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Option 1 - MS IE Only:
Cost: Approx: $200,000 - $250,000
Time: 3-4 months development/implementation process
This option requires that you develop on top of the Microsoft IE 4.x/5.x browser platform and use the proprietary technologies shipped with those particular web browsers.
Development Costs:
| Item | Rough Estimate/Number of Hours |
| Microsoft Programmer(s) | 450-600 |
| Database Developer | 20-50 |
| Interface Designer | 150-200 |
| User testing | 30-50 |
Associated Costs:
| Item | Documentation | Cost |
| Development platform (IE 4.x/5.x) | Online | Free |
| Commercial Software Publisher (Class 3) Digital ID (for Explorer) | Online | $400 a year |
| MS Visual Basic | Books ($200) | $240 |
Development Time: The hours estimated above do not include project management and administration. Most of the work will be programming the IE toolbar (and meta-info tool) to interact with the back-end developed and hosted by Mouseion. The exact amount of work necessary will depend on what functionality is included in the final specification. Also a significant part of the work will be the development and fine-tuning the user interface.
The extensibility of the IE toolbar is pretty good. Much of the difficult programming has already been done by Microsoft. What is required for an integrated toolbar is directly related to how many features and how much functionality Mouseion wants implemented.
Note: Future versions of the software will require users to re-download and install the browser companion.