sting01

Hi Don:

I've been involved with offshore software development with a local software house for the past 5 years. Based upon my experience, here are a few comments.

- What is the average salary ranges for web developers, web designers etc.?

** Web designers (avg exp such as 1-2 years) are paid roughly 20-30k per month.

Software developers (C#, PHP, J2EE) earn roughly 30,000-45,000 per month. However, we do have

a few Thai developers making as high as 60,000 per month.

- Experiences from others.

** Not as easy as it seems. Cultural issues, immigration problems, day to day business items which should not take more than a minute, end up taking days or weeks to complete with stacks of stamps and signatures required.

If you want any tips or other info, feel free to send me a msg via Thai Visa.

John

That is the good point, use someone who do that since a while as middle man, as long as you can be sure those middle man is reliable.

hey,

I am a freelancer IT guy, and I do mostly outsource works for US based companies; so I thinkn I can give you some lights on the way to process if yo uwant to outsource your work (mean send work to do from EU to Thailand).

There is only 2 ways to do so (to have great chance of success):

a) you send one of your usual IT guy here, and then he will do the work with the same quality but for the locla price. Not sure you can find someone who accept.

use one of those websites that act as 'middlemen' btw coder and societies : rentacoder.com, scriptlance.com ....

there are hundreds of them, but for the shake I would like to precise I use rentacoder since almost 4 years, and they are serious both with payments, litigations, projects ...

The only other way will be to reliate on someone you will met by chance in a forum like this one, so you will not be able to know what he is worth, not be sure the person will still have the will to work after a while (mostly people acting as freelancer are simply deeply desesperate and looking to have some money, not to start seriously to do that as living).

There is some thai owned companies that can also do it , but in fact as long as you start to have western needs, they themself hand out the baby to someone else and you finaly got your work made by someone you do not know and can not contact in case of buggs (and there is always bugs).

Also, I totally and strongly suggest to NOT reliate on expats living here (including me), because the huge unreliabilty of the community. Doing outsource work is a tedious job, people like I work a lot and mostly for low salary, so there is not many infact ready to accept it for a long time, even if the advantages of it are obvious (choice of the work, choice of the clients, choice also to not work ...).

My bottom line would be to really advice you to use the 'middlemen' websites, you will gain time (mostly the coders are rated, with the amount of realised jobs, and it's possible to have further references about them), money (yo uwill pay only if you got what you ordered), and stress (professionals who do that work will be glad to add a serious client in their catalog and will certainly be very cautious to make you happy). Do not reliate on the the fellow expat met over a board, a chatroom or a Heineken in Sahtorn ....

There is several Nessies in that forum , the bargirls and the webdesigners to name some of them. Lol

I work in the IT business in Thailand since 2003. I do NOT work for local clients for several reasons :

1) Or they are cheap farangs who need simply to have a cyber business to help for the visa approval. Anyway those people do not care how the site will work, but only if Ti Ruk love the colors and the animations. It look for me like wasting time and energy for people who have best to buy MSOffice (120 bht in Fortune) and do it by themself.

2) Mostly the problem arrive when the color chart, suddently because someone have buy a new laptop, the color choosed do not fit anymore. So the blue that should be more blue but on the same time less blue I do not know, I know well a Pantone color, but what do I care if the new TFT screen do not display the color as the good old LCD. A pantone is always a pantone.

3) As there is a whole bunch of so called 'Khao San Road' designer, the market is a low value market and in more some people refuse to pay, and I got one some years ago who proposed to drive me to the police as I certainly did not have any visa. Wrong guess, he had not only to pay but also have to apologise in the police station. But that also give a point on the hight moral value on some buyers.

So , as I consider my self as competent , i prefered since 2003 to work as remote freelance. There, no problem, if you are correct , you have work, if you are not, you have no work.

So for both , buyers and web designers, it's better to rely on the handfull of websites specialised on the hiring of freelance coders : REnt A coder, Scriptlance, Freelance ....

A coder as I will always get money , and work, as long as you are competent in your specialisation, and a buyer will be able to choose a coder that have a verifiable background.

That is my small experience as farang, IT engineer, living in thailand since 2002/01.

Thanks for all the replies. I looked at that link. I am not a tech guy so I didn't understand a lot of it but I get the picture. I get the idea that the service is slow and has a lot of issues. Do you think that it would work for searching online databases all day or would it be frusterating and slow. Is the service better in Bangkok or Pattaya or is it the same all over the country. Thanks,

Win

I totaly disagree with the words "slow and lot of issues". That is far to be the reality.

Facts :

Thailand have only one "border provider" namely CAT, with a very limitate bandwith (the reason is simply the greed of some people). That is the bad point.

I use True ADSL since one year, and the quality of the service have globally improve mont hafter month, going from passable to be now acceptable +.

The usual foreigner, as I am, use to complain easily , thinking because he is also a customer he should be considered as a king. That is easily viewable with US persons.

People that are compalining, are simply using the Internet mostly in a non standart way, and often to do things that would be considered as illegal in their own country (I wantto remenber the P2P sharing is not legal in USA nor in EU).

True, as every ISP araound the word, use port blocking, to avoid to have 10 clients downloading the last show from an obscure redneck TV at full speed (things that is illegal is USA because it does not respect the copyright laws) with during the same time the other clients with no bandwith. IT sure disqualify the use of bit torrents in full speed.

Thailand have also laws about pornography and minor person protection. So yes, there is several websites that are banned because they are pornographic. Sure it sucks, if you got horny and need to jerk off quickly .... On the other hand, we are in thailand, and it's easy to find a nice girl friend ready to offert some hand help in that case, so ....

Mostly people who complain, when you check a little bit, are simply on the edge of the legality, on the other hand, I am a freelance coder who do NO work for local, but work remote for outsourcing company (Sun microsystem is one of them), the quality (speed) and the permanence of the internet connection is simply vital for me. Several old members in this forum can confirm I am in Bkk since 4 years, so that is the proof the TRUE ADSL is not that bad, far of it.

Last point, the service seems to have been upgraded one more time, since this morning I got full speed (10 Mps) without the use of any download manager.

Thailand is amazing , but trust me, Thailand is also a country like the other. Nothing is perfect, but nothing is bad; Internet include.

Well, due my english, I formulated my post by a wrong way.

Fact :

1) true seems limitate at 30 k /sec each port for download.

2) technical reason that is given , is simply to comply to a RFC.

It's evident noboddy can handle to waste bandwidth, and the use of one port at 700 k/secs is criminal when you can use 10 (70 k/secs) or 20 (35ksecs) on the same time.

Well, whatever I can say will not change anything anywhere lol, fact is also thailand do not have enought access to the global internet.

Protocol, ports, ... sound complicated ... I do suppose you are all technies with MAster or above in IT science, maybe lecturer for APNIC for the related subjects, maybe also do you have a sit as individual in both Apnic and ARIN ... don't you? I do.

To explain simply, about the speed of true, if you look the contract you have sign in True tower or Fortune town, that is a maximum theorical speed.... that I reach or get about 23 hours per day (the last hour is mostly used to check that forum).

I am simply assuming you are using Window , and then your download speed will be limitate a 30k/sec (in case of the simple basic download form a http or ftp server). Use Download manager, and you will get the full speed the download. Same for the FTP upload, use a command line client and you will get the 512k/secs.

True policy, and that is conform to some RFC (sorry I do not have the number in mind) is limitated at 30 k/secs per port. All complains related to that MUST be send to I.E.T.F. (Internet Ingeneering Task Force), non profit top level organisation where you are certainly members if I can believe the quality of your comments (I dislike people who wank at me when I ask something, in more when the answer stay stupid, or senseless).

That is true for every and each port, even the 80 (basic http).

Whatever, 30k are enought to get a website in seconds if the related website was created with the US industry standarts and following the recommandations of the W3c. I do agree problems arise with websites that are technologicaly top of the egde, full of useless gadgets,features ... or full of animated gif. One sample , I recently got a client who were complaining his site was very slow if people used a 56 k (as he live in Florida, I do suppose he must be still some US citisens who do not have access to True packages ... errr to the DSL/cable/satellite. Anyway, the previous coder (indian as well) just created a php loop that was sending about 20 000 lines of raw HTML and that for every page. The coder eventually had a real T3, as my client, so both of them did not noticed something first ....

I do suppose many visitors complained about a slow ISP, or traffic jam on the network ... fact is ISP were not guilty, but the way the pages were created was.

Complaining about True is easy, but for the individual use, or the very small business (as mine), the package 1 Mb/sec is simply the right one, even if I compare with my own country. The price is equal, the quality since 2 month is equivalent.

AS True user (1 Mg/sec for 890 bht/month) I totally disagree with the speed given.

At any moment of the day , I am able to have simultaneous download from FTP located abroad (mostly Florida and australia) at the cumulate speed of 1 Mg/sec.

I get that result with the use of Download Accelerator.

One more time confusion is here :

some fact :

You are completely right, if you use download accelerators, then indeed your speed would be 120 KBPS or 110 or even higher. When using download windows (default ones) then it makes it look like its 30kbps. People should start realizing that fact.

Fact is it's very easy to complain about anything or anyone, in more if it's thailand and in a forum farang based ...

There is a tendency to be assistate for anything, and to think a simple mouse click will be enought ... Windows (Xp or 95) have his own way to take care of the internet. One exemple easy to verify :

us a dial up with 98/Me, the theorical speed will be about 4.5K/secs, use it with XP, it will be 5k/secs, use it with Mandrake7.2 then it will be 5.3k/sec ... I did those test 1 year ago with the 30 days card unlimited.

Whatever ( and it's bittorrent idea) the use of one port is wasting ressource, the only things to complain is why the various OS do NOT include natively multiport download ... but in no case the ISP must be given as guilty (I think 30k is a given max speed for download with one port acording to a RFC ..., as the use of 3 different HTTP flux is also a max given another RFC ... tho I will have to verify that)

Well, in france a Reprograph is a person who in fact do micro imprimerie ...Mean work to important to be made with a copier, but not big enought to justify an offset.

Mostly the person work with Mac and X-press to prepare the master(s) and then do , or let someone else do the printing. I was confuse because that word have a different meaning in french and in english.

Well Photoshop is a skill that thai kid have past 15 y old ... for proove go to bangkokchat and ask some cuties to send you their pictures, then meet them for a friendly drink and oyu will understand what I mean lol.

Illustrator, and vector based graphics seems to be under employed here.

Maybe you should try to contact advertising agencies, I bet they use vectors based graphic.

But btw us, I do not think you will find EASILY a job, plenty of thais can do it and they will be cheaper than you (not 60 000/month for a visa), they will speak thai fluently (do you? fluently is a keyword) ....

To precise more my point, the idea is not to really make her apply through your lawyer work (sorry I am french and my english often), but simply to see if there is any laws (US or international) that can cover that case ... If she is not Thai national then what is her status, and if she is Thai national then she must have official document to proove it ...

What will happend if Miss Pussadee Songongkrat go to the US embassy and ask for protection and for the refugee status? If your lawyer think it can be good chance to have it, if I was you I will simply go to Bkk with her, at the main office where the passport are done, and simply explain you have only one alternative : or she get a legal passport, and if possible a.s.a.p, or she will go to US embassy and ask for a refugee status. If you can show them she can have it (your lawyer will have to prepare the documents that proove or show that) , and if you can also show them it will be make public (covered by some newpapers), then I think the application will run smoothly.

That is the idea, like in chess you do not do it but threaten (menace?) to do it.

Whatever good luck.

Maybe whatI will say is totally wrong, if that is the case so sorry for the extra burden.

For what I know after 4 years+ here in thailand, the hilltribes is a huge problem. Those damned people destroy the forest, cut the teck, do not have thai nationality and worst they refuse to move their damnit villages when some legitimate wood magnate gently ask them.

If your GF does not have a thai ID, it can simply mean she is (As so many of the so called Hill tribes people) NOT a thai citizen. I think in 2002/2003 His majesty the Quen herself have to call back the militaries who were kicking the hilltribes ass to take the land where they were (I precise about His Majesty the Queen to avoid further comments about how I am speaking on that subject ... fact is hilltribes peoples are without nationality for the most part, as burmese or cambodian migrants workers).

So , in my 2 cents, IF your gf is not legally and fully registred as thai citizen, do not have a thai ID, it seems she will not get a PP. On the other hand, have you ever think to make her coming to US as political refugee? Sound crazy, but it could be the easiest way and the quickest to do it. If she can not get the thai PP because she is not thai citisen, but she is obviously born in thailand from parent obviously also born in thailand, if she legally work and pay taxes in thailand and if obviously she is not citisen of any other country, then with regards to the international laws it's a negatin of her human being to NOT give her the legal document to travel abroad (or something like that, I am not a lawyer but I hope you got the point).

I know it sound crazy, but fact and reallity are hille tribe people as any other minority in thailand have a very harsh life, so maybe it's worth a cal to your lawyer and study that case with him

Open your sheet,

then on the top bar menu :

File>save as

select tab delimited, or CSV, or text (depend of the versin of excel)

give a new name (in case of )

save.

Close all

Reboot

unplug the computer, go to your favorite bar and take a beer (joking)

After reboot, open excell then import data (or just drag and drop the text file you have created in Excell)

you should have a new spreadsheet will only your data (Assuming you are looking only for that).

Another way is to convert it in Acees format, then clean it with Access, and then save the cleaned speadsheet from Access as a Excell file (in that case you will keep the macro)

Mostly printing office (I hope that word is the right one) are using X-press 6.0 (or above) on MAc. If you are a reprographice it must make sense to you. That include bangkokpost also.

I know Bangkokpost recruit foreigners, maybe you should try ... A competent person with Mac experience, fluent with X-press and native speaker could have some interest for them.

Now I still not sure of what really you mean by reprographic, because it can also describe someone working in "micro - printing" , as for exemple doing work on a computer then send it directly to a "Riso graph" and then survey how the printing (mostly less than 5 000 A2) is going. IF you job is that one, there are several offices in Pantip , Fortune, Rangsit .... I am not spoken about name card printed on your favorite HP, but for small publication ( between 1 000 and 15 000 A2 ... more than 15 000 imply offset and not Riso or other brand due the cost of the masters, ink and also the calibrating of the engine ... well I do suppose you know that well and certainly better than I , I only used to do that during 5 years).

Hope that can help a little or give some ideas.

AS True user (1 Mg/sec for 890 bht/month) I totally disagree with the speed given.

At any moment of the day , I am able to have simultaneous download from FTP located abroad (mostly Florida and australia) at the cumulate speed of 1 Mg/sec.

I get that result with the use of Download Accelerator.

One more time confusion is here :

some fact :

if you do a simple download using Window , then the max speed will be around 30k/secs , but you can have several download on the same time at that speed. Doanload Accelerator (As other accelerator) use to get the file in several part simultaneously, so that allow to use the max speed.

So yes, the system existing actually simply sucks if you want to use Bittorrent (I never get more than 15 k/secs), if you want to download Warez from russian websites, or so on ... but I do think whatever that is also illegal in your country (assuming you are an anglo saxon), so why complain or why do you want to do here waht you can not do in your own country?

Also, and at least in Bkk area, fact is to notice the quality of the connection have dramacticaly increase during the last 2 month. No disconnection, the speed stay constant, the DNS problem seems to be fixed.

I do use True for my living, I am independant coder working remote for abroad companies, so internet is VITAL for me (I get pay weekly, so if I have any problem that is my earnings that go down). The only downfall is the upload speed, 512 k/sec is a pain in ass when I have to send back full ecommerce website weighting about 3 Gb ....But that is only 890 bht, so I know well miracles are not existing

filtering port 80? May I know what you mean exactly?

The speed is never the speed annouced, because it's shared DSL, the subject was debated several time in the forum.

Now, some prts are filtered, mostly those used for p2p sharing (winmx, bittorrent) but is the usual policy all around the world. ISP pay for the bandwith and they tend to minimize the cost.

Iffiltering mean firewall some sites that are not conform to the local moral, then that is the usual policy.

hello,

I am doing a website for an abroad company, and the concept seems possible to be importated(used) in Thailand.

What I am looking for is a student (or a group of students) ideally in IT science, ready to commercialize the concept. The remuneration will be the following :

the student (or group of students) will give me back 20 % of the earnings. They keep the 80 % remaining. And yes, they will me give me back, it's not me who will give them 80 %, it mean there is no risk for them (as for me, I am not crazed yet).

Let say it's potentailly about 800 000 bht for the student (or group of student), more realistic will be to suppose around 400 000 within 3 month.

If there is thai students interrested,contact me.It will be only one person or one group, ideally I think one group will be better.

Also, I precise that is not an hoax, but as I am not english native speaker (I am french) there is some difficulty to expose it and on the same time to keep some confidentiallity; so if Georges, Docteur PP or any moderator think the way I presented it is not accurate, I will be also happy to communicate and let them modify this post.

Best regards

Roxannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnne

why pay for a linux distrib? It will be a shame , and maybe a bit against the concept of free/GNU world.

Why Suze? Why not Mandrake (buy french ) , or better if you really need a professional distrib, slackware ....

well assuming you are spoken about IPV4 and MAC, you must know it's old and obsolete protocoles. They must be replaced (in process) by IPV6, that (in the middle of thousnads other things) "mix" the old IP and the MAC.

As it's not a technie forum, I beg people to not flame me for the word "mix", fact is the old MAC address will be used to generate on the fly a new IP V6 address, and will be not used anymore (less work for the server/routeur, and also not broadcast messages every 10 seconds so less bandwidth used for nothing).

Top websites use that since a couple of years.

On the other hand, a ban cab issued on an IP adress, a mail address, a loggon,also a cookie can be set, or more vicious a cookie will be unset (if you are a bone fide tourist so you have a visa/cookie, if not you do not have and if you do not have then you can not enter ... that is what I always invite my clients to do and for security purpose).

As well, the reference to Stargate Atlantis Season II was, as my other disrespectfull comments, a joke. I do not care about that, but about the right to choose what I can hear, watch ....

Honestly, I am not far to think those actions from the majors are simply an attack against the first amenment of the US constitution. If I had the disgrace to be born US , I think I would like to sue them.

Buy fake VCD or CD in Pantip is illegal, and morally not fair. We pay, and someone get that money. The sharing system is free, no one is hurt economically by an unfair acting (I do agree if the majors do not sell VCD but somechai, finally Somechai will be richer than Sony or Pathe).

Why not ,considering that is a major threat for the US economy, invade Pantip Fortune, and send all the reseller to Guatanamo bay????? I wonder why GWB the small did not think about it (or maybe he is the godfather of all the somchai that sell CD in Sala Daeng?)

Another joke, but eventually I am piss off to see WinMix going nowhere after Napster

for the info,

I just got the 1 Mb/sec (was in 256 k previously).

I know True got problems the last 4 or 5 weeks, by problems it must be understood they simply upgraded both lines/equipement i

I was told problems should last that week, and I must constat right now, that is. Since 8 am this morning, the download speed is in average at 964 k ... almost the full speed.

My contract is the basic one, hight speed, shared DSL, so I can simply say today at 11 am I am very happy (first time in 3 month lol). So maybe things are changing, we have also to be patient and also rreconise when things are good.

hello,

I usually do not open topics here, mostly following what Raimu said " Do not teach the morons, in the worst case they can became smarter than you", but this news seems to be important enought to be shared.

It "seems" (currently I am waiting to have informations back) the "money diggers" who lead the video/music industry have successed and put down another sharing net work:

P2P sites WinMX, eDonkey appear shut down

September 22, 2005 - 10:43 EST

Reuters is reporting this morning that P2P file-sharing site WinMX.com has ceased operation, and that eDonkey's New York offices appear to have closed.

The turmoil among file-sharing networks follows the landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in June that held anyone who distributes a device used to infringe copyright is liable for the resulting acts of infringement by others.

In the wake of the decision, the trade group Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) last week sent out "cease-and-desist" letters to seven file-sharing groups. A spokeswoman for the RIAA declined to name the targets.

(Reuters)

That is certainly another big victory of the democatric forces leaded by the big Mamamouchi Gearge W (a.k.a. his higtness Moron the first) Bush against the commies/terroristes who were trying to diffuse (for free, and that is the real sin) music, video or movies.

For those who ignore what is a mamamouchi, I will simply send them to Jean Baptiste Poquelin (Moliere). If you do not know , it's simply the proof : culture is made to be shared amongst the human (Did Benjamin Franklin said in 1795 Culture is a symbol of freedom, or is it Jefferson?) and not be only the gift of some amongst the other.

Whatever , right now, I am not able to get the last episode of Stargate Atlantis .... AND THAT SUCKS.

Sting

Ghost in the machine (1979)

Ask Steve, a.k.a. Indo-Siam, he will tell you.

I have not used DC++ but most P2P activity is actively restricted by TRUE to allow other access at reasonable speeds.

that the truth, alas, but there is still a way to bypass that : change the ports number where the P2P is working.

I use winmix, and I do that everyday, connnection is just fine , but if I keep the same ports, after 2 or 3 days the speed is about 4 k/sec

Roxannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnne

This is abject nonsense. In more than twenty years in international higher education, I have ALWAYS been provided with all of the above (apart from lesson plans, which I agree are the responsibility of the individual teacher) by my employers. Just like any other professional expatriate package. The only exception was Thailand, and this is the principal reason why so few professional educators are tempted in the first place, except perhaps to work for the handful of genuine international schools. Those who do venture there usually end up fleeing in horror from the atrocious working conditions, the xenophobia of the Thai ajarns and administrators, and the generally low standards and chaotic unprofessionalism of the Thai edutainment circus.

Despite all the hype and political posturing, professional foreign educators are not welcome, nor are they particularly wanted in the Thai education system. Thai teachers don’t want them because the pittance they receive is a little more than the pittance paid to the Thais, and the presence of competent foreigner teachers merely serves to underline the incompetence and ignorance of many of the Thai teachers. School owners and administrators don’t really want them because they are more expensive, more demanding and less likely to put up with gross ineptitude than Thais. And the Thai elite and their political mouthpieces certainly don’t want them, for fear that they might actually teach little Nit or Somchai to think, and then where would we be?

Anyone who believes that this latest pronouncement is going to have any effect whatsoever on the “quality” of education in Thailand, is living in cloud-cuckoo land. For one thing, such utterances are usually forgotten a couple of minutes after they are made. For another, the malaise afflicting the education system as a whole runs so deep, that it will take a huge investment of effort, time and MONEY to come up with solutions which will really work. I see no indication whatever that such planning is in progress. Instead we have the usual strategy of “blame the farang” and apply the cheapest band-aid you can find, because the Thai public will surely fall for it.

This post has been edited by Rumpole: Today, 2005-09-11 08:11:35

I agree.

Several posters seems to be qualified in english as I (I'm a frog), maybe yes there is a real problem with the quality of the foreign teachers?

About teaching, I taught (6 month) in Chayapum, taught english not french ... believe me, but the thai theachers of english language where (with the exception of 1 young lady) all less qualified as I. So do I am a qualified english teacher? No way, I speak english like a spanish cow,.... Did I elevated the level of english language in Chayapum and neiborough? I think I did, at least the kids (and the teacher also) have learned how to tell the time correctly, and it was excetionaly difficult, because the main teacher (with as credential the fact to have stay 6 month in new brunswick 13 years ago) stated only him knew how to tell the time ... if was necessary to get the online related course from Cambridge(U.K.) to stop to hear " it's twenty height minutes and six o'clock " ...

Easy to crack on one category, but roots of the problems are deeper , and more qualified people have explain them here, so I will not.

Roxanne

Linux is basically a kernel, a distribution is what is around the kernel + the kernel itself ... including the colored carton box you can have if you order your prefered Mandrake directly in France.

Why I love Mandrake : 1) it's french

2) made by french for .....anyone else

3)In case of buggy release (who say 8 and 8.1) I can easily send insulting email to Mandrake, my vocabulary in french is far more important than in english.

4) they promoted Kdesktop in the past.

Help? Just tell us how to get a thai CC

I think it was the topic of this threat