UBB.Developers Forums General Discussion Suggestions and Feedback Price of yearly support excessive?

$125 a year? Doesn't that seem excessive when most others are charging less than $50 a year for renewals?

/me goes to renew my photopost license before you decide to raise it.

Ouch.

Has this gone up?

Does seem higher than what I seem to remember the price to be.

I just renewed a month ago and paid the $125. I know VB has a $30 upgrade fee (about that) as do a couple others I know about. At $125 - well, thats pretty steep considering some of the alternatives.

Like I said... it depends on when you bought your licence from infopop (or wcsoft).
I think that's the current Rate. But then they have the whole "Gold", "Silver" etc.. plans.


http://www.infopop.com/order/ubbthreads/#prof

I get mine at 75% off, and in any event mine does not expire until 2006 but did think it was a bit lower.

Still it all goes torwards the anti-banana defence system - defending yourself against banana's is a costly and dangerous pastime

Yeah I paid 125 as well at the end of January. It is a bit expensive...

The silver one works out at 99.00 USD per year (for the five years) so you are getting 26.00 USD discount per year. The Gold one is a more viable option for the future but then again you have to fork out 700 USD in advance.

I wish I had more www licneses.

I've got one www license (which renews for like $32) and the UBB license is at the normal rate.

Well, one of the "issues" I have about support is that they dont post fixes to problems - you have to wait for the "next release". Which means that if you want your version to even work right, you have to buy the upgrades (versus getting new functionality). I guess most systems work like that, but would be nice to know how to fix some of the problems we have.

As for $125 a year - that is awfully steep compared to the other brands. I must admit, that even as a diehard Threads fan, I'll probably buy VB for my next install because the cost is much cheaper and the product is fairly mature (more so than Threads).

I don't know of anyone except for photopost who posts bugfixes to be manually applied by the enduser... that's good and bad. Wait until photopost has ~100k endusers and see how likely you are to post bugfixes from the official site only to have 1/3 do it right, 1/3 do it wrong and it be a simple problem to fix, and 1/3 to do it wrong and completely screw up the software 300 angry people complaining that the fix broke the software will make you really adjust your freely available patches

Release them in a php file you only have to upload and run and then you'll be miles ahead of the game

After seeing 6.3's and now 6.4's feature list posted on the beta forum, I can say there's nothing in vb I'd find useful that's not in threads.

Yeah, 6.3 is a big step in the right direction. 6.4 is going to rock!

Looking forward to seeing it - since I already renewed.....

As for the updates, maybe thats something I should reconsider! The trick is balancing fixes for people and releases for masses.

Oh, when we hit 100k customers..... well, lets just say I'll be on a beach on some island soaking up the rays....

Where is this 6.4 changelog?

There is no 6.4 changelog as of now, but Rick stated that 6.4 will have a new poll system (like the one in UBB.classic)

It's not officially posted to the public yet. So I can only say what Rick has posted about publically here.

- Calendar
- Polls enhanced
- Sub Forums
- User Ignore feature (I think he's working on that so he can ignore me and my banana )

I think that's all he's hinted at here. But he'll start a changelog when 6.3 goes public. (No I don't know when that is either )

Oh and it'll convert posts made in all pink letters to a color you can read.



LOL

Just Kiddin ya Pink.

Hey Pink, Did you notice all those Trading Spaces folks have overrun Infopop Community?

Did you see b2 on my site?

Yeah. It is waaay out of control. and yes, I did see beta 2 on your site.

Keep in mind - those features are already built into VB (at a much lower price). I'm simply referring to the price of support today - not based on a version which hasnt even been talked about yet (except behind closed doors).

There are features in current versions of threads not found in vb.... threaded view and collapsable categories, to name a couple.

Also, worth mentioning - you do not have to pay the fee every year - you only need to pay it when you need to have member access for a new versiom - so if you are happy with a current version wait a month or two then renew - that way your costs go down

Or you can beta-test or moderate at Infopop, your costs (except for time) go way down

[]
- Calendar
- Polls enhanced
- Sub Forums
- User Ignore feature[/]

Very cool, this is what I think would be really cool though -----> https://ubbdev.com/forum/showfl...ew=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

[]AllenAyres said:
Or you can beta-test or moderate at Infopop, your costs (except for time) go way down [/]

LOL

he he - The way I figure it... it's like I get paid 5 cents an hour. Oh well... it's fun though. Look at the fun I have teasing Rick and Navaho.

[]AllenAyres said:
There are features in current versions of threads not found in vb.... threaded view and collapsable categories, to name a couple. [/]

Too bad not many people (that I have seen) use threaded mode.

It's a personal preference I guess... I'm used to the flat mode and so I prefer it

Unfortunately, vBulletin 3 has threaded mode. However, UBB.threads is still better built and has better support, even if it costs more.

For some reason about half my users use threaded. The only time I do, is for checking who hsa posted to a thread (usually big threads)

Personally, I could do without threaded mode. Just seems archaic to me. I've even thought of completely removing it from my site.

I own both software products yet have never ran VB but on a test site. Even though Threads has not all the bells and whistles I find it a much better product and alot easier to manage and tweak. Yes Infopop's prices are outrageous. They really should come down to where everyone else is at. In time they will have to as they continually lose new business because of the price of their products. I would have to say on average that VB is purchased 10 to 1 over Threads and this is a price issue. The member cost at VB is 30.00 versus 125.00 here. Those of us who are die hard fans use it cause we like it. However in time if pricing does not level out I fear that just like Michael pointed out many people will convert to VB.

[]Omegatron said:
I own both software products yet have never ran VB but on a test site. Even though Threads has not all the bells and whistles I find it a much better product and alot easier to manage and tweak. Yes Infopop's prices are outrageous. They really should come down to where everyone else is at. In time they will have to as they continually lose new business because of the price of their products. I would have to say on average that VB is purchased 10 to 1 over Threads and this is a price issue. The member cost at VB is 30.00 versus 125.00 here. Those of us who are die hard fans use it cause we like it. However in time if pricing does not level out I fear that just like Michael pointed out many people will convert to VB. [/]

I'm with Chuck on this one. VB is the standard right now. Yes, it is cheaper, it is poorly coded, and it has 10 zillion features that most people don't need all crammed into one package. Their community is not as helpful, tight knit, or willing to help people out as maybe threads is... but at the same time, if threads ever wants to compete seriously with VB, the pricing scheme needs to change a bit IMO.

Again, I'm not going to rip on Infopop or critisize their business model, as it is working so far, and I'm very greatful it is. But, the sad thing is, most people who are familiar with VB have no idea threads exists. Whenever you mention "UBB" (with or without the word 'threads') people instantly think UGH, CGI, its slow, its a resource hog...

I don't know how many times I've had to point people to the threads site and show them IP does have a php/mysql solution. BUt... even after I do, people always point out it is wayyy more expensive, or it doesn't have a calendar, blah blah blah... you know how it goes.

I understand that many of these features are in the works for 6.4 or later, and the quality control and customer support behind threads is almost infinately better than vbulletin, I should know, I own licenses in both.

But at the same time, for all of my small scale sites, or test sites I know won't make any money I have to always go to phpBB or vbulletin because I, like most people can't drop 230 bucks on something that I might not ever see the return on.

I understand you may be marketing the profitable sites, and/or businesses that don't have a problem dropping the extra cash, but when the software costs 100 bucks more and is in a relative sense, newer than the cheaper and more widely used alternative.. what do you think most people are going to buy?

I personally made the switch from VB to threads simply because of the Infopop brand, the support behind it, and knowing I had a solid company with a great community backing my decision. vBulletin tends to have more of the "kids" who can easily get their hands on a copy or run hobby sites, and everyone on their forums is out to make a quick buck selling their styles or button schemes, unlike here at threadsdev. But remember, people like me are the minority, I see the future threads has, I see the performance increase over VB... but I also have the pocketbook to back my decision. 90% of webmasters don't, and will always go for the cheaper alternative.

IMO, until threads becomes more widely used, or has some of the new features anticipated, the pricing should be dropped. Or at least offer a 1 year license for a fraction of the cost. This is needed to build a larger threads userbase. Once people begin using the software and realize it's power, features, and speed, they will only then see it's superiority over vb and other software. But right now, due to cost... most sites run vb, and therefore people are more "comfortable" with that interface, which is in the end just hurting the very young threads software that doesn't have as much visibility.

Ok, I've rambled on long enough... sorry. I'm not questioning Infopop's business decisions or marketing strategies, but I'm just offering my opinion from an avid webmaster and host and general consumer Thanks.

I wanted to setup a site that caters to PhotoPost developers - much like ThreadsDev. What got me on this thread in the first place, in fact. As I looked at building a site that will generate no revenue, I had to ask myself - $225 upfront and $125 a year - or $85/year on a lease (or $160 to buy with $30 renewals).

As much as I love Threads (not to mention I know most the code inside and out!), I had to go with VB on this site. I simply couldnt justify the expense on another site with no revenue.

I really love Threads; I just wish I could afford to put it on more sites.

Yeah, the old saying you get what you pay for. Not everyone can afford it, so there's different strokes for diferent folks.

I like the speed of threads. Maybe it's just the sites I visit, but out of a half dozen VB sites, I always feel like I'm "under water" and the speed of it is holding me back from a user standpoint.

Of late the only VB site I still visit every once and a while is the photopost support site.

Guess it's all in what I'm used to.

If CNet reviewed messageboard systems, I wonder what would CNet rate higher. Threads may score high because of reliablity and support, while vB may score high for features.

At some point someone at InfoPop will have to ask themselves - am I better off selling more copies for less or less copies for more? Sometimes a lower price with a higher volume can significantly increase your revenues.

If they lose enough business because of their pricing model, then they might reconsider. If they are happy with their numbers, they may not.

Having said that, I love Threads and have been a longtime UBB user who switched to Threads. I still consider Threads to be my board of choice - when I can justify the expense.

I agree. I was lucky enough to have a license for WWWThreads before it was bought by infopop. I truely can't see myself paying the current yearly renewal fee (about 4 times what I currently pay), even though I really love UBBThreads.

I seem to recall this same conversation, when Rick first told us that Infopop had bought him out - there were many posts about pricing, and I think that is one of the reasons why old users have the 75% reduction.

Michael is right. Like I mentioned, if their pricing model is working, then hey, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. But at the same time... this is the internet. If you have 90% of all major forums online using vb.. threads will always be just a niche market, because most people are accustomed to vb and how it looks/feels, so they will never change their opinion.

I would think the biggest thing IP could do to retain the pricing scheme while helping promote the further growth of threads would be to offer existing users some sort of incentive. For example:

I would LOVE to use threads on all of my sites. I could think of about a half-dozen right now to use it on. But honestly.. can I afford 230 x 6 to get these running? Granted, I can get a small discount, but that still isn't enough to justify it. SO, what I would love to see is if as a threads user, on future purchases of threads, receive a bit of a hefty discount. On top of that, say I am running 6 or 8 threads, what happens when my year of upgrades is up? I have to pump out a ton of money to renew EACH license to the download area. Wouldn't it be nice if you pay the 125 dollars per year or what have you, and you can upgrade ALL of your threads licenses?

If we own one, why compound the fees across all licenses? I'm no marketing analyst, nor do I know of the current figures or future plans of IP, but again, as a threads user and someone who would love to see the product grow... I can't afford or keep up with how it is structured at this time.

I have a few sites for my family I use... I would love to use threads with IIP, but instead, I have to use phpBB because I can't see dropping that much money into such a small site. If I could get an additional license for say 100 bucks, I would already have about 10 threads licenses to use on my various sites. But instead I've had to resort to phpBB and a few licenses of vbulletin.

I'm rambling again.. but I guess the point I was trying to get at, is existing license holders should get a bit more incentive to purchase more licenses. Because we are free advertising for the product. If we can impliment more threads forums on the internet, it is positive reinforcement. More people will have to use threads, it becomes more popular, and it sells more licenses. You can't lose

I think this same conversation can be said between photopost and gallery and any of a dozen or so photo gallery software packages I can't think of anyone who gives 'volume' discounts for multiple licenses... I'd love to have that for photopost, as I need to purchase 2-3 copies in the coming weeks and a couple copies of reviewspost as well.

Believe it or not, there are much more expensive forum software packages out that doesn't have the infopop name on it. IP prices middle of the road to hit the broadest sweet point between inexpensive software and good support. You really can't have both, unless you wanna give your time away for free and not pay your bills... I've met Ted and Rosemary and Navaho (and Charles and just about everybody but Rick), I can guarantee you they don't have covered parking for their Bently's

Hey, if you want a free Infopop forum, be sure and enter our next contest.... coming soon