Free board, but no free plugins.
A little ironic.
xiaozhu Wrote:Free board, but no free plugins.
A little ironic.
I don't get it... 1 coder decides to charge for his plugins and all other coders no longer exist? Out of the handful of plugins I use on my forums only 1 of them is by labrocca... so the amount of free plugins still outweigh the ones labrocca is putting out.
xiaozhu Wrote:Free board, but no free plugins.
A little ironic.
Since when did you have to pay for these plugins -
http://mods.mybboard.net/
Interesting conversation. As pointed out...this was eventually going to happen by someone. If anything it's a sign of the success of mybb. Also it's true that if this doesn't generate me any income I would probably drop it and consider other ways to monetize. Adjustments will probably be made. I can forsee when 1.4 is released that I take some of the older plugins and create a free download area. It's all about the marketing and positioning.
Quote:Free board, but no free plugins.
A little ironic.
I am only one author.
I do have some BIG plugins planned for 1.4...knowing I have a revenue stream inspires me to get them done quickly and with as many features as possible. The only way I make money is by having great support, creativity, large selection of plugins, and updating them quickly. For those choosing to subscribe..they will see a benefit.
mybb plugin install is the best feature I see comparing to SMF and I want to stay at free software support.
KuJoe Wrote:The Jackal Wrote:A note about charging for goods
Now Labrocca is charging for plugins and releases on his site, he is now bound to deliver a service to paying cutomers, so he will be "forced" to upgrade, update, release new plugins, otherwise he will lose members, and even ruin his already great reputation.
Exactly, the way I see it, $5 a year is a guarantee that he will support and update his plugins. You can't expect something like that from a volunteer.
I Agree with you. Plugin and Theme Developers have this right.
So I made a choice - I wont download Labrocca plugins anymore, as they will turn paid at any moment and unsupported here in mybb oficial board...
Your plugins were amazing, I am very sad to see you go. I am also concerned and worried about one day MyBB may turn into paid software (or parts of it), can't it all just be free? I thought free was good?
KuJoe Wrote:$4.99/365 days = $0.0137 per day.
Yes, that's a little over 1 cent per day... start digging in your couches! LoL
It's not about 1 cent or 1 $... it's about perception.
When I find MyBB and I see all this people and their works, I decide to never come back to phpbb.
Many others was looking for alternatives to phpBB and MyBB it's a good one.
Of course, it's not easy to create plugins for MyBB.
It's about... time, energy and money... and finally... what satisfaction they have ? So... few bucks can be a good motivation.
But... I read some topics, where everybody says... MyBB will always be free. OK.
Now we can say "MyBB will always be free. Plugins... maybe will be...".
Never mind, I really don't care.
Every coder can do what he want's with own work.
Like aglioeolio say before, I wont download Labrocca plugins anymore, but I will appreciate his work, always.
Good luck.
I just hope MyBB dosen't go down this route. :?
Quote:- I wont download Labrocca plugins anymore, as they will turn paid at any moment and unsupported here in mybb oficial board...
Weird since I am fully supporting my plugins and always have. However it's those FREE plugin authors I have seen come and go. Often others or I are left to give support for them. At mybb central I have always supported my plugins and members that use them. I go as far as logging in and fixing it myself on their server even if the problem isn't related to my plugin. Free is good. I love free. However realize that free doesn't equate to great support...it never has. I dare you to PM a staff member of Mybb and see what kind of response you get.
Here are examples of mybb staff signatures:
Quote:Please do not PM me for help, I will always tell you to ask in the support forums.
Quote:Please do not PM me for support. Chances are I'll ignore you.
That's fine and an understandable position but realize it's not for everyone. Some really need quick response to their problems and being ignored or forced to post their issue publically may not be optimal for them.
Quote:Your plugins were amazing, I am very sad to see you go.
They ARE amazing (just a grammar correction) and I haven't gone anywhere. No need to say goodbye to me.
I actually feel good about those choosing not to pay. It really does make me realize that all the time I spent helping a LOT of people many were just ungrateful and unappreciative. I know that the mybb central subscribers will get A+ support from me. I would rather help 100 people in a year all paying $5 each than 500 people most of which just want my free services. Don't confuse me with mybb staff. I never agreed to offer my services here free even though I have and still do. I am not obligated to do stuff for others nor would I accept such duty. I have to remain open to income.
One real cool benefit of being a Mybb Central subscriber is that I am probably going to start taking requests for plugins. Previously I would just create plugins only I needed and then shared them. However if I get requests that others want as well I will be more inclined to create that for them. The same holds true to adding features to existing plugins.
I must say ..I get a strong impression that the people saying they won't pay...can't pay. Am I wrong? Being that I only currently accept paypal how would someone from a third-world country pay?
I really do appreciate this thread though. I think it's a very healthy discussion for us to have. I realize people don't agree with my decision but I do hope this doesn't alter their perception of me too much. I just want my choice to be at minimum respected. If I get that then anything is possible for the future.
Thanks.
Rovin Wrote:Your plugins were amazing, I am very sad to see you go. I am also concerned and worried about one day MyBB may turn into paid software (or parts of it), can't it all just be free? I thought free was good?
MYBB will NEVER pull a IPB. Sorry but not everyone is a Matt M. who breaks promises and is basically a slimeball. I say slimeball because he told a lie about keeping IPB always free. Unfortunatly in this day and age most see $$$ and the internet has become a good source to make a quick buck and thus why i knew at somepoint this sort of thing would happen here with the Plugins. In either case i dont see there ever being a shortage of plugins as new people will come along and will wanna make a name for themselves and make free versions.