# Need to convince a client to go with Rails instead of ASP.NE **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [August 14, 2007, 5:23am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-to-convince-a-client-to-go-with-rails-instead-of-asp-ne/112003 "2007-08-14T05:23:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gberz3](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f9ae1b/32.png) [@gberz3](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gberz3)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 5:23am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-to-convince-a-client-to-go-with-rails-instead-of-asp-ne/112003/1 "2007-08-14T05:23:51Z")
Hi All, I’m having a bit of a problem. I have a client that will simply not get off their ASP kick. They have an existing infrastructure using [ASP.NET](http://ASP.NET) and, oddly enough, MySQL. They don’t know why, but they are insistent on developing their latest “Insurance Tracking” item in ASP as well. Not only that, the deadline for this project is literally 2 weeks (starting next Monday). They are paying very well, but I can’t get them to understand that 1) This isn’t an issue you can simply throw money at and 2) RoR is much better suited for agile, short-term modeling. Any ideas? Regards ---
**Author:** ![gberz3](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f9ae1b/32.png) [@gberz3](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gberz3)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 12:52pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-to-convince-a-client-to-go-with-rails-instead-of-asp-ne/112003/2 "2007-08-14T12:52:33Z")
gberz3 wrote the following on 14.08.2007 05:22 : > modeling. > > Any ideas? Usually with politics you have to be a politician… If they want [ASP.net](http://ASP.net) and you know there’s now way to succeed with it, refuse the contract (if you can afford to, if not you are screwed anyway) making sure all the important decision makers know why. In the meantime prepare your comeback by identifying the people open-minded enough to understand that you are trustworthy and that if they want to succeed, they better work with you. When they fail to meet their objectives, you’ll have to enter diplomatic landscape, leveraging your trustworthiness with the right people while not rubbing the nose of others in their incompetence (they should know better than argue with you, let them alone, some of them can learn to trust you through this experience). In some contextes, you won’t be able to get the client back, you have to decide if it’s an acceptable risk. Some clients can even drive themselves into bankrupty with a succession of bad technical decisions, usually you better jump of the ship before the bills get unpaid… Good luck, this is the “not so enjoyable part” of the job. Lionel ---
**Author:** ![gberz3](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f9ae1b/32.png) [@gberz3](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gberz3)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-to-convince-a-client-to-go-with-rails-instead-of-asp-ne/112003/3 "2007-08-14T19:30:42Z")
Lionel, Thanks. That makes perfect sense. The situation is basically that there’s a job they felt they could do, but failed. Now it’s crunch time and they have _NOWHERE_ to turn. It’s a really tempting spot as they are willing to pay over 1/3 a year’s wages for a 2-week project. And they’re willing to move that up slightly if need be. But I simply feel it cannot be done. Not in 2 weeks. And they don’t seem to understand that $$$ is not the issue. I definitely appreciate your insights. I’ll take this into consideration and see what I can come up with. Regards, Michael On Aug 14, 6:51 am, Lionel B. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) ---
**Author:** ![gberz3](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f9ae1b/32.png) [@gberz3](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gberz3)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 9:07pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-to-convince-a-client-to-go-with-rails-instead-of-asp-ne/112003/4 "2007-08-14T21:07:57Z")
On Aug 13, 2007, at 9:22 PM, gberz3 wrote: > Not only that, the deadline for this project is literally 2 > weeks (starting next Monday). They are paying very well, but I can’t > get them to understand that 1) This isn’t an issue you can simply > throw money at and 2) RoR is much better suited for agile, short-term > modeling. If you’re certain you can do it better and faster in Rails, give them two different bids. X for Rails, 2X for [asp.net](http://asp.net). Then they will start asking you questions instead of the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![gberz3](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f9ae1b/32.png) [@gberz3](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gberz3)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 1:17am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-to-convince-a-client-to-go-with-rails-instead-of-asp-ne/112003/5 "2007-08-15T01:17:20Z")
On Aug 14, 10:30 am, gberz3 [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Lionel, > > Thanks. That makes perfect sense. The situation is basically that > there’s a job they felt they could do, but failed. Now it’s crunch > time and they have _NOWHERE_ to turn. It’s a really tempting spot as > they are willing to pay over 1/3 a year’s wages for a 2-week project. > And they’re willing to move that up slightly if need be. But I simply > feel it cannot be done. Not in 2 weeks. And they don’t seem to > understand that $$$ is not the issue. “Observe that for the programmer, as for the chef, the urgency of the patron may govern the scheduled completion of the task, but it cannot govern the actual completion. An omelette, promised in two minutes, may appear to be progressing nicely. But when it has not set in two minutes, the customer has two choices–wait or eat it raw. Software customers have had the same choices.” “The cook has another choice; he can turn up the heat. The result is often an omelette nothing can save–burned in one part, raw in another. [page 21]” Frederick Brooks, The Mythical Man Month from [The Mythical Man-Month](http://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs1104/HLL/Brooks.html) ---
**Author:** ![gberz3](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/g/f9ae1b/32.png) [@gberz3](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/gberz3)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/need-to-convince-a-client-to-go-with-rails-instead-of-asp-ne/112003/6 "2007-08-15T01:12:20Z")
Forcing a platform is never a good idea. It seems that they already have a Windows IT staff to support existing applications. It’s very understandable why they would be reluctant not just go with a different framework but with a different platform all together. Is there anyone who can support it there? What will they do when you aren’t available? Those are all the questions that matter to every business. If they do agree and you drop the ball or they aren’t for some reason happy, it will come back twice as hard to you and you will be known at that company as “that fucking rails guy”. On the side note, I used to write [ASP.NET](http://ASP.NET) for 4 years… it’s really not that hard 🙂 I would recommend not pursuing this further and keep a good relationship. You can always get the next job. – Alex