSS, JS/Jquery.
- PHP development. I'd like to do more 5.3 but I'm more weathered in 5.2 due to client demands. Also Codeigniter. But I can pick up most things.
If you're really desperate, I can hit things with Perl too.
I use Mercurial for source control but I'm comfortable with git also. I'm familiar with most modern day practices & processes. I won't say I've been overly-exposed to something like Agile or TDD for instance because I haven't. But I get these things and I learn quick :)
I have worked on pretty much every kind of site imaginable now and would estimate I've built an area of internet roughly the size of Ireland.
My own site is currently temporarily based at http://pitbot.pgkit.com (and something else I threw together at http://applab.pgkit.com). Happy to supply URL's of other recent work (and not so recent too if you like history!)
Email is in profile.
I'm UK based.
- Primarily interested in Ruby on Rails (including javascript/coffeescript) and C++/C work.
- Experience with many databases (postgresql, mysql, mongodb, mssql).
- I am not strong with UI work.
My LinkedIn profile has a more complete summary of my skills, feel free to add me there:
- http://ca.linkedin.com/in/alanlaudicina
I have a github account with a couple of small Ruby projects that I put together:
If you're interested in speaking with me, I can be contacted via e-mail at contact@alanp.ca
My name is Victor, a 28 year old developer living in Argentina.
Expertise:
* PHP
* MySQL
* JavaScript
* HTML 4 and 5
* C#
* Unix administration
Secondary skills:
* Java
* DirectX and OpenGL
Background:
I've been programming LAMP based sites for about 9 years and I'm currently working for a very large mobile games developer for 4 years now.
My work in there consists mostly of the following:
* Integrating customer billing for mobile sites, both North American and South American (closed carrier APIs and gateways such as Paypal and Amazon Payments)
* On-call support outside office hours (in which I solve issues with firewalls, programming mistakes made by developers, etc)
* Shop development and design. Basically, these are websites that display content and allow purchases with the aforementioned billing methods.I also focus on improving our custom, in-house developed framework that drives most of the websites.
Previous endeavors include:
* PHP programming and Unix administration at a large South American portal (from 2002 to 2005). It proved to be immensely informative, since we had to deal with a site that gathered several hundred thousand pageviews per day.
* PHP programming and database administration at a credit-report company (from 2005 to 2007). This also proved to be quite helpful, as I had to deal with an ill-maintained IBM Informix database, with poor normalization along with hundreds of millions of rows.
You can contact me at ar_freelancer AT yahoo.com
Thanks for the opportunity!
* Ruby (Rails)
* Python
* Javascript & CoffeeScript
* Backbone
I specialize in web development, write clean and efficient components, and I love playing with new tech.
gmail: linkadmin
linkedin: http://ca.linkedin.com/in/xspriet
github: https://github.com/loginx
Looking to solve interesting JavaScript (or CoffeeScript) problems.
* I wrote the CoffeeScript book for PragProg.
* I'm avid about Node.js and jQuery.
I've also been getting into iBooks Author lately. My first iBook, "CoffeeScript: An Interactive Reference," is already available on iTunes (http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/coffeescript/id498532763?mt=...). If you have a fresh idea, I'd love to collaborate with you on an interactive book.
PHP, mySQL, Javascript/jQuery, HTML/CSS. I've worked in both C# and C++ in the past although I imagine I'm pretty rusty.
I was trained as a neuroscientist before switching to freelance web development, so I'm well acquainted with data and statistical analysis. I enjoy turning piles of data into useful conclusions.
I also enjoy the "softer" side of web development - A/B conversion testing, sales funnels, AdSense optimization, copywriting, SEO voodoo, etc.
Some recent projects (technical or otherwise):
http://themesquirrel.com/ - Coded and designed by myself, infinite-scroller for ThemeForest.
http://startupfrontier.com/ - Email newsletter where I interview startups who are hiring developers and designers
http://euphonious-intuition.com/USForeignAidVis/ - Demonstration of interactive data using D3.js
http://euphonious-intuition.com/2011/11/personal-infographic... - Personal infographic resume, just for fun :)
My Gmail: zacharyjtong
I'm an M.Sc. in computer science, and a member of ACM and the GNOME Foundation.
I'm good with C, POSIX programming environment (esp. on Linux), the GNU toolchain and other development tools like automake, valgrind, etc.
I like computer graphics, so much that I've been a GIMP developer for nearly 10 years now. I also write code for GEGL and Raster.
A sample graphics article:
https://banu.com/blog/6/flower-disk-sampling-for-the-thin-le...
I also have experience with network programming (bsd-sockets) and the POSIX programming environment in general. Some articles which made it to Hacker News frontpage:
https://banu.com/blog/2/how-to-use-epoll-a-complete-example-...
https://banu.com/blog/7/drawing-circles/
I have been creating websites for various things (remember the GIMP splash competition?) for many years. I use PHP and PostgreSQL. It serves me well and I write neat code. Sometimes it needs going further:
https://banu.com/blog/40/arithmetic-fun-with-mod-rewrite/
My Ohloh page:
http://www.ohloh.net/accounts/muks
My first computer experience was on a 8088. I learned BASIC, then found a book on assembly language and learned 8086 assembly. (The nop opcode 0x90 is the same as the opcode for xchg ax, ax). Like it or not, Jurassic Park got me interested in UNIX and because we only had 8088 DOS machines, I got to buy the MINIX 1.0 Tannenbaum book, read it cover to.. well quite a bit of code at the back :), and _learn_ about UNIX before I could sit at a tty. Eventually when we got to senior year they let us use SCO UNIX via dumb terminals. That sucked. Thankfully, it was not long before a magazine shipped a copy of Slackware and I got a 486 to run it. Back then, you had to configure X by hand. But once things were configured, it was steady and fast. There were so many programs. Jurassic Park also got me interested in graphics and I learned a lot from magazines. :) On one CD, they shipped a mirror of portions of sunsite with a ton of graphics programs (source code). But many didn't compile on Linux and it required patching C code..
I have to live in India on account of my family being settled here. But I can work on anything, have telecommute experience, and you can talk to references about work quality.
What would you like me to do for you?
I'm a CS undergrad at the University of Chicago, but I have to pay the bills. Bigger projects should probably look elsewhere (until June 9), but I can burn through a lot of work pretty quickly.
I have experience with a lot of things, but particularly C, Objective-C (iOS), Python, Javascript, Haskell, and Ruby. Of course, I can do whatever needs doing.
http://github.com/zuwiki
http://twitter.com/#!/mvzink
http://mvz.so/blog
Independent Web & User Interface Designer
I prefer to work with early-stage startups and smaller companies looking to develop a consistent visual design for their products. My rates are affordable and flexible. I'm comfortable with: Visual Design (Photoshop), HTML(5), CSS(3), jQuery, and Wordpress (Theme Development).
You can view my work at: http://www.ryanglover.net and http://dribbble.com/rglover
Please direct any questions to: me@ryanglover.net
My specialties are Ruby, Rails, and jQuery, but I also have a great deal of experience with Asp.net MVC.
Over the past year or two, I've primarily been doing Ruby and Rails development for 2 small startups, intermixed with some consulting work as a Team Lead and Ruby/Cucumber mentor at a large financial company.
Email: adam dot albrecht [at] gmail
Website: http://adamalbrecht.com/
github.com/adamalbrecht
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/adam_albrecht
LAMP (Perl) developer, sysadmin, web developer and email administrator. Looking for small remote freelance projects or full-time work in the area/remote. I have a small UK Ltd company for freelance work at http://cardwellit.com/. I can configure and optimise your server software and debug your server problems. I'm a top quality Perl programmer and pretty good at web dev too. My github account: https://github.com/mikecardwell/ and my tech blog: https://grepular.com/blog/
Backend jack-of-all-trades, concentrating on PHP/C#/MySQL, experienced with Apache/nginx/IIS, and general Linux admin.
A few sample projects I work on in my spare time, using PHP/Kohana/MySQL/jQuery:
I'm very good at finding solutions to complex problems, like working with technology, and am pretty personable :-) I can be reached at tom@tbbuck.com
Python/Django/jQuery, with extensive experience building e-commerce marketplaces. I have a research background, data analysis, playing around with NLP right now.
I run a django dev shop, currently taking gigs. Here's my portfolio:
* http://www.sidmitra.com/portfolio.html
* http://www.cloudshuffle.com/
Contact details in my profile or the link above.
Here're some examples from my portfolio:
* http://www.teaspiller.com - An online marketplace for tax experts.
* http://www.garnishbar.com - social network, to share mixed drink recipes
* http://www.fertilityplanit.com, built their self serve ad network + billing and payments.
* http://www.turlytag.com - an app to connect owners with people who found their lost items.
* http://www.fratmusic.com - an online radio streaming app serving over 1.3 million uniques a month.
* http://www.emriq.com - a web based medical records platform for small to medium clinics.
* http://loudfarm.com - A music event site.
and many more.
I'm a passionate programmer and product developer. I've been programming professionally since 2002 and I bring expertise in both front-end and back-end development.
In the last ten years, I've successfully executed freelance, open source and enterprise projects. I have been part of cross-functional and cross-cultural teams and I've had the opportunity to work with some very interesting people and companies.
I enjoy building browser based, real-time apps using innovative technologies including Node.js, Socket.io, Express.js, HTML5, JQuery, SugarJS, CSS3 etc.
Enterprise technologies that interest me are primarily Python and Scala. I've been working with NoSQL databases â€" MongoDB and Google Data Store APIs in particular.
Other technologies that I've had fun with over the years are Adobe Flex, Java (Spring, Hibernate and popular enterprise frameworks), PHP 5 and related platforms, frameworks and libraries.
I'm a keen open-source enthusiast and my GitHub [1] profile contains contributions to various Node.js, Scala, Python and Adobe Flex projects.
I'm the author of the Apache Maven 3 Cookbook [3] (Packt Publishing, ISBN 978-1-849512-442) which is available for purchase in stores and on Barnes and Nobles, Amazon and Flipkart.
I'm the creator of Review19 [5] - a next generation, real-time project collaboration tool.
[1] https://github.com/Srirangan
[2] http://srirangan.net/about
[3] http://www.packtpub.com/apache-maven-3-0-cookbook/book
[4] http://www.linkedin.com/in/srirangan
[5] http://www.review19.com
11+ years experience on MS platforms.
- .Net (ASP.Net web dev, client apps, back-end server jobs, C# or VB.Net),
- SQL Server v7-2008R2.
- Classic ASP (with HTML, CSS, Javascript) or VB6 if you're still using them.
- SAS if you use that. Done a little PHP / MySQL when I've had to!
Or, in a different direction, I can take photos for you. Want product shots, headshots of your senior team or whatever? I can rock up at yours with a full mobile studio rig, or work from my end.
Contact: eftpotrm [at] yahoo [dot] com
I'm not that mythical creature half designer half programmer, but I'm a programmer (back end & front end) who knows some design principles and who doesn't make ugly sites. I'm interested in programming and UX and comfortable with php, html, css, mysql, javascript but it's good to be uncomfortable sometimes, then you are welcome to throw me some ruby, python, nosql and more.
I started coding in 2003, in the last years I'm more focused on web apps and I have touched a bunch of APIs. I have worked in teams & alone, startups & web agencies.
Maybe relevant for a distributed team, I speak EN FR ES
Portfolio: http://robertomartinez.info
I've been doing Ruby on Rails for the last 3 years/10 projects, on teams big (7 people), and small (just myself), green-field to rescue projects, from Rails 1.2.3 to Rails 3.1.
I've also done a bit of Django development (about 4 Django projects) - I've been using Python for 8 years now.
I also do iOS programming, or Mac desktop programming. I've been programming in Cocoa since 2001.
Software Developer: Ruby, Objective-C, Ruby on Rails, Rspec, Cucumber, CSS/SASS, HTML/HAML, MongoDB, Javascript, Coffeescript, Backbone, Jasmine, jQuery, Git, and shell scripting.
I would love to hear about your project, drop me a line at pedro.delgallego@gmail.com
Portfolio: http://pdelgallego.com
- Full stack web development (PHP, getting started with Django).
- I'm getting started with iOS development.
- I can also develop desktop applications with Qt.
gmail: stefano.dissegna
github account: http://github.com/stefano
Have experience in a multitude of languages (PHP, Java, Perl, Flex, and C++ in order of experience)
Loves projects that use SVN and git for source control
Most professional experience is in the back end web development realm, with some "moonlighting" with desktop and mobile application development
MySQL and MSSQL experience, with some exposure to Postgre and Oracle
Looking for long term projects of at least six months or more.
Based in Atlantic Canada
If my skillset is useful to your project or needs, please contact me via the email shown in my profile (apaprently HN doesnt' have a messaging function. Whoops)
Looking for a challenge in functional programming,FP. I know Clojure. http://xkcd.com/208/
https://github.com/pepijndevos/ http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10094764/CV.md
I am a frontend web developer (3+ years of freelance experience) and working with:
HTML5, CSS3, JS, jQuery, CoffeeScript, Backbone.js
I also hack stuff for the backend:
Ruby, Rack, Sinatra, Rails, MongoDB, HAML, SASS, Sprockets
References:
- http://jqapi.com (Alternative jQuery Documentation)
- http://usejquery.com (jQuery Showcase and Blog)
- https://github.com/mustardamus/ketchup-plugin (jQuery Form Validation Plugin)
- https://github.com/mustardamus/ (much more)
Links:
- http://twitter.com/mustardamus
- http://www.linkedin.com/in/mustardamus
You can find my email address in my profile.
Cheers, Basti.
Linux Sysadmin with experience in high performance computing. I recently helped save my employer six figures in support costs on outdated hardware by consolidating storage to newer equipment. After the planned downtime ended, there was no impact to the customers.
I code Ruby and Perl, and like to do full stack web development. I created www.instantfounder.com as part of a Hacker News post challenge.
In short, I can help manage any part of your environment whether public facing or not, and help you design a solution to improve your existing business or move into a new space.
Email and LinkedIn in profile.
Ruby:
* Rails
* Sinatra
* Padrino
Javascript:
* jQuery
* CoffeeScript
* Backbone
* Raphael
Do get in touch and let's talk :)
Contact:
website: filipemoreira.com
email: me@filipemoreira.com
twitter: @filipeamoreira
skype: filipeamoreira
Blog: http://www.emergentforms.com/blog/
Projects: http://emergentforms.com/projects.html
Trained as a design architect, I am exploring ways of applying my expertise in the design of 3D physical space to your products. My work ranges from the design of a major public space in a North American urban center to the planning and design of a professional Football stadium. In all of my projects my work centers on creating an optimal user experience while communicating strong ideas about the identity and brand of my clients.
I want to help you develop your products by applying these skills to your design and user interaction challenges. My skill set lies in communicating complex ideas in intuitive ways to clients using 3D visualisation, video and graphic design techniques. Please see my portfolio ( http://emergentforms.com/projects.html ) for samples of my work.
PYTHON/DJANGO dev from Warsaw, Poland. I can also do front-end stuff - CSS/JS/Jquery.
More about me and contact info on http://zalew.net
Developers who love: iOS, Rails, Node.js.
Email me: mj@robotsandpencils.com
App Examples - Product Division:
• Catch the Princess - http://robotsandpencils.com/factory/catch-the-princess/
• Hidden Cities HD - http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hidden-cities-hd/id487103601?...
Consulting Division:
• Series A funded Startups to F500
• Media/Hollywood to Oil and Gas.
• LARGE PDF: http://robotsandpencils.static.s3.amazonaws.com/Robots%20and...
We offer profit/royalty share (consulting and product divisions).
Im looking to pick up a few extra freelance projects. You can see my front-end design skills here: http://twogiraffes.com/our-work
Also proficient in Wordpress, mobile design, and django/php
Front-end engineer primarily leveraging jquery and jqueryui. Was doing single page apps back in 2003 and early influences were oddpost.com and webfx.eae.net.
Professional level backend skills in Rails and Sinatra. Built http://simplton.com start to finish in Rails including all design, coding, and system administration.
Professional level Linux system administration skills. Sold Firewall/NAT devices using hand-compiled RedHat. Very comfortable CentOS,Ubuntu Server, and RHEL.
Check out my CV http://minimul.com/cv and https://github.com/minimul
I'm an experienced developer that is new to Rails and am looking for freelance work. I'm a self-starter but would like to do some work where I can benefit from working with someone (or a team) that has solid experience. I can work under-market for awhile. Please contact me if you're looking for support on your projects. bglenn09 at gmail dot com.
Android app programmer
I'm an experienced programmer looking to help build Android apps. I've built an app as the lead developer on a team of only 3 which has 10 million downloads on the Google Android Marketplace, worked with a 10 person team on an app with 15 million downloads, and was the sole developer of a third app recently released for a medium-sized company. I have previous experience in contract work building Android apps. I have a plethora of experience in many forms of frontend and backend technologies, but am primarily interested in Android application work at the moment. I would be able to work 20-30 hours per week on a project. I have excellent references on request for previous contract work. matthew.quigley < a t > gmail.com.
Lion is seeking an ambitious and motivated intern for 2012. This position is remote based; the person required should be willing to work both in their own location and on their own initiative. This is ideal for someone passionate about marketing or sales.
Tasks to do:
- Provide week-to-week support.
- Engage with users of Lion in the Lion.co.uk Community.
- Manage social media presences.
- Track and manage brand mentions and coverage.
- Research as needed.
- Serve as a brand ambassador for Lion online and offline.
Contact am@lion.co.uk or via HN profile.
I have been working across the stack for a while now. Most of my experience is in web development open source technologies like Java, PHP, jQuery, MySQL, MongoDB, Memcache, Lucene, HTML, CSS etc on top of Unix environment. I am the author of an android app (market.android.com/details?id=com.rails) that has 50k+ downloads.
Also have experience with tomcat and deploying it on AWS environment. In past I have written a music crawler and a search engine on top of it (It is not live now) . Worked with a social network company where I wrote video metadata pipeline to ingest data from third party video providers. Also, was part of a dev team that wrote the system for sending large scale permission based email campaigns.
Contact me at help.skins@gmail.com
Looking for small-medium sized web related work in PHP/MySQL. I can also work on Titanium Appcelerator.
CV: http://tinyurl.com/adnancv
Bayt: http://people.bayt.com/pknerd/?lang=en
Home: http://adnansiddiqi.com
Skype: sidlabs
Gtalk: kadnan
Mustard Grain is a development shop in the San Francisco Bay Area that deals exclusively with scalability and back-end architecture and implementation. We're always on the lookout for solid, back-end engineers, regardless of location.
We're looking for people who possess a good understanding of a mix the following:
- Java/Ruby/Python/etc. (bonus points for Erlang, Scala, Clojure, etc.)
- Distributed systems principles
- Postgres, MySQL, etc.
- Hadoop and its ecosystem
- Cassandra/HBase/Riak/etc.
- EC2
Interested in fulltime or freelance
Speciality:
Complex web apps development, javascript.
Expert or fully proficient (5+years) with:
* Javascript
* many js libraries and frameworks
* php
* html5, css3
* Mysql, postgresql
* Actionscript
* graphic design
Some knowledge in:
* node.js, python, ruby, coffeescript, java, bash
Visit http://goo.gl/z6dkx (site under redesign) for links.
github: http://goo.gl/CXrjj
* Rated 5 stars at odesk http://goo.gl/fGbK4
* self-taught, natural programmer, fast learner
mail: daniel at ozkeebo.com
Professional software engineer, developer, manager of one. I'm focused on web applications development, automation of business processes, scientific applications and machine learning.
What I like to do:
- System architecture and software engineering
- Full-stack web applications
- Python development (web mostly with Django, backends, data retrieving and processing)
- Data modelling with relational and non-relational databases
- Server- and browser-side JavaScript
Find out more on http://en.ig.ma/ and contact me at en@ig.ma.
Freelance Illustrator.
I can do:
* Mascots (like the conversion experts in the box:
http://www.appsumo.com/copy-hackers-conversion-experts-in-a-...)
* Game Art (backgrounds, environment, items)
* Character Design/Development
* Flyers
* iOS Game Art
Here's my portfolio site: http://www.taxidermyrobot.com
I am open to: Part Time, Freelance
Email me if you're interested in my work:
kelseysbass@gmail.com
I've been working with the Cocoa frameworks for the past three years, started doing freelance/contract projects around the time Apple introduced the iPad, and have been working almost exclusively as a contract app developer ever since. Â Â
Focuses:
• Branded/Customized "Look and feel" with UIKit
• MapKit / CoreLocation
• Core Data
Feel free to take a look at my resume and portfolio: www.zackmartin.com/Resume_Portfolio.pdf or email me at zack (at) zackmartin.com and we'll talk.
Looking forward to working with some HNers.
Combo designer/developer (more front-end). I am a generalist who can sketch and design your UI, turn that into a prototype, wire it to the backend and deploy it. Though I work best (fastest?) when I'm working on the front-end, I am not afraid to dive in and mess with models.
* Ruby on Rails
* CoffeeScript
* Backbone
* jQuery, jQueryMobile
* HTML5/CSS3/Haml/SASS/Compass
* Git
Portfolio: http://impressar.io/a/2gx4tvs8iei
Email bobby at impressar.io
Location: Philippines
EXperience with many technologies:
- iOS and Android development
- Web development with Django
- server languages of choice: Scala/Python/Java
email: notnoop<at>judeapps.com
github: https://github.com/notnoop
stackoverflow: http://stackoverflow.com/users/125844/notnoop
linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mahmoodali
UK based Web dev generalist. Lots of M$ experience, c#, sql server. Bits of PHP and Rails - enough to put something small together. Ditto for Python.
I moonlight on iOS apps, though I'm by no means a "rockstar".
http://poissonpie.com
contact: username @ gmail
C++/Qt, PHP, Python, HTML/JS(CS)/CSS are my specialities but can drop into C#, Java, etc when the need arises.
Pretty close to releasing my first native iOS app so have some experience with Obj-C/Xcode.
Part-time/side projects preferred but FT for right opportunity.
* Django
* Rails
* Front-end JS / Coffeescript / Backbone
Former startup founder, preferably looking to contract for small (funded) companies.
Linked In: http://www.linkedin.com/in/derekdahmer
Github: https://github.com/ddgromit
email derekdahmer at gmail
- iOS & Mac Developer
- Albany, NY location makes some on site work possible for NYC or Boston areas
email: patrick|at|dogboystudios.com
twitter: @dogboystudios
Golang, Python, AppEngine, iOS, PHP, SQL, full web stack, over 20 yrs experience, market rates that won't kill your budget, just ask.
Email in profile.
http://peterlyons.com
http://peterlyons.com/career (Resume)
* node.js
* coffeescript/javascript
* Ruby on Rails
* Backbone, jQuery
* DevOps
* HTML5, CSS3, SASS
* Responsive Web Design/Mobile front-end development
* jQuery/JS (beginner to intermediate level)
* WordPress based PHP and themeing
* Photoshop proficient
* Git
Web Design(including responsive design)/HTML/CSS/WordPess
Portfolio + contact info: http://lauriliimatta.com
- iOS, Ruby on Rails, MySQL, general web frontend (HTML/CSS/JS)
read about me and view work + contact info at http://bit.ly/AiQ4c8
LAMPing it for fifteen years (I'll gloss over 4-year Java career "blip"). PHP, Rails, a dash of iOS. Could probably still do Perl if you are willing to pay for the regression under hypnosis sessions.
We Need a RoR developer who can help set up a CMS and do some custom work to support different content types.
This is a 30 day contract.
We tend to only work with the best people who can manage themselves. If that sounds like you, hit us up!
You can work from home or our office in Greenpoint, but we prefer NYC residents.
jobs@hyperhyper.com
Writer able to do content creation for web developers & graphic designers. Published with CBS News, literary journal, other venues. Have decent HTML skills, so can work within those files. Photography too.
http://www.douglaslucas.com
Email: dal@douglaslucas.com
Run a Facebook Ad campaign for 3 days (at $10 a day max budget), Then interview all those that "liked" your page or signed up for your form personally. To build their user profiles.
By the way, you should absolutely mention your company's name and get some goodwill and PR. I mean, come on... you guys are giving away free Pycon tickets! You deserve it. :-)
Profits in year 2? Are you pretty sure there will be any?
This whole thing sounds flaky so far.
Furthermore, a 12 month vesting period is far too short, immediate vesting is also a poor practice, and a startup should not be paying dividends or distributing profits in year two - it should be using that money for growth.
In my opinion, your counter-offer appears to be geared for a quick acquisition of equity and then walking away. And that's not the kind of person a founder should provide with equity.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/12/9-important-things-sell-sta...
http://jacquesmattheij.com/How+To+Sell+Your+Company
http://maplebutter.com/getting-your-startup-ready-for-an-acq...
http://www.davidgcohen.com/2010/06/18/you-have-acquisition-i...
http://www.slideshare.net/VentureArchetypes/startup-exit-str...
http://blog.asmartbear.com/how-value-company-1.html
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2154106
http://startups.ryanjunee.com/acquisitions-pulling-back-the-...
http://horizonpartners.com/article/things-fall-apart-part-i
http://horizonpartners.com/article/timing-ma-part-i-it%E2%80...
http://walkercorporatelaw.com/ma-issues/5-biggest-mistakes-e...
I think it'd be best to picture this as a normal sale of products, it's just a larger deal. The people you're selling to has a pain point, and your company somehow fits that pain.
Find out the pain and why your product (your company) fits that pain. Think of possible objections. For instance, it sounds like you're solving the problem of "I have this idea, and it can expand given sufficient resources!" But there could be other reasons like "It will let others perceive you as a better corporate citizen"
Do this for a while until you think you've exhausted the list, then go ask a friend or two for some more input.
Figure out the top 3 players in the market. #3 wants to be #2, and #2 wants to be #1, but #1 may not be as excited as #2 because they're already on top (depending how wide the gap is). Whomever you're selling to is banking on the idea that your assets will appreciate, but there's always knowledge that this won't pan out. #1 may not trust you can deliver as much as their own internal initiatives. The others may be more open to listening.
1) dealing with hardware issues
2) dealing with updates that break stuff
Virtualization solves both of those, at the cost of a little performance. The nice thing about VM's is that the virtual hardware is always the same and generally well tested (no hardware issues). And if you break stuff, you can roll back changes (VM snapshots). Both VirtualBox and VMWare have full screen modes and support for dual monitors out of the box.
Also, make sure you get a server as well and learn to administer it it from the command line. It's a great way to keep learning more.
Here is a good blog post by one of the developers of Mono.
http://tirania.org/blog/archive/2011/Sep-06.html
You might be better off running Linux in a VM so that you don't have to ditch Windows completely. The command line is a better way to learn Linux as opposed to the GUI. How much have you really learned about Windows via the GUI?
First focus on getting the basics down. Even the basics can get not so basic once you get deeper into the command line tools.
Bookmark some good cheatsheets for commands and then make a point to pick up something new in a few areas every day. For example, you can pick up Vim in a couple of weeks but mastery is a lifetime journey. The way to get better with Vim is to spend time every day learning something different and incorporating that into your workflow. Otherwise you will never get far from being a beginner. Many Linux tools are like that.
Don't worry about getting crazy with building your environment with Arch or Gentoo until you have become strong with the basics. Also wait until you have a lot of time on your hands. It's not an easy journey. Better to start with something that you can be productive with right away.
Also as a suggestion is set up Linux on a spare PC and beat on it... my first installs were usually the works, all the packages that sounded cool then filter down on subsequent re-installs as you get an Idea what you want.
If you want quick answers to your questions stick with popular distros like Ubuntu, Fedora, Suse, Debian - with most of those you can get what you need to know with a well phrased google query.
In the year prior to really learning Linux I had tried to install Linux in a VM, dual boot, etc. It just didn't work out because I didn't have anything to "do" in it. It could be different that you're a software engineer, but while my friends were scripting the automatic download of their torrents or piping their TV tuner through a windows VM to feed it back into mplayer, I didn't have a use case. So find your use case and force yourself to context switch OS's. I did it when my job switched me from primary Windows admin to secondary *NIX admin
(maybe read about the core principles of unix first. the links suggested by other commentators look good.)
learn how the documentation provided with your linux install is organized: man, info, apropos, whatis. the more comfortable you get with the built-in documentation, the more you'll find that most of your questions will be answered there. it takes a while to get used to it though. understanding the structure of the docs helps a lot with where to start reading. (did you know that the man page browser has a built-in string search?)
next step: dig into online documentation resources. start with the material curated by the distro project of your choice. don't forget wikipedia, some of their free software articles are nicely structured, concise and very well interconnected. you'll find plenty of useful links there, too.
third step: learn how to get the questions you can't answer yourself solved quickly by the community. "how to ask questions the smart way" by esr comes into mind. the way you asked your question here suggests that you might have read that already. anyway: for almost every question there are the right persons to ask and the right way to do so. mailing lists are good, but may not be fast enough. on the other hand, irc culture is a little rough sometimes, not everybody is a catalyst on freenode. look that up, there's a nice article about how to communicate on irc. if you know how to ask in which channel, irc is a fast resource.
when you get used to the culture of documentation and community, the gap between user and developer gets really small.
linux is transparent. learn how this transparency is organized and communicated.
that might sound easy, but it _is_ the hard way.
if you like the experience, consider writing on the web about your very own way of learning linux. or put some time into improving the resources you were using. that's a fun way to say thank you. :-)
have fun!
.~.
My Linux skills have improved and I have really enjoyed using Linux as my desktop and dev environment since learning by using Arch.
Hmm I would take one of the stripped down command line only distros and build it up from there so that you get into the nitty gritty stuff.
Something like this:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/tinycorelinux/welcome.html
Put it on a 128meg usb stick and have at it.
Disclaimer, I went with the Macbook Air. Worth every penny if you ask me. Comes with tons of developer tools (yeah yeah, gotta get their developer app) Except that I've been jaded by Mac Ports in some cases, but I guess I should try fink or the likes. But that's more the tools like Ocatve and gimp I've had trouble with, not the predominant developer tools.
There's some little bugs, not as refine as a MacBook, but it has a trackpoint!
---
Any higher-end thinkpads you'd still be in good shape. My research (a month ago) lead me to these models:
-Lenovo Thinkpad
-Dell Latitude or Precision
-HP EliteBook
-Toshiba Tecra
why these models? You'll notice that the higher end laptops that aren't Macs have trackpoints... I think I'm bias btw...
Meanwhile, I can help you find a laptop manually. What's your budget and size preference? Do you have any other specific requirements?
Would you be interested in buying a pre-installed Linux laptop?
Sadly, the only advice I have is: Anything but Lenovo.
I've had a few over the years from different jobs, and they typically always seem to have exceptionally poor performance.
Here's an interesting article about password security:
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2007/09/youre-probably-stor...
Even better is the linked article from matasano.com, but the link at codinghorror.com is broken. This should work:
http://chargen.matasano.com/chargen/2007/9/7/enough-with-the...
To quote from that article: "We learned that the correct choice [to store passwords] is Bcrypt." (which is definitely one way)
Maybe they should. Maybe they don't need to.
My bank needs to encrypt may password because of their fiduciary duty to protect my money.
HN does not because the consequences of unauthorized access are relatively trivial and there is no duty.
In other words, passwords should be encrypted if it is a better alternative than not encrypting them and customer service concerns can easily outweigh any benefit encryption provides.
Which means that an attacker must: 1) obtain the encrypted PW from their database and 2) obtain the key to the encryption from their database.
But if the attacker obtains their database, it is likely that he/she obtains both the encrypted passwords and the key (or keys) to the encryption.
A real world analogy would be locking a document into a lockbox, then storing both the lockbox and the key to the lock on the lockbox, together in the same safe.
If someone cracks the safe, they have both the lockbox and the key, so the lockbox becomes ineffective.
It would, I suppose, be possible to salt and encrypt a password before storing it and thus be able to retrieve the original but you would have to be very sure that no 3rd party could get hold of your encryption key.
http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softwa...
http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-Building-Pr...
http://www.amazon.com/Structure-Interpretation-Computer-Prog...
http://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/...
http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master...
Good luck!