CE Office: Let's calculate the expenses

Fellas,

Very soon, we're going to need an office [those who don't know, CE is being operated from a desk in the corner of my bedroom 😛 ]. I want your help in calculating the expenses and all the hardware/software CE Office will need.

We'll start with basic, minimum setup:-

1. One Laptop -> Which is helping me type this post.
2. One/Two desktops -> For developers.
3. Office stationary -> Do we need it?
4. Office space -> Available already 😛 (very close to my current location)
5. Hmm. What else? I guess a coffee machine 😛
6. Yeah - a big table to host two desktops and a laptop.
7. Software: I'd really want to run Ubuntu (and all open source software).
8. A router to connect all computers.
9. A sufficiently high-speed Internet connection.

Have I missed out on anything?

Let's use USD as the currency for our calculations.

If CE is not registered as a company, then you need to.
It will cost you around INR 7,500 to 10,000. You will be needing the help of a C.A. who will guide you.

You will can get a good High-speed net connection from Airtel at about INR 999 per month and it comes with a Wi-Fi modem (ADSL + Router) - I am using this scheme. Speed is 396 Kbps.
You will have to shell out more to get higher speeds. I guess around INR 1500.

A good quality PC can be assembled in INR 30,000 - 35,000.

why cant we donate or we keep a kind of subscription for this amount. i can do accounting i know accounting for not-for profit or sole trader . ( becouse iam commerce student).lol

Patty, how much are they in dollars?

Other things that might be included:
- landline for calls and fax (for redundancy)
- air conditioning / fans 😀
- nice work chairs
- whiteboard
- projector
- sofa chairs
- TV
- satellite reception


For computer specifications, depends on the requirements. What exactly do you anticipate those in the CE Office develop?

There are quite a number of networking experts here on CE that can assist. Well, its trivial to connect 3 computers with a switch and a router.. but proper planning is needed for future expansion.. when there will more computers, NAS storage, mini server, etc (a supercomputer too? *grin* )

CE office will host an editor & a marketing guy to begin with plus few of my local developer friends to work on CE Projects. They'll carry their own laptops or if CE does well financially, we'll bring in more laptops.

I guess we can chip in a decent computer for $600. A/C - can be off the list as the weather here is going to be awesome till February next year.

For storage, we'll use Amazon Cloud 😁 which is damn cheap and save us lot of cost.

I saw CE from the time when CE was a small baby, no plays with money.... now a grown up CE will eat up some money to earn something.

Along with your list, following are the points from me:

1. Network wires
2. Extension chords
3. Landline phone & Fax
4. A counselor
5. You are planning to use a few developers; what about testers.
6. If I compare the speed of the CE since the inception of the CE; its almost the same. In future if CE grows exponentially; do we have plan to test it for performance? Will our server will support this much big members database?
7. Office stationary will be required here and there...

Price list of these items... 😁 I am a bit weak in this. :

-CB

Hmm, I think the development & testing will be done online in association with CEans. Right now, my immediate priority is to offload few of my tasks so that I can focus on raising money 😀 [The Small Talks & Site maintenance eat up lot of my time 😔 ]

I have no idea left other than listed above 😀
I wanna ask a question
Is CE using it's own server or is it rented??

After few years we would require a Cafeteria, Gym etc.etc.

@ E-S: We've discussed how the CE Campus will look like 😁 . It's got some seriously crazy ideas!

:smile: [The Small Talks & Site maintenance eat up lot of my time :sad: ]

Start distributing the task... keep yourself upto the review level only. start trusting guyz around you.

For maintainance ... I am afraid it will eat the same time till mods take this responsibility or you hire somebody to do so.

PS: You can ask a bunch of senior CEan's to share the responsibility; at-least I am all game for it.

-CB

Ok just found that we are using liquid web hosting compnay
Wouldn't it be a good idea to put up our own server??
I guess that will help a lot
will increase possibilities for CE in future programs. 😀

@ CB: Reliability is the issue. Small Talks require huge patience. Trust needs to be built, have had pretty bad experience in past.

@ Kashish: To host a server ourselves, we need to chip in LOT OF money. Unless we grow leaps & bounds [over the next two years or so, hopefully], it'd not be possible for us to have our own server.

Don't add to the costs folks. Think of how can we setup a pretty cool office at minimum cost.

I will prefer work from home. 😛. Is it an option ? 😁

Hey setup VoIP facility- then everyone can work from home -the way we work with our Project's Mumbai team in office.

How about having something like a lab in your office ?

After some time CE may grow to ..a research lab level like CDAC 😀

I guess the basic necessities have already been mentioned. I suppose its time to calculate the costs? 😀

How big is the office space you found anyway?

It's about 900 sq. ft. , not bad to get started 😉

Whats the progress right now?

you forgot your electricity bills..!!

😀 😉

I dunno abt it in USD.. but in India it could work out very cheap..

wanna outsource ur work here? 😉 count me in.. 😉