skysober

I'm curious what this mod is intended for. I have a site where members have uploaded about 350,000 photos... using the attachment when posting.... exactly what does this do different?

My thought on trouble tickets... Why not just do as most dedicated servers offer or even as most commercial software support does. Instead of paying for something you hopefully will not need (and IPB software should work out of the box, so it isn't like one needs support daily,) Just have a set amount for a trouble ticket. Yup. If you are not paying for 'yearly' support, then have a set rate for each ticket. And since it seems that past customers will continue to be locked out of the forums that give past assistance by IPB and customers helping customers with their purchased versions, maybe then offer a fee for past customers to access that area, which would solve about 99% of their need to even place a trouble ticket. Ways need to be found to bring back old customers as well. In this depressive economic period where so many companies and businesses are going under, costs are being scaled back everywhere. It's always simple business logic to have many customers at a low price, then a few at a high price. Loose those few at the high price and it's all over... loose a few low price customers and it doesn't impact the company as much. For myself, being out of work for almost 7 months now (Southern California is officially at 11.2% unemployment, but in reality closer to 22%,) if the dedicated servers had not gone down to half in price, I would have shut down all of my servers. Donations into one site for example last year was about $350 a month. This year it's been an average of less than $50... Ways to save, and ways to retain customers, must be looked at closely, and means to get even a small profit is better than no profit at all - which is what happens if it is out of reach...

hehe... Matt put on a pot of coffee. I'm a coming over to stay in the guest bedroom at the 'headquarters' - lol ( and if you percentage INCREASE per capita... it is that... ;))

Well I'd compliment Dean, but alas he is nowhere to be found anymore, and yes I complimented Bfarber way back when he was one of the good guys who made free mods, (come back from the dark side! ) lol But when I think of Invision and the improvements that made it better than the other commercial forum software, it included the mods. In fact that was the main reason for it. I started out with IPB 1.1 And in that, it was Dean and Bfarber whom MADE IPB what it is today, for without them, I surely would have looked a lot harder at Vb or gone back to phpBB years and years ago!

I too like the new skin in 3.x. Ironically I suspect those of us staying with 2.x will end up having that skin create for our 'outdated' versions of IPB - lol

Profit is one thing. Selling even only 2500 copies of the software at the average $49 it was is $122,500.00! Yes, that is a profit and is 6 digits! When I bought multiple copies of IPB, I paid what I felt at the time, to be an expensive alternative to the free forum software out there, simply because I liked the features that could be added into the software. (and I paid $39 per license times 3 - so I got a discount from the $49, in a time that the economy was good and not in a depression, not in the hundred and forty amount for each license now given only a few years later, that I am informed I must pay when I would not even be upgrading to that version! ) Now imagine if they sell 2500 at $140 (which is a 9100% increase in price from $49), that's $350,000.00 !!! and always many of the softwares features that are added in to new versions are taken from contributors who make FREE mods and give within IPB community! Paying for support is where you are talking directly to a tech, i.e. trouble ticket or they come into the site and fix something. It is not the discussion forums, that contains useful information that a customer whom paid for that version of software is excluded from. I could see if an 'expired license' asked tech support to answer a specific question. But having a useful reading source that all customers who paid cash for a product to be excluded from IS what I am talking about.

I still enjoy the mod that allows me to set which member levels can even USE the report a post. Nothing irks me more than a noob trial member who pulls the 'fire alarm' thinking it is a reply to the post button... My Report-a-post not only alerts all mods and admins, but sends a text message to my cell phone... Keeping out sites safe and legal is always a priority. But a 'pop-out' (no matter what it is called, it is still is perceived as one), would be very welcome.

I have to agree with one thing here. Even IPB past customers whom are dissatisfied with something are always able to voice their disdain. hehe, Lord knows, (and everyone else I suspect,) I have always voiced out when I thought something needed 'fixed' or added that I felt was an essential part of the forum software. The programmers may not have always listened or acted upon the requests, but at least I was able to express my topic. It's sad to hear that VB is acting this way. While they are 'competition', how one treats a customer affects everyone, as even though we may own one or more IPB sites, we do visit other ones that may be using VB and if they are not getting the support or satisfaction they need, then it takes away from that site. More and more members are going to places like Twitter (which is for twits) saying forum software is ancient. All forum companies need to press forward and add (not take away or upgrade to cause a lost of features,) areas that can compete with other formats. IPB may have its faults like all companies, yet they always listen and strive to improve, and while I thank all of the IPB team, I would like to thank Bfarber especially for being there to listen and assist us.

Since I get input from many other IPB site owners and we do share our experiences and thoughts on how to improve our sites using IPB software and such, placing our members always first and foremost, taking in expenses, costs to upgrade, loss of present functions, etc., I am posting this simply as an informative thread of what I hear and think my own self. As IPB is aware, many have chosen to not change their software from 2.x to 3.x at this time. This is due to many various reason, ( and yes there are many great positive improvements - but this deals with the negatives, and does not mean they will never change to 3.x ) The major reasons are: 1) present modifications will not work with new versions. (yes, it is realized that some of the present mods will be duplicated/made to work with 3.x eventually...) 2) Members using the test beta report that with the drastic changes in how they navigate about is confusing and being creatures of habit, they have difficulties in using the new 3.x format. While 3.x will be great for new sites, established site members would have to be 're-trained' in the features and ways to even use the site. 3) Skins are again null and void - after many paid to have custom skins designed. After years of complaints on this, IPB devised a way to upgrade skins more easily, and one can remember quite clearly the promise that this would help solve the frustration and extreme additional expenses from occurring in the future. 4) Support for customers who bought and paid for at least one license disappears after a period of time. Understandably, one would not expect IPB techs to go in and repair or work on a site after a year, yet even the forum for customers helping other customers, simple ticks and tricks, or past ways that a customer was helped or got something to correct or work, all are locked out for those who paid for IPB software and chose not to 'upgrade'. The forums should be set up help in specific versions, and say for example, a customer buys a version, the forum that relates to that version should 100% accessible. The present invisionpower setup just indicates to past customers that IPB discards them as being a valid part of the community. This is indicative that if one purchases 3.x and when it 'expires' those customers will too be locked out of areas specific to their versions.