Right, but this does not fall under the support scope, like you said in one of your previous posts. This is something else. And if every customer asked the developer to add a 'small' thing that he or she thinks will benefit everyone, where does it end. As a developer, you simply can not afford to waste time. At least I can not, as my time is very valuable. And with regard to the implementation time of the feature, I have had users asking me to add something which according to them would take 10 minutes, when in fact it would have taken several hours.
Where does it end? Obviously not implementing all of them, but doing your best to add some of the requested ones. So we see your support.
But anyway, when money is involved, of course you want to maximize you profit as much as you can, obviously your time is very valuable to you.
Personally, I sell my add ons without timely licenses. Meaning that when someone buys an add on from me, they get all updates for free for unlimited time. That is for all versions of Xenforo that the add on is coded for. If a major version will be released that will need a recoding of the add on to work with it, then they will have to rebuy it again. But other coders have different business models. It is up to you as a customer, to purchase or not the add ons from a coder. If you do not like a coder 's business model, then do not purchase from them. The matter is very simple.
But there is a problem with that. That is why you I say the resources need a guideline.
You say you do without timely licenses, good for you and us. But you could change your business model next week after this message. There is nothing which can hold you to do that. In fact, in the past many developers just changed their business model.
So you as a developer are not bound to anything at all. Nobody checks your code, you could even sell a broken addon, which will be labeled as "unmaintained" and yet when we expect something in return for our money, you just dump us with "do not purchase then".
It is too easy to let customers down. The system is malicious.
It went that far, that XF had to forbid crowdfunding because developers didn't do as they promised.
That bitter sweet taste in knowing that as a customer you are with no protection...
It's really simple.. support is the help with the getting the EXISTING code to perform the functions it was written to do correctly.
Support is NOT the EXTENSION of an add-on to perform additional features/functions that one would like to have. That is the request for an ENHANCEMENT to the existing add-on and would either be paid for by the requesting party as an additional fee OR by the add-on author agreeing to add it in at a later date and then you waiting until that later date (if it ever arrives).
What you apparently believe support to be is not the industry standard. Support consists the product as it exists at time of purchase (and any improvements added during the course of the license period).
Here, this may help you understand
That is a fairly normal understood definition of software support - do you see anywhere in there it mentions adding user requested enhancements/extensions?
I AM NEITHER BLIND NOR ANALPHABET. THANK YOU.
INDUSTRY STANDARD? Did you check codecanyon? ARE YOU REALLY GOING THAT ROUTE?
It is a joke what kind of paid addons here are offered when compared to the INDUSTRY STANDARD.
Let me give you an example. Let's say
calendars.
So, take your time and see for how much money what you can get. If the XF addons were in the scope of industry standard, no freaking way the majority would ask for enhancements.
It is totally a joke to talk about industry standards, when the products themselves are not standard. Mostly (not talking about the big ones) the addons here are filled with 2-3 features at most, and you never know when they will broke and how long the support will exist. I could really go into some names or examples, but I don't want to discredit anybody here.
Because I also peek at other platforms, I know when an addon is a moneygrab and when not.
Because of this, because of this business model, I expect support in matter of little enhancements, if the addon owner claims he is supporting his addon.
But let's take your definition. No enhancements. Ok.
"So support is the help with getting the existing code to perfom the functions it was written to do correctly."
Ok, but often an addon interfers with another one. And usually the addon dev says "sorry, but I can't support you with that". So even by your definition, they are not sticking with their support premises.
Cause clearly, when that paid addon interfers with another addon/style, so it doesnt work propperly, I expect a working addon. But again they leave me alone with that. The existing code doesnt perform the functions it was written for.
So where is the support again? And I am following your definition here... Not expecting anything on top.
Usually they say "go to the guy who made that style". But let's say it is a free one. The style creator says, that it is a free product, and he can't support me with everything, and sends me back to the addon developer. So you are stuck.
And you can't do anything at all. Devs could disappear whenever they want, actually they do disappear a lot. They are not following business standards at all. Try to disappear from your work for more than 3 days.
Come again when devs follow standards, then we can talk about standards.
Anyway, this discussion went too long.
In my own case, I am not just criticizing, I am also trying to get into development by myself, so when sth needs to be enhanced, I can do it by myself. As you see, I am not relying on the "standards" at all. Wish me luck, I'll need it. I hope that is for free
.
