How do i download plugins?

[Michael_]

I just bought a plugin but when i click on "Download this file" i only get a popup telling me the following:

 

Quote

 

Installation Instructions

1. Log into your AdminCP and go to the Marketplace tab
2. Search for (aXen) Article System in Pages
3. Click Install

 

Yeah im oldschool. I want to download my plugin and save it on my hdd.
I then want to manually upload it through the acp to install as i always did for decades.

So question is how do i download plugins to my local hdd?
I do not want to use that app store crap.

[Steph40]

1 minute ago, Michael_ said:

I just bought a plugin but when i click on "Download this file" i only get a popup telling me the following:

 

Yeah im oldschool. I want to download my plugin and save it on my hdd.
I then want to manually upload it through the acp to install as i always did for decades.

So question is how do i download plugins to my local hdd?
I do not want to use that app store crap.

Well you are out of luck and dependant on marketplace, sorry.
 

I am old school too and wish I could do it too.

[Michael_]

2 minutes ago, Steph40 said:

Well you are out of luck and dependant on marketplace, sorry.
 

I am old school too and wish I could do it too.

You telling me there is no way to download plugins / bypass marketplace anymore?

I have not used IP.Board/IPS for quite some time.
When did they come up with that GORGEOUS idea?

[Steph40]

4.4.10 is the last version that you can still download apps and plugins. After that it is all marketplace install.

[Adriano Faria]

11 minutes ago, Michael_ said:

When did they come up with that GORGEOUS idea?

 

[Michael_]

Well i bought my license just a few days ago, spent the time until now to research which addons i want to buy just to find out
i wont even get the source of the plugins i PAY for. This is really great.

Anybody know if xenforo still gives you the source of the plugins you buy? lol sorry but i dont like to get treated like a fool

Need to seriously give my decision to use ips a second thought under this unexpected circumstances

Its a shame as i think ips is way superior to xenforo and other alternatives

Edit:

With a new license it seems like i cant download 4.4 and older versions of plugins (for 4.4), right?

Edited December 28, 2020 by Michael_

[Miss_B]

12 minutes ago, Michael_ said:

Well i bought my license just a few days ago, spent the time until now to research which addons i want to buy just to find out
i wont even get the source of the plugins i PAY for. This is really great.

Anybody know if xenforo still gives you the source of the plugins you buy? lol sorry but i dont like to get treated like a fool

Need to seriously give my decision to use ips a second thought under this unexpected circumstances

Its a shame as i think ips is way superior to xenforo and other alternatives

By source of the plugin, do you mean the plugin files? If that is what you meant, you can get the files/folders of items that you purchase from the MP. If it is a plugin, its folder will be inside the plugins folder of your forum root. If it is an app, they will be inside the applications folder of your forum root. You can view them or download them to your pc from there.

Edited December 28, 2020 by Miss_B

[Noble~]

51 minutes ago, Michael_ said:

Yeah im oldschool. I want to download my plugin and save it on my hdd.

[Joel R]

Just now, Michael_ said:

Well i bought my license just a few days ago, spent the time until now to research which addons i want to buy just to find out
i wont even get the source of the plugins i PAY for. This is really great.

Anybody know if xenforo still gives you the source of the plugins you buy? lol sorry but i dont like to get treated like a fool

Need to seriously give my decision to use ips a second thought under this unexpected circumstances

Its a shame as i think ips is way superior to xenforo and other alternatives

I'm not here to defend IPS one way or the other, but ... Do you actually need the source code of plugins?  

I'm not asking about rare 'what if' scenarios.  I'm asking if you genuinely have a need to review the source code or to perform security audits. The majority of clients don't actually need (nor would they understand) the source code.  We just need to know the plugin is installed and it works and it meets IPS' benchmarks. We install and go.    

If you do have a need to examine and download the plugin, you can reach out to the author for a private transfer.  If you're self-hosted, there's also nothing stopping you from examining the TAR or XML files on your server.  And if you're cloud, there's a reason why you chose cloud, which is that you don't want to self-manage the software, much less third-party plugins.  

I can't speak to other companies' policies, but my understanding of certain third-party ecosystems is that it's a glorified linklist to offsite resources.  No security reviews, no performance benchmarks, no standards at all for being listed.  You go to a third-party site, pass along financial and customer data to a third-party site that can pop up and shut down at any time, and install at your own risk. 

IPS forcefully removed certain authors from the Marketplace for egregiously breaking certain standards, and those authors are still participating in other forum ecosystem. 

[Michael_]

6 minutes ago, Miss_B said:

By source of the plugin, do you mean the plugin files? If that is what you meant, you can get the files/folders of items that you purchase from the MP. If it is a plugin, its folder will be inside the plugins folder of your forum root. If it is an app, they will be inside the applications folder of your forum root. You can view them or download them to your pc from there.

Does these files contain the unencrypted source?

But i cant reinstall the plugins at another ips installation by downloading and reuploading the files from the plugins or applications folder right? Im pretty sure this wont work, otherwise it would be a workaround for the marketplace feature and need to contain the install routine, which i guess they delete at the end of the installation so you dont get it.
 

3 minutes ago, Joel R said:

If you're self-hosted, there's also nothing stopping you from examining the TAR or XML files on your server. 

Im selfhosted. Can you explain how to do this? Where are the tar and xml files stored?

[Noble~]

If you have server access go to your root/Public_html, for your apps look in the folder applications - For plugins look in your plugins folder👍

That's only after you install them on your site.

Edited December 28, 2020 by Noble~
add word

[Michael_]

50 minutes ago, Joel R said:

If you're self-hosted, there's also nothing stopping you from examining the TAR or XML files on your server.

Where do i find the TAR or XML files?

17 minutes ago, Noble~ said:

If you have server access go to your root/Public_html, for your apps look in the folder applications - For plugins look in your plugins folder👍

That's only after you install them on your site.

There are no TAR or XML files in these folders

Just the plugin files.
But thats not the complete package you would need for installing without using marketplace.

[bfarber]

The tar/xml files are not retained. They are install files and are used to install the resources, and then are removed.

It is generally against license agreements to purchase a plugin or application and use it on more than one site. If the author of a resource does allow this, then you may be able to reach out to them and ask them for a copy of the resource once you've purchased it to install on another site. If you are speaking of test sites specifically, we have a special -TESTINSTALL key that you can use on your test site which will give you access to your resources purchased for your live site for a test installation.

[CoffeeCake]

On 12/27/2020 at 8:09 PM, Michael_ said:

But i cant reinstall the plugins at another ips installation by downloading and reuploading the files from the plugins or applications folder right?

What are you trying to do exactly? Can you help explain why you'd install a resource on one site via Marketplace, and then try and transfer that installation to another site using a mechanism other than Marketplace?

[Michael_]

I just dont like planned obsolescence.
Im still running forum software (modified) thats 20 years old on some of my other projects.
Try installing IPS 4.5 and plugins off the marketplace in 20 years from now. Good luck! (At least without using pirated software) *

Same reason why i never liked linux.
But there you could at least run your own (offline) repository if you want to.
That basically fixes it but is a hassle compared to just downloading one big package which contains
everything (including dependencies) needed to install a software (without downloading stuff off the internet) as it was in windows ever since.
Bevor they started ing it up by implementing a lot of crap starting with version 8 or 10.
Thats why im using Windows 10 LTSC which strips much of that crap + some tweaks.

* Yeah i know thats why you guys do it. You want to prevent that from happening.
But that stinks. I think the customer should decide what he does with the software he BOUGHT.
If he decides to reinstall it in 20 years from now there should be no asking "why would you want to do that?". He bought it. he owns it. His decision.
Thats how it should be in my opinion.

Think about it.

10 or 20 year old forum software like vbulletin still works like a champ and gets the job done just fine.
Add php 7 support & responsive/mobile support and you would be good to go for 2021.
There would be absolutely no need to buy modern software in most cases.
BUT unfortunately there is no php 7 and mobile support (at least out of the box and up to snuff with ips 4) cause its EOL.
Why? So the developers can charge big for new versions and updates.

Good thing is i probably wont be using ips 4.5 in 20 years from now. (I'd rather still use vb3 and wbb2 by then)
So i guess i can live with whats going one here. I still dont like the direction in that you guys are heading (basically already headed), though

BTW:

My car is 50 years old too... Still running like a champ. No need to upgrade.

Its actually better than the new crap you can buy today. Its got a big v8 putting out 200hp to the wheels, automatic transmission, ac, cruise control... You name it.

Why would you want to upgrade to an electric vehicle where you have to lease the batteries and where recharging takes HOURS?
These electric vehicles also got no power when going higher speeds.

[CoffeeCake]

5 minutes ago, Michael_ said:

If he decides to reinstall it in 20 years from now there should be no asking "why would you want to do that?". He bought it. he owns it. His decision.
Thats how it should be in my opinion.

I'm not sure I follow your logic.

If you're wanting to assure yourself that you'll be able to use Marketplace purchases into the future, should IPS go defunct, you'd be able to do this within the current 4.5 framework. You simply need a backup of your database and the filesystem. In the scenarios you've described, you'd not be extracting resources from one installation and placing them into another, which is what I thought you were asking about.

If you want to remove something you've purchased, use the "disable" option in the ACP. Then, in your scenario, enable it in 20 years when you've decided to use it again.

The model here is typically that a resource is purchased for one licensed install and one licensed install only. If you wanted to use those resources on another licensed install, you'd have to purchase it a second time.

And you completely lost me with the linux thing.

[Michael_]

The point is with vbulletin 3 for example i can perform a fresh install today.
Then i can go ahead and install the plugins i want. (From packages i downloaded before of sites like vbulletin.org)

You cant do such thing with ips 4.5 in 10 years from now. (i assume)
The marketplace probably does not exist (at least in this form) anymore by then so you wont be able to install anything from it.
And you cant download the full packages anymore since 4.5.
So your basically screwed if you want to perform a fresh install of ips and plugins in like 10 years from now.

Thats my whole point basically. 🙂

[Michael_]

BTW: That means the 1,5k i spent on IPS right now is like throwing 1,5k out of the window in the long run.
Because you basically got nothing in 10 years from now.
Yeah nobody would pay much for 10 year old software anyway but you wont even have the 10 year old software by then. 😄

* Yes you can still run your existing installation. But you know the point.

Edited December 30, 2020 by Michael_

[CoffeeCake]

28 minutes ago, Michael_ said:

The marketplace probably does not exist (at least in this form) anymore by then so you wont be able to install anything from it.

This would be entirely speculative. When you purchase something today from the IPS Marketplace, you get something according to IPS and third-party terms for an install today. How things might work in 10 years from today is something we can't know. Let's hope IPS would provide adequate notice to customers for any changes that might impact the ability to use a resource in the future.

If you're concerned about maintaining an off-site copy of your purchased extensions, your best course would be to maintain regular backups. The purchases you made today are for your use today, as you see fit to make them, and can be retrieved so long as you renew your licenses for the resources and for IPS proper. Alternatively, you can hire some of the wonderful developers here to create third-party applications and plugins that can be installed outside of the IPS Marketplace.

I'd strongly advise you against purchasing software 10 years prior to your expected use. It's very likely that there are bugs and vulnerabilities that will be patched between now and then, as there are in vBulletin 3, not to mention dramatic improvements that will undoubtedly be made in that timespan.

In all of these scenarios however, your license and purchase are for a single licensed host. This software is simply sold differently than you might be used to. If not having these terms is what's most important to you, there are other vendors out there and open-sourced solutions that may be a better fit.

[Michael_]

At the end of the day we live in a capitalist society.
So customers and there money decide which companys and products survive.

That being said xenforo already has the by far biggest market share.
I suspect it will go up even more to the disadvantage of the invision power services company, soon.

Given your new business practises i would actually like to see that happen.

[Morrigan]

Your post made me laugh pretty hard:

https://www.similartech.com/compare/invision-power-board-vs-xenforo

While I appreciate that you disagree with how the marketplace has changed IPS isn't going anywhere and just to spite you I think my goal this year will be to buy 1-2 more IPS licenses for my hobby projects.

[CoffeeCake]

13 hours ago, Michael_ said:

At the end of the day we live in a capitalist society.
So customers and there money decide which companys and products survive.

IPS isn't for every endeavor, and there are many alternatives to choose from. Many are available as open source projects that have no licensing costs associated. While IPS has a built-in Marketplace with inherent disadvantages, a critical feature for us is the ability to be able to install and maintain third-party extensions outside of that ecosystem. Today that is a feature in the product, is essential to us, and is what keeps us on the platform in spite of the Marketplace changes you referenced that really are for the benefit of those folks who can't or don't want to maintain complex software lifecycles. They just need something that works now. You can take advantage of the mechanism to use your own resources as well, by creating those modifications yourself or hiring others to do it for you.

I'd encourage you to make lists of the things that are important to you and work to identify the solutions that tick off as many of those boxes as you can. At that point, you can decide if the costs required (as measured in fees, outside resources, and knowledge gaps) are justifiable to reach your goals.

[Michael_]

5 hours ago, Paul E. said:

IPS isn't for every endeavor, and there are many alternatives to choose from. Many are available as open source projects that have no licensing costs associated.

There is no good free alternative anymore these days.
Back in the days there have been lots of free alternatives which some of them have been pretty good.
Mybb 1.6 was the pinnacle. Great free forum software with lots of great plugins, most of them free too.
Yeah but it has been going down hill ever since 1.8.
2.0 got cancelled & 1.9 is due for years now.
They never added mobile support / responsive templates in 1.8 so out of the box its still not responsive in 2020.

I suspect they have been sabotaged or bought out by some bigger company.
Simply because 1.6 was so good that there basically was no need to spend money on a paid solution. So it was dangerous for companys like
jelsoft, woltlab or invision power services.

phpBB is and ever has been a joke.
It works but that's about it.

Everything else is even worse.

But man was mybb 1.6 great. One great thing still true even for 1.8 is that its not bloated with a lot of crap like xenforo or ips is these days.
No developer tools bigger than a whole forum package back in the days and stuff like that.
Its pretty simple to develop own plugins and it works like a champ. Same is true for vbulletin 3 for example.

[CoffeeCake]

I think we're quite off topic from your original question, which has been thoroughly answered: There is no mechanism (by design), in 4.5, in which you can extract purchases from Marketplace and then install them elsewhere without using Marketplace. This is not a function of planned obsolescence, but rather an effort to streamline the experience of purchasing and installing addons for those community administrators that cannot or do not wish to manage code, and to make lives easier from a customer support standpoint. Does this tradeoff come with the issues you've mentioned and more? Yes. Is this good for all communities? Absolutely not. 

You can tie an internet accessible "test install" license to Marketplace and your production URL to Marketplace and install and upgrade purchases from there, or install things you or others make via the manual upload option.

If being able to download and upload code outside of the Marketplace is important to you, for whatever reason, don't buy things from Marketplace. Write and maintain the code yourself, or work with developers directly and off the Marketplace. Pay attention to license terms. Just because you can technically do something doesn't mean it's okay to do so. Just because you have a copy of software in your possession does not mean you can install it wherever and however often you'd like to. You purchase a license to use the software; you do not own it.

As a matter of best practices, I'd highly discourage running any code that is no longer maintained for security updates. There have been major security issues in every product you've mentioned, and many of them are end of life and no longer being maintained.

Good luck!

[Michael_]

4 hours ago, Paul E. said:

Does this tradeoff come with the issues you've mentioned and more? Yes.

Yes i also think everything important has already been said.
And this issue aside i still think ips is the best platform available.

May i make a suggestion on closing?

Why not simply allow downloads parallel to the "idiot install"?
This way there would be no tradeoff but even a gain.

Edited January 1, 2021 by Michael_