Hi,
I require a help regarding my extension fees. I was supposed to submit my thesis on 18th January (as per deadline of my original PhD time-scale) however I have submitted my thesis on 21st January and I have been fined a late fees of £300. This delay in one working day happened because my supervisors had a meeting for a final correction at 3:30pm on 17th Jan with a final thesis upload to my supervisors on 21st January. Now university has sent me a delay fine of £300. I am not in a position to arrange this money (somehow just surviving for my PhD write-up period). Can anyone advise how can I approach for waiving my extension fees. I have talked to my supervisor and he have also complained to the univ. about this fees for a delay of just one (official) day but Univ. does not agree.

Stephensen

Hi Pikirkool,
Thanks for your reply. I am not sure, how to justify that particular portion of the software works better than available commercial software. Like, For example somebody has been said to develop an operating system and the person who developed this, is not sure whether this will stand against any available operating system (Windows, Linux) and he disappears from the univ. (not able to get a contact). Now I know the software is required for any system to run but it can not compete against these operating system (first reason, it has been developed by a good team of people, not by a single person, second reason these are always updated in terms of effectiveness, resource requirement, speed and throughput), except being free. This was also acknowledged by the developer and he left the uni without any contact. And my problem is to show this software works better, which can be only possible either by altering the theory behind this software (as against the standard theory).

Hi,
After some period, I am writing this mail again as I am still facing my hard time. As mentioned in the previous mail, the software designed by Y and Z is not working and it does not agree with the experimental result and commercial software's result (while experimental result and commercial software's result agrees). The problem is, my professors believe that software Y and Z works and can produce better result than this commercial software which is not ((even after lots of convincing, supported by many journals, books, manuals etc.). It is not like that software Y and Z does not work at all but it does not produce better result than the available commercial software (which is bigger cause of the problem) for the agreement with experimental result. These software can take some considerable time (it requires a complete refurbishment). Does anybody think that I can still proceed with my result.

Thank you very much for your reply. I am being guided by a group of professors. Releasing the software for univ. academic purpose and across partner univ. was the plan initially and I believe that's why I was appointed with a small living funding. The professors have the confusion (and still there is some belief) that the developed software can not go terribly wrong. Developing the software was never a part of my PhD (this was said to me time and again), but the belief that software can not be so wrong is causing all these issues. This is aggravated by small living allowance (provided to me) and that too is going to get stopped.

Dear Dan,
Thank you very much for your mail. My prof. has also told me in the similar line in the past (It has verified the software - outcome). But the problem was, they wanted to release this software to other universities (since commercial software is very costly). So, they are asking to redo this software (accomplished by guy 'Y') and there is still some flaw in the basis software of the guy 'Z'. 2nd problem is my funding is ending this month and I do not know how to juggle with finance and my task.

I am currently in my third year (with funding going to be over by this month). Based on my assignment, I believe that I had been selected for my PhD funding (in the year 2009) for some software verification. In the first year, I was working with a postdoc 'X' and it has worked fine. Again, in the second year I was working with a new postdoc 'Y' (this guy was working on some software release which he did not release until he resigned just 5-6 months back). This new postdoc guy was working on this software (some enhancement over some previous guy's 'Z' work over 15 years) from last two years during his postdoc. The software designed by 'Z' was never validated against any experimental result, nor any commercial software (there are already existing software in the market but are very costly and hence univ. has never purchased these, these commercial software are never available in free manner). Hence in the last 3-4 months back, the software designed by 'Y' (which is based on some previous guy's 'Z' work) was never validated and released for my PhD. I am having my tough time, validating the work done by 'Y' (which never works) which is again based on the work done by 'Z' (which also did not work, somebody in my deptt. had provided the feedback as rubbish software, ever released in the univ.). The result generated by the developed software provides an altogether different result than the experimental result (this included some hardware design and experimental setup), commercial available software (having worked with some of these companies, I have still license left with me and hence I am able to validate).
Now my problem is, I am not getting anywhere with the deptt. designed software (which has already taken about 17years of postdoc experience). I do not understand how some persons' failure can be passed to PhDs. Compounding the issue, the guy 'Z' (who was working over 15 years) have stopped coming to the deptt. just after the resignation of 'Y'.
Can anybody help me what should I do in this case.