ATT: Staff ---- Verified XenForo Customers (request)

[MichaelDance]

I really do understand that this is the rationale but I just don't think it's a good idea. If someone is not a paid customer they already do not have access to the majority of this forum, including not being able to post to the sections that would ordinarily be used for support issues. Making a more public display of who paid and who didn't will create far more grief for legitimate posters (whether paid or not) than it would do to discourage piracy.

It is inevitable that someone who is registered on the forum just to check out the community and get a feel for XF will be told that they are not entitled to their opinion (if it is critical) because they haven't actually paid for XF.

XenForo Community Support

You must be a XenForo customer to post in these forums. Ensure your account is listed here.​

What more is needed to keep priates from receiving support? Yes the formatting is jacked up, I cba to copy it to notepad first just because the editor (still!) sucks.​

so technically you're saying if someone want's help we have to ask them to make a *pointless* thread in a customer only forum so we know that they have paid for the xenforo license?

 

[User]

so technically you're saying if someone want's help we have to ask them to make a *pointless* thread in a customer only forum so we know that they have paid for the xenforo license?

The way I see it support issues should be handled on the forum rather than by PM for two main reasons. First, because it's an easy way to see whether someone is or is not a paid customer. Second, because odds are that if one person has this issue there will be at least one other person that will eventually run into it and thus there is a lot of benefit in dealing with this publicly so the problem and solution can be indexed by google. If there is sensitive info required to support then that info can be exchanged by whatever other means the two parties find necessary.

But to answer your question more specifically, you could also simply search the "customer only" forum to find out whether the person has ever posted in it to verify whether they are paid up or not. If it were me I wouldn't require them to make a post if you insist on support via PM only, I would simply ask them whether they have purchased XF or not and then use my best judgement based on their posting history and their forum.

 

[Adam Howard]

They need a Licencing software like WHMCS with a Ioncube encrypted php pages with a license checker in it. So it connects to xenforo dbs.

Therefore anyone without a licensed domain wont be able to use it. I think that would be the best option.

But again I don't want people to benefit from the support, when guys and girls like me pay for the software and they don't.

vBulletin and IPB, which I both own, have a "feature" that "calls home"... I self null it to prevent it from doing so.

I don't like things that "call out".

 

[SchmitzIT]

Whenevr I was in doubt, I filed a support ticket. Ashley usually is more than happy to confirm or deny license-ownership when there's a chance of doubt.

Another way is tgo ask the client/person in question to create a support ticket to verify their license, and then post the URL to that back to you. If Ashley confirms the license is legit, you got a live customer. If not, then chances are you're dealing with a nulled version.

 

[User]

vBulletin and IPB, which I both own, have a "feature" that "calls home"... I self null it to prevent it from doing so.

I don't like things that "call out".

So you feel that it is OK to violate the terms of the license agreement because you paid for the software?

 

[Adam Howard]

So you feel that it is OK to violate the terms of the license agreement because you paid for the software?

I believe ownership is 9/10 of the law.

I also know that there are a lot of companies which would like you to believe that their policy supersede that of your own legal rights and that more people need to educate themselves. I also know some companies like to take things out of context when quoting things.

I have no further comment.

 

[User]

I believe ownership is 9/10 of the law.

I have no further comment.

Personally I don't care what you do, I just find it amusing that you are so concerned with pirated versions that you made this thread about publicly classifying users on this forum but when it comes to your own house you apply rules which are convenient to you.

 

[Adam Howard]

Personally I don't care what you do, I just find it amusing that you are so concerned with pirated versions that you made this thread about publicly classifying users on this forum but when it comes to your own house you apply rules which are convenient to you.

I feel your argument doesn't apply.

In this case I am a valid XenForo owner and can prove that I did indeed purchase a valid copy of XenForo. Having the need to it to "call home" isn't a requirement and for some web hosting companies; it is prevented. This applies also to any other product which I purchase and use.

 

[CTXMedia]

I really do understand that this is the rationale but I just don't think it's a good idea. If someone is not a paid customer they already do not have access to the majority of this forum, including not being able to post to the sections that would ordinarily be used for support issues.

AFAIK unlicensed customers can access the support forums here on XF - which is why a number of us have asked for either a visual indicator of the license holding or exclusion from specific support forums. The only real giveaway at the moment is when someone admits they can't download images/attachments - that's about the only time you know they haven't associated their forum account with their license.

Competitors don't allow unlicensed users to access community support areas and that's all a few of us are wanting here. It's no biggie though - but it would be good to know that when we're helping people out that it is people who are supporting Xenforo not working against it (pirates).

 

[User2]

AFAIK unlicensed customers can access the support forums here on XF - which is why a number of us have asked for either a visual indicator of the license holding or exclusion from specific support forums. The only real giveaway at the moment is when someone admits they can't download images/attachments - that's about the only time you know they haven't associated their forum account with their license.

Like I previously tried to point out, you are wrong. If you are not a licensed customer you cannot post to the support forums. To demonstrate I created this account and was greeted with this message upon just viewing the support forums. Those are the ones which say "You must be a XenForo customer to post in these forums. Ensure your account is listed here.", why you would think that this message is there only for giggles and that it doesn't actually apply I don't know.

 

[CTXMedia]

Like I previously tried to point out, you are wrong. If you are not a licensed customer you cannot post to the support forums. To demonstrate I created this account and was greeted with this message upon just viewing the support forums. Those are the ones which say "You must be a XenForo customer to post in these forums. Ensure your account is listed here.", why you would think that this message is there only for giggles and that it doesn't actually apply I don't know.

Interesting - this must be a fairly new addition as this wasn't the case previously. I stand corrected. (Which in this case is a good thing ... )

 

[MichaelDance]

Like I previously tried to point out, you are wrong. If you are not a licensed customer you cannot post to the support forums. To demonstrate I created this account and was greeted with this message upon just viewing the support forums. Those are the ones which say "You must be a XenForo customer to post in these forums. Ensure your account is listed here.", why you would think that this message is there only for giggles and that it doesn't actually apply I don't know.

You're talking about Just the support forums.


People can post in the so called "Public Forums", Private Messages and General Discussions.

 

[User]

You're talking about Just the support forums.

People can post in the so called "Public Forums", Private Messages and General Discussions.

True, but since we are talking about providing support to users I figured that those support questions would be posted in the appropriate support forums. If support requests are posted elsewhere then they would be off-topic there and conceivably moved to the right forum (and perhaps it would also be an indication that those who posted in the wrong forum didn't pay for a license).

I can definitely see your point that you as 3rd party dev want to be certain that someone paid for XF before you provide support to them. I just don't agree that overtly segregating users in plain view is a good idea because it divides the user base and will create 2nd class users. There are a number of legitimate reasons I can think of why someone participates in this forum without having their account associated with a paid license.

I am a paid up user, I own one license which I just renewed, I wouldn't be one "branded" as non-paying participant in this forum, but I still object on such branding on principle because I don't see the benefit outweighing the cost. The cost being the level of grief a very public segregation would create. Perception is reality and it is inevitable that the opinions of those who didn't pay will be viewed differently from those who did pay.

 

[MichaelDance]

True, but since we are talking about providing support to users I figured that those support questions would be posted in the appropriate support forums. If support requests are posted elsewhere then they would be off-topic there and conceivably moved to the right forum (and perhaps it would also be an indication that those who posted in the wrong forum didn't pay for a license).

I can definitely see your point that you as 3rd party dev want to be certain that someone paid for XF before you provide support to them. I just don't agree that overtly segregating users in plain view is a good idea because it divides the user base and will create 2nd class users. There are a number of legitimate reasons I can think of why someone participates in this forum without having their account associated with a paid license.

I am a paid up user, I own one license which I just renewed, I wouldn't be one "branded" as non-paying participant in this forum, but I still object on such branding on principle because I don't see the benefit outweighing the cost. The cost being the level of grief a very public segregation would create. Perception is reality and it is inevitable that the opinions of those who didn't pay will be viewed differently from those who did pay.

They can ask for support in any forum or pm they don't have to use this forum though.

It's a bit like Ps+ We have a little symbol to show we are a member of the Playstation Plus member. We've paid for the membership, like we've paid for this software.

 

[EQnoble]

It is simple....

Make a thread...

In a pm tell possible receiver of support to respond to this(link to thread you created) so that you may verify that they are legit...

if they have a problem with it...tell them you care about your community and this is how we do here...end of story...they are asking you for help remember, not the other way around...they should not feel inconvenienced...if they do it is probably because they also feel entitled.



Personally I like it this way because only if both parties involved in the situation are on terms with it will it be known who is who and who has rights to whatever.

 

[MichaelDance]

It is simple....

Make a thread...

In a pm tell possible receiver of support to respond to this(link to thread you created) so that you may verify that they are legit...

if they have a problem with it...tell them you care about your community and this is how we do here...end of story...they are asking you for help remember, not the other way around...they should not feel inconvenienced...if they do it is probably because they also feel entitled.



Personally I like it this way because only if both parties involved in the situation are on terms with it will it be known who is who and who has rights to whatever.

Do you really think the staff and moderators would respect loads of useless threads?

 

[EQnoble]

really does it matter...

you could post a link to any existing thread...and tell them what to type in it to verify it yourself...that would not create a new thread...I mean you could tell them to quote somebody and say thank you to them....no one would even be aware that it is a lic check.

...do you think the devs would appreciate coding a system to allow you to check if I have a license or not...(even though I do not ask you for help and would not want you to be able to check if I hold a lic or not...) and do you think the people like me who feel it is useless to a degree would respect the decision to appeal to a small group of people over the development of the actual software itself...


I have thought about this before and I have switched over from the we need a system for this mentality....

remember the people checking will be devs for the most part...the ones who are slightly to greatly more skilled compared to the people asking for assistance and devs as a group is smaller than requesters as a group. It should be no problem for a dev to be creative in what they choose to tell said person that they are helping what to say with out making it hot and obvious

 

[MichaelDance]

really does it matter...

you could post a link to any existing thread...and tell them what to type in it to verify it yourself...that would not create a new thread...I mean you could tell them to quote somebody and say thank you to them....no one would even be aware that it is a lic check.

...do you think the devs would appreciate coding a system to allow you to check if I have a license or not...(even though I do not ask you for help and would not want you to be able to check if I hold a lic or not...) and do you think the people like me who feel it is useless to a degree would respect the decision to appeal to a small group of people over the development of the actual software itself...


I have thought about this before and I have switched over from the we need a system for this mentality....

remember the people checking will be devs for the most part...the ones who are slightly to greatly more skilled compared to the people asking for assistance and devs as a group is smaller than requesters as a group. It should be no problem for a dev to be creative in what they choose to tell said person that they are helping what to say with out making it hot and obvious

There's no system needed blimey, they created xenforo i'm sure five minutes coding a simple bullet point selection field if your username is on your license.

 

[EQnoble]

You are not getting it....

If I create another account so that you don't that you are talking to me....I do not want you knowing if I am a lic holder or not...nor do I want you knowing what other names of mine are associated with me...

I will make a comparison...

If walmart told you everything I have purchased...I would be suing them for violating my privacy... I alone decide who knows if I am a license holder or anything else about me...

If I was a new member and I noticed that in place I would leave and never come back here...


It's not as simple as you are making it...nor is it coding something in 5 minutes...

 

[MichaelDance]

You are not getting it....

If I create another account so that you don't that you are talking to me....I do not want you knowing if I am a lic holder or not...nor do I want you knowing what other names of mine are associated with me...

I will make a comparison...

If walmart told you everything I have purchased...I would be suing them for violating my privacy... I alone decide who knows if I am a license holder or anything else about me...

If I was a new member and I noticed that in place I would leave and never come back here...


It's not as simple as you are making it...nor is it coding something in 5 minutes...

that's why I suggested a Bullet Point field.

http://xenforo.com/community/thread...ro-customers-request.33860/page-2#post-401960

You choose if you're displayed as a customer or not.

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Hard? If they can connect your forum name to your license I'm sure this is easy by a Permission group style.