Proposal: The vBulletin.org Commercial Services and Addons Directory.

[lsmba]

I think it's a bad idea on a several fronts; barring the fact that coders/hack developers are free to earn adequate profits for their original works. However, if a coder/hack developer were allowed space to "advertise" their works, I believe there would be an integrity and content compromise that would untimately erode the culture and reason why users of the Jelsoft Software come to vbulletin.org in the first place...to exchange ideas and software enhancements.

Here's an example, one section of the site (vbulletin.org) would allow the coders/hack developers to commercially advertise on one section of the site and in another section permit them to offer their "free" works. I believe that a major conflict of interest would prevail ultimately damaging the good intentions of both scenarios; commercial and free. As with all good intensions, I foresee the potential for more focus on how to use the freeware aspect to enhance the sales aspect.

Now, there is another matter of "hacks" being developed for free use that are not being adequately supported as stated...now, many vbulletin.org users have posted their distaste for developers not supporting their works;this is already occuring and that issue has not been rectified. I respectfully ask..."why would the owners/administrators of vbulletin.org entertain the possibility of allowing developers to sell their works when the developers currently are not offering adequate support as stated?

I truely believe that the proposal to allow advertising of hacks would greatly "take away" from why individuals visit this site...I believe those developers that feel the need to commercialize their hacks should do so on their own sites. Which brings me to another point, I have clicked onto links of some "developers" only to find that they link back to vbulletin.org or that their site is no longer in existence. It is clear that there is much "cleaning up" that needs to be done from an integrity stand point, legal and customer support front, before vbulleting.org entertains the idea of appealing to some developers that wish to use a site that obviously has significant traffic for their advertising medium.

Now, if vbulletin.org is proposing this as a means to "generate a little profit" from a selling point of significant traffic, then why not just charge a nominal one time fee to all registrants, developers and others and refrain form inevitably damaging a good visitor base.

I can go on and on, but, I hope you all see the "many major pitfalls" in the idea to offer commercial space to developers onto a site that has built a reputation for offering free exchange of site ideas and enhancements. Either way you slice it, I think enabling developers to "sell" their works on vbulletin.org is a "lose, lose" proposition.