Make Xenforo Ltd's own paid-for add-ons available through the Resource Manager

[karll]

Why? Because it makes sense: You have a resource manager. You have add-ons. Use it!

You tell other people to use it (I think?). Xenforo's own add-ons should be the first to be added. Lead by example, use it!

Xenforo's free add-ons are already in the RM. Why not the paid-for ones as well?

It will also provide greater visibility for these add-ons, and customers can rate and see how these add-ons have been rated by others. It'll provide a more level playing field.

 

[Martok]

There are some issues with adding them to the RM, including:

• Everyone who has purchased XenForo (and has a forum account) can download resources from the RM, whether or not their license is current. It would create extra work to manage active license holders this way (forum account and customer account are different)
• Licensed customers can add other forum accounts in the customer area to allow other people to post in the customer forums. However they may not want those users to have access to the XenForo official software.
• The RM is only designed to download resources, it's not a purchasing system, so you'd still need the customer area to purchase official add-ons and renew license extensions.
• The XenForo software and add-on downloads are unique to each customer (which is why you need to use the correct one if you have multiple licenses and sites). The RM doesn't deal with this situation.

XenForo free resources should be in the RM (and they are) but for the main paid software and add-ons it makes more sense for them to remain in a customer area due to these and other complexities. Hopefully we'll be seeing an improved customer area in the future, it has already been hinted at by the dev team.

 

[karll]

Martok, I didn't mean to say the paid add-ons files should be moved away from the customer area. Just that the add-ons should be listed and visible through the RM, like any other paid add-on, and when you purchase them, you should be redirected to the customer area. So exactly the same way other developers' paid add-ons are handled: the files themselves are handled outside of the RM, typically located on the software developers' own site.

 

[Martok]

Ah I see what you mean!

I guess it depends on what the devs do with the main page of this site as they develop a new customer area and whether the extra work in creating and maintaining resources for the main software and add-ons is worth it for them or not.

 

[Robust]

Ah I see what you mean!

I guess it depends on what the devs do with the main page of this site as they develop a new customer area and whether the extra work in creating and maintaining resources for the main software and add-ons is worth it for them or not.

The OP is a bit confusing, but I think he just means creating resource entries would allow for things such as reviewing the official add-ons. I don't think he is suggesting that anything should be changed about the customer area, or the way the products are sold, supported, etc.

I guess it's bad from a business perspective, negative reviews would hurt the image of the product, whilst positive reviews wouldn't change much (perhaps that's just me, and the image I hold of them). It seems like a suggestion for the sake of transparency if anything.

 

[karll]

I notice the free Xenforo Ltd add-ons are available in the RM. So why not the paid ones as well? Come on, you have to be consistent!