Decide between a desktop scraper and a script
Weighs a point-and-click desktop scraper against a custom script for your project and recommends one with the break-even point in plain terms.
Task:
Weigh a point-and-click desktop scraper against writing my own script for my project, and recommend one.
Context:
The project is [what you collect and from where], needed [one time, weekly or daily]. I have [coding experience] and [hours per week] hours per week to spend. My computer is [operating system] and it is [always on or sometimes off].
Rules:
- Compare upfront effort, ongoing maintenance when the site changes, control over politeness such as delays and request counts, and how easily I can hand the work to someone else.
- Name the point at which the other option would win, as a number of runs or pages where you can, and mark it as an estimate.
- Ask me one question if a missing detail would flip the recommendation.
Result:
The recommendation in one sentence, then a table with the columns criterion, desktop scraper and script, then one paragraph of at most 80 words on when I should switch.