Plugins and Products [How will it affect future modder input]

[nitro]

Im not sure wether this point has allready been made, but first having been around vb for sometime do not get me wrong. Although iv not yet took much of a serious look at product code etc the feature and method is indeed an improvement and makes modifying much easier, for those who have allready played anyway. Yes I love the new hook system, when I need to Im sure I will be able to grasp it relatively quickly for small projects at least.

But is there a downside?

I rememeber one of the first mods I installed a long time ago called the gallagher hack, and this was before I had even gained much in the way of html knowledge, however I found that while dropping the php code edits in what I was looking at was in some respects relatively understandable. And its that, that inspired me to look at other mods, and even some that would do but needed tweaks to do what I personally wanted. Now many will have to agree thats how most vb modders start. Many of those modders from sometime ago have moved on. Of course theres still plenty around at the moment. but now many new users are just going to click install and generally not even bother to look at the code.

So im just wondering how many think the benefit of plugin/products outway the potential downside I see. Of course I dont personally want the new system dropped, so I just hope it will remain a happy modfest for many years to come.

Really I want to see positive replies like "what a load of hogwash nothing will stop vb modding"

[Andreas]

Hmm, I don't think the plugin system will cause a decrease in hack releases.
The product system makes creation, distribution and support of Hacks so much easier than before.
With vBulletin 3.0 for example, I didn't release many of my Hacks - simply because it would have meant writing intensive instructions and dealing with a lot of wrong file edits, queries, etc.
Such mistakes now won't happen, the time to make a hack releasable drastically gets cut down.
vBulletin 3.5 final has been out since less than a month, yet there are already 470 (!) Hacks available here; vBulletin 3.0 currently has 1.100 - and is available since 1 1/2 years.

[Paul M]

Originally Posted by Andreas

vBulletin 3.5 final has been out since less than a month, yet there are already 470 (!) Hacks available here; vBulletin 3.0 currently has 1.100 - and is available since 1 1/2 years.

Hmmmm, don't forget that this is mainly because a very large majority of those 470 are just ports of 3.0 hacks, and that started in June, not a month ago.

[noppid]

Originally Posted by Paul M

Hmmmm, don't forget that this is mainly because a very large majority of those 470 are just ports of 3.0 hacks, and that started in June, not a month ago.

Don't dismiss the effort of converting a hack to a good vB product, it's not that easy. It takes some reasearch, but results in a much better management senario.

For the original poster, I think we will have just as many hacks, but more people installing them.

[Paul M]

Originally Posted by noppid

Don't dismiss the effort of converting a hack to a good vB product, it's not that easy. It takes some reasearch, but results in a much better management senario.

Where did I dismiss that ? I think I know how much effort is involved

I was pointing out that the straight comparison of 1100/18 months to 470/1 month was not really a true/valid comparison (apples & oranges etc ......).

[nitro]

Not only that but some of the ports will be being done by the original mod author, not all of course, but I sense most of the 470 odd 3.5 mods have been made/ported by those who have in the past had to see the code and so gained experience. What Im really looking at is where are tomorrows modders coming from as now most new comers will just click install and come back if theres a problem or update. Its higlhy unlikely many of the new comers will even bother to view the php in CP for the most part.

In the past theres been those that just install with some feedback maybe, those that install and do some minor tinkering but do gain some understanding and those that go beyond, and release several useful or fun mods.

I dont dispute the benefits at all, more mods are definatly likely to get installed under products and plugins as the edit nightmare is dimminished for each update. I just think that theres a possibility of a future issue for new blood so to speak.

Theirs basically 3 reasons why vb is at its current positon today aside from being reasonable value for money. One of those 3 main reasons is the modding community that itself has promoted and supported with good reason.

[Brad]

I think it all boils down to the fact that we all want to make our message boards more than 'just a message board'. Honestly I could've cared less about coding until I wanted something that no one had intrest in writting but me, and thats when I bit the bullet and learned perl.