State of XF Coders

Be careful when using that as a basis for development. A lot of add-ons just don't need updating and will fall off the map using that basis. And downloads don't register for premium add-ons at all.
I know and that is why I said ratings AND downloads.
If someone wants to know the most popular free downloads, you just look at the raw download numbers. There you can see the most popular ones. And how many addons appear from the last 2-3 years, and how many from earlier?
And to see overall the most popular addons, so paids included, you look at the ratings. And again the same thing.

I am following XF since 1.2 and in the past a decent addon got easily 10 ratings. When we look at the newer decent addons, they get no reviews at all. There is a decline, you can see very easily in the development community that both sides are not much interested anymore.
 
I know and that is why I said ratings AND downloads.
If someone wants to know the most popular free downloads, you just look at the raw download numbers. There you can see the most popular ones. And how many addons appear from the last 2-3 years, and how many from earlier?
And to see overall the most popular addons, so paids included, you look at the ratings. And again the same thing.

I am following XF since 1.2 and in the past a decent addon got easily 10 ratings. When we look at the newer decent addons, they get no reviews at all. There is a decline, you can see very easily in the development community that both sides are not much interested anymore.
I don't know that it's a lack of interest or XF 2 itself. It may be that there are over 2000 add-ons alone for XenForo and many of those fill a very specific niche. Coders may feel that there's already an add-on that exists and either they don't feel they could improve on it or they don't want to compete with the existing add-ons.

Personally when I take on a new add-on, I check if one exists first. If I feel I can't improve on it or do it in a significantly different fashion, I don't do it. In many cases, there's no point in reinventing the wheel. So it's a natural slow down that happens as add-ons are created.
 
A lot of add-ons just don't need updating and will fall off the map using that basis. And downloads don't register for premium add-ons at all
Exactly... BTW @sbj. Not all add-ons require updates constantly.
XenMoods is a classic example. Other than a few minor CSS issues (which mainly have to do with after market styles) it still works.
Screen Shot 2016-09-29 at 9.02.31 AM.webp
And how many addons appear from the last 2-3 years, and how many from earlier?
So, explain to me why an add-on that does what it says it should on the tin be updated when there is no need? There are many add-ons like that. If they aren't going to be expanded by the developer, and they still work with no apparent bugs or security holes - why should they update it just to satisfy someones fixation on dates?
I am following XF since 1.2 and in the past a decent addon got easily 10 ratings. When we look at the newer decent addons, they get no reviews at all.
And a lot of people don't rate/review stuff they download. I have to admit that I'm frequently in with that crowd.
 
And a lot of people don't rate/review stuff they download.
As someone who has released a decent number of add-ons/resources/guides, to not even get a like/thanks from those who use them, never mind a rating and review, and the only time you ever hear from someone using the resource is when they have a complaint or problem, is disheartening and makes one question why bother doing it in the first place.

I'm fairly sure the only reason I got so many reviews for my FT add-on is because when I processed payments manually via conversation, I used to ask people to rate and review once they had a chance to use it, if they could spare the time.

Since switching to an automated process, I have received just 6 reviews this year, and one of those was a 1 star from someone who couldn't work out how to download the add-on ...

So from a resource author's perspective, it's a two way street.
If there is a perception that your time and effort is wasted and the community doesn't appreciate your efforts, quite frankly why bother?

As far as paid development is concerned, I have quoted people in the past but apparently £100 is too expensive for 10 hours work.

Now I no longer bother quoting.
 
disheartening and makes one question why bother doing it in the first place.
While this has crossed my mind as well it is the nature of the internet (possibly a generational issue) to not say a simple thanks. Just have to expect these things and honestly if 1 out of 100 people say thanks it almost makes up for it. :)

I just enjoy the process of making things and if someone finds it useful that's great.
 
As far as paid development is concerned, I have quoted people in the past but apparently £100 is too expensive for 10 hours work.
I didn't realize you were doing custom jobs at some point! Dang, sorry I missed it, £100 for 10 hours is pretty cheap indeed.
 
As someone who has released a decent number of add-ons/resources/guides, to not even get a like/thanks from those who use them, never mind a rating and review, and the only time you ever hear from someone using the resource is when they have a complaint or problem, is disheartening and makes one question why bother doing it in the first place.

I'm fairly sure the only reason I got so many reviews for my FT add-on is because when I processed payments manually via conversation, I used to ask people to rate and review once they had a chance to use it, if they could spare the time.

Since switching to an automated process, I have received just 6 reviews this year, and one of those was a 1 star from someone who couldn't work out how to download the add-on ...

So from a resource author's perspective, it's a two way street.
If there is a perception that your time and effort is wasted and the community doesn't appreciate your efforts, quite frankly why bother?

As far as paid development is concerned, I have quoted people in the past but apparently £100 is too expensive for 10 hours work.

Now I no longer bother quoting.
i wish XF would make reviewing the mod after buying it more obvious, i honestly always forget to review something not because of laziness but because i simply forget to, there has to be a better way to review it right after you buy/download it ?

also i really wish you would drop the characters requirements, i keep coming up with stuff to write just to fit it..i will either love it or hate it i dont see the need for a 100 characters
 
I just enjoy the process of making things and if someone finds it useful that's great.
I've got enough variation of functionality needed for my sites, it gives me quite range of things todo :)

is that the same @Xon in here?
Yes.

Don't get me wrong, XenForo is very flexible and the XenForo Class Proxy system is very powerful. But the lack of documentation for how todo things is real.
 
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I don't know that it's a lack of interest or XF 2 itself. It may be that there are over 2000 add-ons alone for XenForo and many of those fill a very specific niche. Coders may feel that there's already an add-on that exists and either they don't feel they could improve on it or they don't want to compete with the existing add-ons.
In many cases, there's no point in reinventing the wheel. So it's a natural slow down that happens as add-ons are created.

There are 2000 addons, and believe me when I say that I went through all 180 pages of RM (I bookmarked 480 resources). And nearly half of them are from time of 1.0 to 1.2 and are outdated.
That means you have to reinvent addons in order to be able to use them in the newer release 1.3, 1.4, 1.5. But this is not the case. So the oppositive should have been the case. There shouldn't be a slow down.

Also the numbers don't back up the theory of "natural slow down" as it doesn't seem to be that the market looks like saturated.

If you look at the https://xenforo.com/community/forums/resource-and-add-on-requests.68/page-70 forum on page 70, you will see that the dates show you 2014 May.
So half of the requests were made before this time, the other half after May.
And XF 1.3 came out in 2014 March.

This means half of the requests were made for 1.0-1.2.
And the other half of the requests for 1.3-1.5.

So the demand stayed pretty equal. There is no saturation, as people kept asking for addons at the rate they asked before the newer versions of XF. But while the demand stayed the same, the developments didn't stay the same. It declined drastically. As you can clearly see from RM, most popular addons are developed around 2013.


Exactly... BTW @sbj. Not all add-ons require updates constantly.
XenMoods is a classic example. Other than a few minor CSS issues (which mainly have to do with after market styles) it still works.
Sure, but I was more talking about new developments rather than updates. And I can clearly see that in past the development of addons was much bigger than it is the last 2-3 years.


So, explain to me why an add-on that does what it says it should on the tin be updated when there is no need? There are many add-ons like that. If they aren't going to be expanded by the developer, and they still work with no apparent bugs or security holes - why should they update it just to satisfy someones fixation on dates?
Ahh, now I see the problem. You think I based my sentence on the update-date. No, you misinterpret what I said. I haven't looked at the update-dates at all. I looked at the creation-dates.
When I said:
If someone wants to know the most popular free downloads, you just look at the raw download numbers. There you can see the most popular ones. And how many addons appear from the last 2-3 years, and how many from earlier?
I was looking at the creation dates, not when they got updated the last time. Else it makes no sense and doesn't deliver you the correct information. I think Snog also looked at the wrong dates, which makes his comment more meaningful now. Ahhh.

And a lot of people don't rate/review stuff they download. I have to admit that I'm frequently in with that crowd.
But this "a lot of people" is always around, no matter the time. They were around in 2010 and they are around in 2016. This behaviour was around all the time, it is not a new kind of behavioural flow. In the past there were also many people who didn't rate, but yet again there are a lot of ratings from that time. Today are many who don't rate, too. But we don't have much ratings at all. To sum it up, you see the decline.



As someone who has released a decent number of add-ons/resources/guides, to not even get a like/thanks from those who use them, never mind a rating and review, and the only time you ever hear from someone using the resource is when they have a complaint or problem, is disheartening and makes one question why bother doing it in the first place.
I feel with you and with all devs, and you guys deserve much respect.

But honestly, this part is basically saying that the RM lacks some functionality. I know when you wrote this you didn't think about the RM, and you won't criticize the RM, but if we are trying to be objective for a sec, what you and other devs experience is due to RM's lack of functionality.
It should be the RM's priority to get ratings/reviews/likes out of people who use it. If it can't, it fails its purpose. And more importantly if it is only used to give negative ratings, than there is completely something wrong with the functionality of the review system. So while in general people are too lazy and ungrateful to leave reviews (myself included), this could be compensated with a good review system, where it kind of solves this problem.


So from a resource author's perspective, it's a two way street.
If there is a perception that your time and effort is wasted and the community doesn't appreciate your efforts, quite frankly why bother?
I think in general RM's reviews are not a good indicator of how someone is appreciated. I think the only reliable source is the number of sales you had. And this number is only known by you. That should give you the right impression if you are appreciated or not, and in your case I think it is safe to say that you are.
 
And nearly half of them are from time of 1.0 to 1.2 and are outdated.
That means you have to reinvent addons in order to be able to use them in the newer release 1.3, 1.4, 1.5. But this is not the case. So the oppositive should have been the case. There shouldn't be a slow down.
This is the part I don't think you understand. Many of the 1.2 add-ons out there still work today with version 1.5. I have several that were originally released for 1.2 that are still chugging alone today with 1.5 and haven't required any updates.
 
This is the part I don't think you understand. Many of the 1.2 add-ons out there still work today with version 1.5. I have several that were originally released for 1.2 that are still chugging alone today with 1.5 and haven't required any updates.
No, I understand. And I also had at least 10 addons from 1.2 time which still worked. I do understand you. But first, you are wiping away the ones for 1.0 and 1.1 under the carpet, so you just pick the comfortable part. Secondly, although at the same time many stuff from 1.2 works, also many others don't work.
And even if all of 1.0-1.2 would work with the newest versions of XF, I showed you that the demand for addons didn't drop at all. The request for addons kept at the same pace, which means there is no reason why there shouldn't be newer and different addons other than those which were developed earlier. Cause the demand is there, proved by the statistics.
 
On the topic of reviews - I pay for a license and support (when it is offered). I will happily renew. If I engage with the developer one on one and it is a positive experience, I will go further and say thanks.

Leaving reviews is not my thing. But if it were, reviews at their core are to help consumers. Of course a selection of reviews can be helpful to developers.

Reading here that I am somehow viewed as less of a customer because I do not leave reviews is a real eye-opener.
 
Xenforo has been by far the best software forum experience I have ever had as a site owner. They can take all the time they want with 2.0. The current release does everything we need. And my attitude with add-ons (and themes/styles) is definitely "less is more."
 
Leaving reviews is not my thing. But if it were, reviews at their core are to help consumers. Of course a selection of reviews can be helpful to developers.

I don't read or leave online reviews. They are antiquated and easily manipulated nowadays, imo. In regards to XF, I glance at the discussion associated with the app for a good idea of what I'm in for.

I'm OK with a 'buyer beware' setup. It teaches valuable life lessons on the cheap lol.
 
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