Any good news? Please help to stop rumors...

[BGL]

1. CMS (No plans for 12 months)
2. Recourse manager (Work in Progress in development)
3. Gallery (Discussion internal)
4. Blogs (Discussion internal/Forum for features)
5. Groups (Rejected)

Not to go off topic but.

I'm figuring XenPorta for my CMS front page.

What's a good Gallery option?

(feel free to start new thread)

 

[ragtek]

i think this was only a example

like this for example:
..
etc etc etc, it can be a lot of work but when done people will know what to come without knowing a date then they can start investing in bridges or other stuff so they do not invest in unnecessary stuff that will be made within 12 months.e.

 

[BGL]

"Was" being the verb in the sentence...it's alive...it's alive.

 

[AzzidReign]

Apple has been quite successful without letting folks know until the product hits the streets (or close).

There are various methods for such marketing - each have their pros and cons. I think the concerns here was really the change in communication type. That too could have been eliminated with a short note explaining such...

As far as knowing what to develop based on road maps, I'd refer you to the usual case of other companies announcing road maps, plans and promises and then being years late or not doing them at all. In other words, if you are going to announce such things, you have to have a decent record in follow through.

Apple isn't a start up company and has a long track record so people know what they are getting themselves into (not to mention no law suit that could put them out of business if it swung the wrong way). XF is a new company with a lawsuit hanging over everyone's heads with a lack of communication...

 

[we_are_borg]

Apple has been quite successful without letting folks know until the product hits the streets (or close).

There are various methods for such marketing - each have their pros and cons. I think the concerns here was really the change in communication type. That too could have been eliminated with a short note explaining such...

As far as knowing what to develop based on road maps, I'd refer you to the usual case of other companies announcing road maps, plans and promises and then being years late or not doing them at all. In other words, if you are going to announce such things, you have to have a decent record in follow through.

Apple is a multi biljoen company that deliver new stuff in their own way, before release the make announcements. Also companies like Google, Microsoft the big companies have other communication lines to the people. Xenforo has only a few and their own forum is the biggest asset they can have, communication is gold silence is silver.

 

[we_are_borg]

Groups was rejected? Happen to have a source for that, because that's a huge downer. I know there's the social groups addon, but that one doesn't quite cut it for me.

Either way:

I'd settle for a commit log, e.g.

Mon June 4 - Kier : implemented feature X
Mon June 4 - Mike: bug fix, Y
Mon June 5 - Kier : added sparkly unicorns to Z links.
Mon June 5 - Mike: reversed sparkly unicorns.




In all fairness, there have been a lot of promises made, I think it's more a matter of knowing what is being worked on and how much it has progressed to many.

Please read the post it was an example, but it does show people are waiting for some information.

 

[erich37]

other companies may have great "Marketing and PR people", but XenForo has great coders.

 

[we_are_borg]

other companies may have great "Marketing and PR people", but XenForo has great coders.

Can you imagine what would happen if a company has all 3 working together.

 

[Grover]

The only worry is the lawsuit. But XF has said it expects to win. The other worries have already been addressed unless I missed some. Let me know if there are any other specific worries.

Feel free to worry if you want. It's justified. The lawsuit has been a huge financial burden on the company and that affects everything. Rumors have been addressed but not in the bookend fashion that some would like. They cannot provide absolute assurance that everything is alright while the lawsuit is ongoing. They can only assure you that legal defense continues and development continues. In other words, XF isn't going anywhere. Official statements have already been given to this effect. Yet people continue to worry and that's fine. The rumors are ridiculous but the worry is justified. In the meantime you can take comfort in the huge success of XF as a product, without which none of us would be here.

Hello Jake,

Thank your for your objective and professional reply.

I would like to share my opinion (whatever it's worth anyway) with you and others: from my point of view it's not only the lawsuit that is worrying. There's more to it then only that, at least for me. Obviously the lawsuit is worrying many current and potential customers and it is a big shame that there are people so much out of touch with integrity and love that they feel the need (based on fear) to destroy a wonderful startup like XenForo Ltd. and start such a disgraceful (isn't it fitting Xenforo's lawyers are named 'Grace+Grace'?...) lawsuit. My heart lies with Xenforo and I was appalled -to say the least- (like so many others) when I heard about what Internet Brands was doing with this lawsuit. Nevertheless, since I have faith in the integrity of the people behind XenForo Ltd, I was not so worried, because I strongly believe that truth will prevail and that justice will be on the side of people who relate to others (and themselves...) with honesty, integrity and love.

Hoever, what really got me worried was this: http://xenforo.com/community/threads/brogan.31293/page-8#post-359299

This a former colleague of you working for this company/community and one of the most valued and appreciated Moderators out there. Seeing him explaining the reasons why he left got me -as a paying customer and internet business owner who relies on forum-software to drive my business- quite worried to be honest. It got me even more worried than the lawsuit, because I believe Paul made a statement that can not be underestimated. Then, backed up with this comment (on an external website) from another former Xenforo moderator:

Another 'No' - I did say that KAM have made mistakes. IMO, there's no earthly reason why Kier can't take 5 minutes and update his community. I can feel and understand their frustration. So did Brogan. When you can feel and understand their frustration, and try to talk to the people responsible for it, and are met with a brick wall.... well, there's not much else you can do. I found myself not able to work with someone like that, and apparently so did Brogan.

I'm just glad I'm not one of their customers any longer.

Source: http://www.adminaddict.net/topic/6113-the-burning-question/page__st__120#entry70033

... makes me as a paying customer substantially worried. The biggest complaint I always had with vBulletin (in the Jelsoft days) was the enormous lack of developer <> customer communication. When Xenforo started we finally saw this vital issue being addressed, in the form of fantastic HYS videos being published on a regular basis and the 2 developers actually interacting with it's customers on the forums. It didn't stay with interacting only: we saw Kier taking feedback seriously and implementing a lot of our constructive feedback into the software. This was highly appreciated by many, like myself. All of this, and obviously the truly outstanding quality of the software (both internally (code) and externally (the refreshingly wonderful interface is unparalleled in the forum world) was such a sigh of relief from the vBulletin days. In the Jelsoft days of vBulletin the developer <> customer communication was almost non-existing (apart from the highly anticipated and very well written -by Kier- official Announcements on updates) and well... we all know what happened when Internet Brands took over. (What's in a name again... they succesfully destroyed one of internet's best valued brands). Both the well buildup customers relations as the quality of the code went downhill really fast.

And exactly this was turned around when Xenforo saw the light of day. The software was (is) outstanding and also the developer <> customer interaction was highly improved, thus creating a vivid passionate new community around the product. A new hope was being born (it may sound cheeky, but this is actually how many people where feeling about it).

Now, since of lately things have unfortunately taken another turn. As a long-standing huge fan of vBulletin (before IB took over, obviously) and Xenforo I see happening 'all over' again what was one of the biggest gripes people (devoted customers/community members) had with vBulletin: the lack of company/developer interaction/communication. Former Moderators overhere felt (and agreed with) this need of the paying (and potentional!) customers lately and apparently didn't get support on this from the company. What we see happening right now is former Moderators coming forward with stories that result in customers (and I have to be honest, also myself) loosing quite a bit of their trust, or at least starting to worry now more. What we see happening is negative stories, negative speculations, negative rumors etc. spreading 'all over' the internet when it comes to XenForo. This, the remarkable positive vibe that spread around the internet in the first period that Xenforo was alive and kicking is now turning around quite a bit and it saddens me truly to see all this happening. Yes, we do not know the point of view/story from KMA when it came to Paul leaving, but if a very well respected Moderator leaves under these circumstance, many feel something is just not right.

Combine this with the (almost) total silence from the developers/owners themselves (especially compared to the previous period overhere at Xenforo), ofcourse people start to worry more. The worries are justified indeed and I believe that it would be good for Xenforo Ltd/it's software and it's community/customers to re-consider if being more open/informative could actually help turn things around. When there is worry, people need to be reassured (and apparently the reassurance that already has been given in official announcements as of lately are not quite enough). Moderators leaving and expressing their -apparently valid so it seems- criticism, customers expressing the same criticism and not quite seeing the company taking this feedback at (bounded?) heart, leaves people puzzled and... in doubt.

Maybe XenForo Ltd. is now indeed bound by the situation with the lawsuit when it comes to open and more frequent information, we don't know. What I want to say is that XenForo is such a wonderful product, with great people behind it: it has such a fantastic potential (it already is very successful), but what is happening right now doesn't do the product, the name or the community that much good, does it? I obviously say this out of care and love. The only thing I want and wish is to see Xenforo succeed (on many levels), so I dearly hope things can turn around very, very soon.

To a bright future,

 

[HWS]

Perfect summary. Totally agreeable!

 

[Digital Doctor]

At the end of the day, Xenforo is the best forum software and my forum is running super smooth.

I see no reason to worry.
vB4 is almost usable but still horrid. Have you even tried the vB4 CMS (really, it's a total embarrassment) ? XenPorta should be double the price !!
IPB is smartly copying Xenforo but it's still buggy and at best a lateral move from Xenforo.

The present and future are with Xenforo.
It's an Apple (Xenforo) v. Microsoft (vBulletin) thing.
**** Microsoft.

Note: I realize Apple has a better marketing / PR department. But I'm here for Kier's coding, not sweet talking.

LONG LIVE XENFORO.

All aboard !!!

Note: if xF goes belly up [very unlikely], I'll be sad, and just port XF to IPB​

(probably would take one weekend)​

​

 

[BGL]

Combine this with the (almost) total silence from the developers/owners themselves (especially compared to the previous period overhere at Xenforo), ofcourse people start to worry more. The worries are justified indeed and I believe that it would be good for Xenforo Ltd/it's software and it's community/customers to re-consider if being more open/informative could actually help turn things around. When there is worry, people need to be reassured (and apparently the reassurance that already has been given in official announcements as of lately are not quite enough). Moderators leaving and expressing their -apparently valid so it seems- criticism, customers expressing the same criticism and not quite seeing the company taking this feedback at (bounded?) heart, leaves people puzzled and... in doubt.

Not negative but no communication and that after making communication a key feature and selling point. It sounds like they enjoyed the interaction with users of their creation as much as the users did.

Which gets back to the speculation that the reason for the change in behavior is because they can't say anything because it would require them to mislead people. If they were working on a settlement that made XenForo into vB 5.0, that would explain that kind of "brick wall" after being so communicative. There's nothing they could say short of jumping some joint announcement with vB that would not be misleading. I don't think just working hard to upgrade to XenForo 1.2 would cause a change in behavior from previous high level of two way communication with users. That situation has existed since they decided to create XenForo and did not affect their communications.

 

[CTXMedia]

Maybe they just needed a break?

 

[BGL]

Note: if xF goes belly up [very unlikely], I'll be sad, and just port XF to IPB

​

(probably would take one weekend)

Valuable insight there. Now if XenForo is vB 5.0 and XenForo developers are going to support it on the vB support forums, would you stay with vB-XF or go to IPB, from a pure good functionality, support, future software upgrades point of view, Not a values/justice point of view. It's Xenforo 1.2 with a different "skin" with the developers supporting it, communicating with users and working on it moving forward. Where do you go?

Of course, if vB5 is NOT XenForo and XenForo stays uncommunicative, THEN what to do?

 

[BGL]

Where does this nonsense about XenForo being vB5 actually come from?

I saw it on the internet.

 

[agison]

Jedi returned.
Great things are coming soon...

 

[we_are_borg]

Where does this nonsense about XenForo being vB5 actually come from?

How come people like myself get pilloried for suggesting development has stalled, yet outlandish theories like this pass with little comment?

XenForo is NOT vB5.

Its called Humor.

 

[we_are_borg]

I wish it was. Read some of the posts. Don't seem terribly humorous to me. Nor, given the lawsuit, is it particularly funny even if they are. I'm sure Kier and Mike consider the lawsuit to be a right bundle of laughs.

Well a law suit against you is never funny, but say it your self can you imagine if it was true.

 

[Lone Wolf]

I wish it was. Read some of the posts. Don't seem terribly humorous to me. Nor, given the lawsuit, is it particularly funny even if they are. I'm sure Kier and Mike consider the lawsuit to be a right bundle of laughs.

I think I can smell a discharged fire extinguisher, looks like somebody just put out a burning question

No doubt it will be replaced with some other burning question.

 

[Pereira]

Where does this nonsense about XenForo being vB5 actually come from?

How come people like myself get pilloried for suggesting development has stalled, yet outlandish theories like this pass with little comment?

XenForo is NOT vB5.

Perhaps because not one clear piece of evidence has been provided that development at XenForo has indeed "stalled". So far XenForo are well within their aimed release date for 1.2.

I guess Mike fixing bugs does not help the "development has stalled" theory's now either.

Let me just say as well that I'm still very pleased with the current XenForo software package just as it is. It does everything I need and I've never had any issues with it so far.

I bought XenForo because of how it performs now and not for some future version. It honestly seems to me that some are arguing just for the sake of it.