It can always plausibly deny control of its results and claim that filtering porn is infeasible.
Well it's obviously feasible if they're actually doing it.
That would be a violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act if you are over 40.
Only if the regulators are as literal as you are applying the law. I'm sure screening applicants for aptitude to travel is legal, and people with families happen to be less apt for this particular, required-for-the-job task.
Variable costs !- total costs. Just because a cost has already occurred (dvd printing or automating your warehouse) doesn't mean the company should not pass it to its customers. How else are they supposed to recoup these costs? Pricing should account for total costs in the long term.
I think in this situation, the major argument against charging s&h costs is that customers have already paid for them when buying Vista, when what they really wanted (and were promised) in the first place was 7.
But hey, if you feel "ripped off", then don't buy it.
Thing is, the customers in question here think they've already bought Windows 7. They got a computer with Vista, which they don't want, with a promise of a free upgrade. They don't care what shipping and handling cost the retailers, they've already had to live with Vista for 3 months and now can finally get what they really paid for in the first place.
Sure they'll pay the fee. Better pay 17$ than losing your 300$ purchase, yet it's still a huge PITA.
It takes the form of a plug-in to Firefox and Internet Explorer
What, Google aren't even releasing plug-ins for their own browser first? What kind of endorsement is that?
How much do you want to bet the RIAA will push exactly that claim?
If I take the bet and you win, make sure to report the gain on your tax return.
For the quantitative aspect of the situation, you should examine their offer and try to figure out how they came to this figure. What is it in your company that can make them money? What synergies would you provide them? Do they have a solid marketing team to sell your product? What can they do that you can't, and what can you do that they can't? That way you'll have an idea if their offer is reasonable.
Now, let's reverse the question. How do you value your own company? Do you have the resources and know-how to make it into a $5M company? $100M? You've worked hard up to this point, but this is in the past now. Are you confident enough that you'll be able to get to a point where you actually make good profit?
Now the important point is that if they value your company higher than you do, you should sell. Period. The fact that they are offering something for your company is no guarantee that you'll be able to make nearly as much on your own. They might be willing to give you a lot because you're worth a lot to them. You might not be worth so much without outside help.
As you mentionned, money is but one factor in your decision. Still I hope this helps a little...
I've also removed the search box since I can type "g slashdot" in the address bar to search for slashdot on Google anyway.
It is easier to write an incorrect program than understand a correct one.