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Comment on Ask HN: How to formalise an ad-hoc maintenance arrangement

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I would definitely layout all the options for the client, including an option which is abandoning your software and migrating to / developing a new option. Putting that other option on the table will make whatever you propose seem like the obvious choice.

Yes, one way to look at this to get out of the "for family" mindset you've been in is to ask what it would cost them to hire a new developer or firm to build them a replacement, and maintain it. That should guide you in deciding how much to charge, if you want to continue working with them.

I imagine you are also asking yourself if you want this ongoing work. If you don't need or want the work, maybe you can agree on a scope of work to help pass the work off to another developer or firm.

I haven't been in your shoes with family before, but I have done low-cost and pro-bono work for nonprofits in the past. Fortunately those projects all wrapped up with a reasonable outcome, and no need for long-term maintenance. It's expensive to pass off projects to developers and firms that don't have an altruistic interest in a project.

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