Final Word: I'm getting clients by showing them what I can do for free. I'm not building them a website. I'm not building an ecommerce portal. I'm just doing a promo to get them to see my work, so people will consider me for jobs in the future. I don't "cheat" people, I deliver when I say I'll deliver, and I NEVER sell any programming that I've done for someone else, unless they know that the script is non-exclusive.
Now, to clarify what's going on with The Truth Hurts. He request me build him a program. He provided the specs on what he wanted. I built the program he wanted, and gave it to him free of charge with NO obligation to pay, he offered. I appreciate the opportunity people give me to work and build my portfolio. The Truth Hurts said that I was selling his script. His script is a program called Picture Manager. It is available for viewing at
http://www.structureanddesign.com/sc...icturemanager. The script that I "distributed without his permission" was a program called Link-X. Keep reading this paragraph if you care to know the different. Picture Manager (PM) was designed to be a picture-host software. PM allows people to signup for an account, and upload up to X amount of pictures. It lists the pictures and provides urls for them to use the pictures on other places such as message forums. Link-x (LX) was designed to be a banner, link exchange, button gallery; this is available at
http://www.structureanddesign.com/scripts/Link-x. The owner imports whatever pictures they want, and can specify how many pictures they want in a row and how many rows on a page. The only similar programming between PM and LX is using a mySQL database.
The reason I am taking the time to write this is to inform those of you who are looking at my work, critizing my approach, or unhappy with my ethics, to see what I'm doing and to provide a rebuttle for remarks made against my character.
There are two issues I wish to rebuttle: 1) Why am I giving away something for free, and damaging the industry? and 2) Why would I sell a script that someone else requested to be built for them?
1) As I previously stated, I am writing SIMPLE scripts so people can see my programming first-hand and hire me for scripts in the future. This is a Marketing Tactic that I am using to broaden my customer base and meet new webmasters/producers. If anyone feels that what I am doing is WRONG, please email at
[email protected], I will be more than happy to address your complaint.
2) I would not sell nor give out free a script that was requested to be written exclusively or non-exclusively for them WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION. There is two parts to this rebuttal. The first being that the "code" in question was legally mine, and the second being the "code" in question was not the code that was written for The Truth Hurts. To Date, The Truth Hurts has paid me other than the idea for the script. When I expect to be paid for a script, I expect to be paid for it BEFORE I give it to them. The Truth Hurts received the code with NO OBLIGATION to send me any money. Also, I spent at least 2 hours writing the program, and at my OUTRAGEOUS rate of "$130 per hour," that's a lot more than the $50 he "was going to send me." The second part, which is the main part, is that the script he is complaining about is a completely different script, as mentioned in two paragraphs above.
OK, if you skipped all that above or are tired of reading all my writing, let me summarize:
1) I write free SIMPLE scripts in an attempt of reaching potential customers. There is no obligation.
2) I charge customers what they are willing to pay.
3) I am an honest person who does not resell exclusive code.
4) I did not offer any code that was written for The Truth Hurts publicly on the site. There was a link to his code for demonstration, and if you read the messages after you will see that I told them to download Link-x, a DIFFERENT software.
5) I received no monetary compensation for my programming and involvement with The Truth Hurt's programming
6) I have no desire to fight with The Truth Hurts, I am sorry that he feels that I "cheated him" or that I "misabused his trust," and even though I am saying that I didn't do anything wrong, I would love the opportunity to make things right with him. I hate it when people have negative feelings towards me.
7) AvanteGuard--AvanteFraud...That really doesn't make sense to me. I haven't committed any type of REMOTE "FRAUD."
Please take the time to consider what I have written before passing any sort of judgement on me or my company. I am a small business owner trying to make a living in difficult times.
I do not want anyone to be unhappy with my service. Anyone and everyone who is unhappy, please let me know what I can do reasonabily to alleviate any "bad will" you have towards me and my company.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at
[email protected], or via ICQ or AIM as listed below.
Thank you for your time, and best regards,
Matthew McCoy