When vBulletin becomes fully commercialized

[Paul M]

Originally Posted by COBRAws

That is SO TRUE.

No it isn't. 90% of my hacks were written specifically for Cable Forum. They are released here so other people can use them. They are not written to make money, nor is that my aim. I have no desire to subject myself to the hassles that come with selling vb mods/hacks/whatever.

[Adrian Schneider]

Originally Posted by Ntfu2

And would also(well hopefully) require that the hack be 100% supported for each and every uses problems (not saying they arent now, but you have to admit, there are some here that are just posted and left)

Just another spin on it... if they do it as a hobby, it should remain a hobby, right? Would supporting hundreds of users (many of which should just read the FAQ and solve their own problems) be the fun and good time you hoped for? God no. The second it becomes "work", it should be treated as work.

I for one won't release anything major here for that reason. I enjoy coding, but I don't have time to support releases, and I will just be letting people down; so instead, I will my give my products/support to those who can compensate me for it.

I have great respect for the people who can be patient enough to do this (or have enough time). Not everyone can though. Wanting money isn't always a bad thing; it pays the bills. The warm-fuzzy feeling doesn't. People need to pay bills.

I am disgusted by this thread. People are releasing things from the goodness of their heart, and are being overwhelmed by the demand for more, and to make matters worse: lack of respect. Remember one thing: you paid for vBulletin. Not the coders. We are a plus, one that has been taken for granted lately. We are customers... just like you. If you want the community to continue to thrive, you must become part of it.

--

Anyway, back on topic. If vB.org does implement a paid hack directory, there are a few things that I'd like to see:

-A reasonable fee (I'd rather it be high than low!)
-Hosted support forums
-A bug tracker
-User feedback

This would be for the user-end of course, they don't want to be signing up on 100 boards to receive support. This is supposed to be the ultimate vB resource, so let's make it one. I won't be too concerned if we never implement this, but if we do, let's make it count.

Oh and, to charity!

[Marco van Herwaarden]

I doubt it will be more then an advertisement list.

I don't think we will ever host support forums or bug trackers. That is something the coder must provide if he wants to run a business.

[amykhar]

Thank you for your comments Adrian. It's nice to see somebody who gets it.

[jward]

Originally Posted by MarcoH64

Let me clarify 1 thing vBulletin.org is a place for free modifications, that is how it is now, and that is how it will stay. We will not be hosting any commercial modifications here.

As a small "gesture" towards those who have commercial products, we will in our current plans however implement a link directory, where authors can rent advertising space for their commercial work. The exact requirements to get listed and how we will implement this are not known yet.

Do you have an ETA on this Marco? Any idea on the format, etc?

[Ntfu2]

Originally Posted by SirAdrian

Just another spin on it... if they do it as a hobby, it should remain a hobby, right? Would supporting hundreds of users (many of which should just read the FAQ and solve their own problems) be the fun and good time you hoped for? God no. The second it becomes "work", it should be treated as work.

I think my comment may have been taken the wrong way. As it stands now (free) i think there should be 0 responsibility for coders to support their hacks if they do not want to or dont have time to, releasing them is gratitude enough IMO

Once there are paid hacks though, for them to be on vB.org i beleive they should have to support them 100% of the time for each and every user that requires it. This is also when it becomes more then a hobby.

[Ohiosweetheart]

Originally Posted by FASherman

Let the market bare what it will. I have no problem purchasing quality add-ons to vBulletin if they are worth the value. In the last week, I've purchased add-ons from vbSEO and The Geek without so much as a nanosecond of regret. IMHO, what I got was worth what I paid and was a hell of a lot easier than trying to develop it on my own.

Hacks are okay, but I like to have the option of going commercial for features that I consider critical.

I don't have a problem paying for a quality add-ons either...... if I could afford them. However, being a divorced mom of 2 who barely makes it from paycheck to paycheck, that simply isn't possible. And trust me, there are alot of people out there who live on a very tight budget with the economy and gas prices being what they are right now.

So, this being the case, many of us would have to do without, due to circumstances beyond our control? hmmmmmmmmmm...

Originally Posted by Paul M

No it isn't. 90% of my hacks were written specifically for Cable Forum. They are released here so other people can use them. They are not written to make money, nor is that my aim. I have no desire to subject myself to the hassles that come with selling vb mods/hacks/whatever.

I'm in love with this man! ^

[amykhar]

I think everybody has financial priorities. I would love to have a new freezer in my home, but don't have money for it. I don't expect somebody to give it to me for free though.

And, if somebody were to offer me a free one, I certainly wouldn't expect them to help me install it, use it, or repair it if it broke.

That said, most of us code for ourselves. And, since we've done it anyway, we share with the rest of you. That won't change if paid mods are offered here. But, the sheer number of you guys now make supporting all the free stuff prohibitive. So, keep that in mind when it comes to the freebies. It's a free freezer. After that, you're on your own.

[Ntfu2]

Originally Posted by amykhar

....

And, if somebody were to offer me a free one, I certainly wouldn't expect them to help me install it, use it, or repair it if it broke.

.... It's a free freezer. After that, you're on your own.

How do you come up with such good analogies

[amykhar]

Lots of practice