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Yeah, its tempting to turn around and say "I cannot match that timescale and understand you are taking you business elsewhere"
if only I had the courage
You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start
Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
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It's not about courage, it's about the need for the job... if you don't need it too much, then you have a more dominant position in which you can press a little bit more, if you need it desperately then you are screwed.
I remember time ago one guy that told me: "I have this amount of money to spend in the programming of 4 robot cells but I don't know exactly what has to be done".
It would have been a nice amount of money if the job would have lasted for 6 or 7 months, but without knowing what was involved, and knowing the amount of available time was almost a year I decided to let it go.
Customers some times... 
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Eddy Vluggen wrote: I'd say he is bluffing in order to get the price down
Maybe. He should pick his bluffs more carefully then. He just told a coworker he wasn't a developer.
A non-developer bluffing to an experienced developer about the time something should take... 
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Sander Rossel wrote: A non-developer bluffing to an experienced developer about the time something should take...
They're called "salesmen", "manager" or "CEO".
Bastard Programmer from Hell 
If you can't read my code, try converting it here[^]
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I've heard epic tales of their ignorance, yet now I've met one myself I'm still surprised
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But... I get this sort of sh*t all the time, a manager who used to be a developer 25 years ago, in VB, concludes a meeting by saying, oh that should take about x days/weeks/months so I want it delivered in x-10%.
3 days later will also give you another project to complete in parallel, no change to the deadline!.
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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It's absurd that logic and reasoning seem to be the opposite of one's power...
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Actually said manager is brilliant, just not at estimating development resources, or managing minions. He manages senior management rather well!
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity
RAH
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You do know how they get salesmen?
http://dilbert.com/strip/2006-07-29[^]
GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)
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You have obviously not met a "Project Manager" before, this is their default position, they then move to "This only took x days last time you did it so you should be able to it quicker this time"
You cant outrun the world, but there is no harm in getting a head start
Real stupidity beats artificial intelligence every time.
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I would suggest your response to him might be "You have not enough experience".
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I've been thinking exactly that.
I'm guessing that he has about 15 years more experience than me though 
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Ask yourself why he needs you if he has so much experience. I would be inclined to call his bluff, and tell him your estimate stands. Then he has the choice, accept your estimate and pay, or do it himself. Unless, of course, you really need the money.
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Sounds like the biggest issue is going to be the customer.
Sander Rossel wrote: So why have me do it then?
Exactly if he has the experience!
New version: WinHeist Version 2.1.1 new web site.
When you are dead you don't know it, it's only difficult for others.
It's the same when you're stupid.
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Is his name "Jeff"? I worked for a Jeff once that said things like that all the time. He had once written some software in COBOL which apparently showed him that he was an expert programmer and all things were easy. This is why he always thought software developers were obviously overpaid and were constantly lying to him about how long things would take.
- I would love to change the world, but they won’t give me the source code.
modified 15-Apr-15 13:48pm.
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No, his name isn't Jeff
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People lying is a reasonable expectation. Just think about it: http://dilbert.com/strip/2011-02-20[^]
GOTOs are a bit like wire coat hangers: they tend to breed in the darkness, such that where there once were few, eventually there are many, and the program's architecture collapses beneath them. (Fran Poretto)
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Funny you mention that - I had a spookily similar experience with a Geoff except in his case he'd written an application in MS basic so this made him an expert in high performance comms (serial data at 4800 baud) and real time programming (displaying said data on the screen, picking a colour at random for each new data item).
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I once helped staff an industry specific software presentation where loads of people were invited to come along for demonstrations cake and coffee
I had one potential who, for every aspect of the software I demonstrated, told me that his existing self made solution was faster, better, wider and cheaper. I took this for a while and then stood up, handed him back his business card, and told him that we couldn't help him.
He seemed shocked and I know everyone else in the room was as well but you just cannot help some people
It depends on how confident you are in your own abilities and how desperate you are for the work.
That was about 30 years ago and I am still working in the same market place today and also still have some of the same clients that became customers around that time (I would love to have said that particular demo day but cannot remember for sure)
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That's awesome. You weren't rude or anything and just told him the truth. Probably everyone in the room, including that guy, thought the same 
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"Good, Quick, Cheap. Pick any two."
Said with a smile, it can be tactfully delivered.
Doesn't work worth a damn in an email or text. 
Cheers,
Mike Fidler
"I intend to live forever - so far, so good." Steven Wright
"I almost had a psychic girlfriend but she left me before we met." Also Steven Wright
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Seems you have a choice to make. If you find yourself with enough work, simply stand by your estimate and let them either agree or go elsewhere. If you are short enough you are willing to risk being wrong then accept the counter offer.
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Way back (in 1996) I was the new guy in a software shop.
Graeme, one of the Directors, said "Robert, we have great new project for you to lead. Visual Basic, right up your alley, large budget, big multinational. The deal is all signed - fixed price contract. Dave will tell you all about it."
Dave, apparently, came up with the fixed price quote. The fixed price covered about 6 man-months at the then rate for developers.
Dave showed me his spec document, about 70 pages. It appeared to be a series of style notes for Win Forms. After listening to Dave for a while I said: "Dave - how many input forms are there in this system?".
"I don't know", says Dave, "you can figure that out when you design the system.".
"Dave, how did you come up with a fixed price for this system if you don't know what it does?".
"Oh", says Dave, smiling. "It doesn't really matter. We've got a huge budget, AND ... it's going to be written in VB which is really fast and easy!".
At this point I was thinking to myself: "Dave must be a total VB hacker with no real world smarts. I need to let him know that what seems really easy for him may not be for ordinary folk".
"So Dave", I said, "how much VB have you done?".
"Oh", says Dave, "none at all. But I've heard that it's really easy".
And yes, I did quit that company not long after ...
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