Sticky Notes (support topic)

[BankFodder]

Well it is certainly taking a long time and I have to say that I'm rather losing hope. I'm sorry to say that the lack of engagement from the developer doesn't help.

[James101]

@TheJackal84 - Hey bro, any update on this?

[Clubimport]

Sticky note 2.3.2  for IPS4.5    is available on personnal website : 
https://flashmodding.com/index.php?/files/file/24-sticky-notes/

[BankFodder]

A bit of a shame if we've already paid for it though.

Also, the last time that I bought one of this developers plug-ins away from this website, it turned out that I had bought a pirated version and it led to a big argument between me and the developer @TheJackal84

 

So is this one genuine?

Edited December 30, 2020 by BankFodder

[LiquidFractal]

@TheJackal84, as mentioned above, there seems to be a 4.5 compatible version on your website.  As I have an account there (but did not buy it on your site), would it be possible for you to fix me up with download privileges there so I can get the most recent version (you can see in your records that I've already purchased the app)?

I'm sure this would be useful for other members who have been waiting to update Sticky Notes as well.

[BankFodder]

Well it's very disappointing because the developer @TheJackal84 seems to come online here quite regularly and quite recently and yet isn't dealing with this thread.

So I bit the bullet and went to his own site and bought another copy – a second copy – of the sticky notes application.

I should say right now that we don't make any profits from our website and we simply give a lot of free help to tens of thousands of people who have difficulty with their banks and debt collectors and bailiffs and retailers and so forth – so this money is really hard to come by

I do hope it's a genuine one because last time I went and bought a copy away from this site, apparently it was a counterfeit.

Anyway I installed it on our site www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk and it seems to be pretty glitchy.

First of all, if you want to go to the settings page for the "global" sticky notes, is going to a error page 500.

Secondly, in the previous correctly working version it placed a very useful sticky notes link at the bottom of each topic post and when you click that, it was automatically addressed to the owner of that post. Excellent.

On the new version which I have just installed, although it allows you to configure that to happen, the link is not appearing.

Over the festive period we installed a Christmas theme and the sticky notices do not appear with that theme and only with the default Invision theme. Given that many people use a third-party add-on theme, you should be cautious about purchasing this application without an assurance that it will work with a third party theme.

Finally, even on the default theme, where there is an announcement, the announcement displays over the sticky so that you can't see the contents of the sticky if it is displayed at the top right hand corner and in fact you can't even dismiss the sticky unless you dismiss the announcement

 

I'm sorry to say that this used to be an excellent plug-in/application but now considering the glitches and also the lack of support, I think people need to be careful.

I'm sure that if the developer decided to become engaged with it again then it could be excellent once again.

I wonder if there is someone else you might want to take over and to bring it up to scratch – with the approval, of course, of the developer

Edited December 31, 2020 by BankFodder

[OptimusBain]

@BankFodderi don't understand why you would buy a copy outside of IPS if you have paid for it once in the past. 

What we need to know is why @TheJackal84has not updated the plugin yet. I know there could be many reasons due to the world situation we are going through right now. But he has said twice that the plugin has been been updated and tis been more than a month and the update hasn't been approved and he is not very communicative.

It doesn't smell good at all, there is more to what is being said but only he can tell about it. 

 

[BankFodder]

Frankly I don't understand why I need to buy another one either except that the support for the version on the marketplace here seems to have dried up completely and it's an extremely useful add-on and so I figured that I would go ahead and buy a copy anyway – and maybe at some point the developer might refund me. But at least we have a version on the forum which is working – subject to the glitches I've outlined.

 

So I'm taking a pragmatic view

[TheJackal84]

7 minutes ago, Alfonso Moreno said:

@BankFodderi don't understand why you would buy a copy outside of IPS if you have paid for it once in the past. 

What we need to know is why @TheJackal84has not updated the plugin yet. I know there could be many reasons due to the world situation we are going through right now. But he has said twice that the plugin has been been updated and tis been more than a month and the update hasn't been approved and he is not very communicative.

It doesn't smell good at all, there is more to what is being said but only he can tell about it. 

 

 

I di dupdate it but IPS said there was stuff getting added to the members database ( I thought I removed all links to the members database on all my apps months ago must of missed this app ) I will update it with new database tables etc but I am currently working through other updates, I know its not something you all want to hear but apps and plugins with no renewals get put behind apps and plugins with renewals when it comes to priority and it can take IPS days to check and come back to me with a refusal reason etc and in this case its the core members database and by the time they get back I am deep into another program, I will do my best to get this done this week for everyone

3 minutes ago, BankFodder said:

Frankly I don't understand why I need to buy another one either except that the support for the version on the marketplace here seems to have dried up completely and it's an extremely useful add-on and so I figured that I would go ahead and buy a copy anyway – and maybe at some point the developer might refund me. But at least we have a version on the forum which is working – subject to the glitches I've outlined.

 

So I'm taking a pragmatic view

I can only really work on the default theme so using a 3rd patry could cause problems, from your image it just looks like it needs the z-index higher using css so it sits on top of the annuncements and not below, You did not need to buy it I could of generated you a purchase over on my site, it's not something I'll do for any file but on a occasion like this I would do it for you, Message me your username on my site and I'll add $40 credit to your account there ( $20 extra to maybe add a smile and to show I do care ) so you can use it to buy something else if you wanted

[BankFodder]

The screenshot I posted is a screenshot of your application on the default theme – just with a colour change. The announcement is part of the standard Invision platform.

I accept completely that you wouldn't be responsible for your application working on a non-default theme – and in fact we don't use any. The Christmas theme is the first one ever. However, many people do use non-standard themes and so I was flagging that up to them.
The fact that the sticky notes are covered by standard Invision announcements is a problem.

I would certainly be grateful for reimbursement of the purchase price – and eventually have it configured so that we can update it through the marketplace.

Thanks for the offer of something extra – but that really isn't necessary. I'm only trying to get what I paid for – no more no less. I think that's what other people here want as well.

My username on your site is exactly the same as here.

Please don't refund me the extra. I'm not looking for it – and if you think you have something left over then find some homeless people on these cold nights and I'm sure they'll be very grateful.

[LiquidFractal]

11 hours ago, TheJackal84 said:

I know its not something you all want to hear but apps and plugins with no renewals get put behind apps and plugins with renewals when it comes to priority and it can take IPS days to check and come back to me with a refusal reason etc and in this case its the core members database and by the time they get back I am deep into another program, I will do my best to get this done this week for everyone

I can only speak for myself, but this is what I wanted to hear - just a basic update as to what's going on, given the length of time it's taken.  I also understand that the holiday season will slow things up on top of that.  Thanks for letting us know!

Edited December 31, 2020 by liquidfractal

[Telemacus2]

I too purchased this, and it was a great app. 

TheJackal: I think you should add a renewal scheme to this app, I'm sure most people who've purchased this app would approve. whenever a new version of ipb comes out, it's a "P.I.T.A" for customers to have to give up the app. We understand that renewing it takes time and work, so it makes sense to add the renewal option, so that there's some incentive for you too, so please consider it. 

[BankFodder]

  

3 hours ago, Telemacus2 said:

I too purchased this, and it was a great app. 

TheJackal: I think you should add a renewal scheme to this app, I'm sure most people who've purchased this app would approve. whenever a new version of ipb comes out, it's a "P.I.T.A" for customers to have to give up the app. We understand that renewing it takes time and work, so it makes sense to add the renewal option, so that there's some incentive for you too, so please consider it. 

 

 

Maybe I misunderstood something,

On 12/31/2020 at 12:17 PM, TheJackal84 said:

 I know its not something you all want to hear but apps and plugins with no renewals get put behind apps and plugins with renewals when it comes to priority and it can take IPS days to check and come back to me with a refusal reason etc and in this case its the core members database and by the time they get back I am deep into another program, I will do my best to get this done this week for everyone

 

But I understood from this that it was Invision which prioritised third-party add-ons which had renewable fees.

Did I get this wrong?

Am I hearing that it is the developer who is prioritising renewable-fee add-ons over the interests of customers who have paid a one-off fee?

This really doesn't make me feel very comfortable at all.


 

Edited January 4, 2021 by BankFodder

[Davyc]

1 hour ago, BankFodder said:

But I understood from this that it was Invision which prioritised third-party add-ons which had renewable fees.

How can they when it's the developer's product? It's up to the developer whether they update or not, or even continue with any kind of development. I know this is not what you want to hear, but that's the way it is.  If the developer decides to drop a product, paid or not, then that's the developer's choice not Invisons.  That's the price we pay, in more ways than one, when we become dependent on 3rd party apps 🙂

 

[BankFodder]

Yes I understand that now and of course it's quite obvious 3 hours ago, Telemacus2 said:

I too purchased this, and it was a great app. 

TheJackal: I think you should add a renewal scheme to this app, I'm sure most people who've purchased this app would approve. whenever a new version of ipb comes out, it's a "P.I.T.A" for customers to have to give up the app. We understand that renewing it takes time and work, so it makes sense to add the renewal option, so that there's some incentive for you too, so please consider it. 

Yes I understand that now and of course it is quite obvious.

However, when you pay for a third party add-on then there are certain expectations that it will be kept up-to-date especially if the developer is still active and online.
I think there is also a certain expectation that existing customers will at least be informed if support is coming to an end.

It's very disappointing to discover that not only is the add-on not necessarily being updated, but one is left in the dark – and then eventually one is led to understand that what is happening is that existing customers are effectively being sidelined because of the original pricing decision made by the developer.

I understand very well indeed the economics involved – but I also understand very well about transparency, good information, and a certain amount of loyalty to existing customers.

Are these kinds of expectations so unreasonable?

[Telemacus2]

1 minute ago, BankFodder said:

However, when you pay for a third party add-on then there are certain expectations that it will be kept up-to-date especially if the developer is still active and online.
I think there is also a certain expectation that existing customers will at least be informed if support is coming to an end.

Are these kinds of expectations so unreasonable?

In my experience, those expectations are reasonable but unrealistic. There are so many plugins and themes that were never updated that we could write a telephone book with the list... 

[BankFodder]

I agree that it is maybe not realistic to expect it from everyone, but here we have a developer who is online, producing other add-ons, and now we have discovered that he actually has an updated version – the one we are all looking for – on his own website which is available for an extra payment of money – which I have actually paid.

I think if you produce an add-on then I think it comes at least with a commitment that you will place an announcement saying that in so many days or so many months, there will be no further support for this add-on.

If the developer wants to change his pricing structure so that it is renewable, then that's fine – but it seems to me that people should be informed in advance so they can make their own purchasing decisions.

I really don't see what is wrong with any of this.

I can imagine that if the developer was treated in this way by somebody, he wouldn't be pleased

[Telemacus2]

5 minutes ago, BankFodder said:

If the developer wants to change his pricing structure so that it is renewable, then that's fine – but it seems to me that people should be informed in advance so they can make their own purchasing decisions.

What's so hard to understand about this? You're talking about a product that was released how long ago? 3 years? circumstances change. The developer will make no money whatsoever from his customer-base, because they have all bought it already, so he's not gonna be as keen on polishing his app. Sure, there will be exceptions, but I'd rather have an active developer being rewarded for a product I like than one who can choose to or not to update an app that was made ages ago. 

[BankFodder]

You are assuming that everybody bought it three years ago and they've all had three years use out of it. I'm not sure that you have any basis for that assumption.

Of course I have no idea either but it is entirely possible that somebody bought the add-on only a few months or even a few weeks before the big Invision upgrade.
They will be in exactly the same position as the rest of us.

And even for customers of three years standing, I don't see any problem or any cost to the developer of simply making a little announcement so people knew where they stood.

And once again, the app that we are all looking for is actually on his own website and available if you want to pay extra – which I did.

Edited January 4, 2021 by BankFodder

[Telemacus2]

The big invision upgrade has lasted more than 12 months! When did the first beta come out? but that's besides the point. I'm not talking about your case in particular, but about any app on the market. And from what I've read in this thread, I'm pretty sure TheJackal would be keener to upgrade his app (properly!) if his pricing structure were one which included renewal fees. It's my opinion, that's all. 

Going back to your particular case, I'd request a full refund (and if you paid via paypal and are a regular user, you're quite likely to get it). 

Edited January 4, 2021 by Telemacus2

[BankFodder]

I'm not after a refund. I'm not trying to get something for free. I'm afraid you've completely missed the point.

The point really is about being a customer and being kept in the loop.

I don't know how long the add-on has been on the developer's own website, but for as long as it has been, I – and others have been deprived of its use.
Had we known that there was an up-to-date version available then at least we would have been in a position to make choices. As it is, even that possibility was not made available to us because nobody knew until it was accidentally disclosed on this thread.

I don't see what's wrong with transparency

[Telemacus2]

Yeah, I must've missed your point and I obviously didn't know what I was talking about either because you didn't understand a single one of my points either. 

Oh well, peace at last. 😉

[BankFodder]

Yes, let's hope so – but I'd like to ask you one question – which is do you have a copy of this sticky notes add-on and do you have it working on the new version of Invision 4.5 – and if so, how did you manage it? Did you buy a copy from the developers and website?

If you did, having installed it, has installed correctly and are all the features of it available?

23 minutes ago, Telemacus2 said:

Yeah, I must've missed your point and I obviously didn't know what I was talking about either because you didn't understand a single one of my points either. 

Oh well, peace at last. 😉

 

[Davyc]

Expectation, like anticipation, quite often leads to disappointment.  The only real expectation is that the product works for the version of Invision you are using, bugs aside.  The new method of submitting apps/plugins to the Invision marketplace has been upped in terms of what is expected from the developer; for some, this has caused delays in apps/plugins being updated.  You can view this as being both good and bad.  The good is that your expectation of an app/plugin working is heightened, the bad is that you may have to wait longer for an app/plugin to be updated or brace yourself for the disappointment of an app/plugin being either delayed or abandoned.

Many things can change in a developer's life, just as it can in yours, on a personal level; extra responsibility at work, ill-health, the arrival of a newborn, or even just a change of interests; all of these can influence expectations.

I do agree that if a developer is to abandon an app/plugin, it would be the moral thing to advise his/her clients of such an event, but sometimes people just drift away; that is a human failing. 

I would look for an alternative, or ask for a developer to undertake custom work on your behalf if this app is essential to your site, but the Jackal has said it will be updated, so there is hope 🙂

 

 

[BankFodder]

5 minutes ago, Davyc said:

Expectation, like anticipation, quite often leads to disappointment.  ....

 

 

 

Let me ask you the same question, then :-

20 minutes ago, BankFodder said:

... but I'd like to ask you one question – which is do you have a copy of this sticky notes add-on and do you have it working on the new version of Invision 4.5 – and if so, how did you manage it? Did you buy a copy from the developers and website?

If you did, having installed it, has installed correctly and are all the features of it available?