Larry,

>>I am sure there is more to the story than what you are saying here...
>>
>
>Actually, no. In another thread, it was expressesd by a developer that they felt it was "unethical to create something that was already out there." I just wanted to sample the masses to find out their opinions on the matter.

>snip<

Was that me? *s* Sorry if I wasn't clear... I know I made the statement that I thought that it could be unethical if you knew of an off-the-shelf alternative and elected to not mention that alternative. IOW, you essentially took advantage of your client's lack of knowledge. Perhaps, as John suggested, this would fall under the 'fraud' category. (John?)

I would also agree that taking an existing package and extending it is entirely 'ethical' in the sense that you are doing your dead-level best to meet your client's needs.

It kind of boils down to a 'Client first' attitude as opposed to a "Me first' attitude I suppose....

I totally agree with John that consultants need to be more aware and knowledgeable in these areas....