vBulletin 4.2.2 Alpha has been released

Don't we all love how instead of making their own features, vB is just sticking other people's code in their software and leaving the likes of vBulletin 5 as an unfinished mess?

Yeah, me neither. But hey, better to promote a third party who's paid us for the 'privilege' instead of actually evolving our forum software and doing real work ourselves!

 

Our daily entertainment:
http://www.marketwired.com/press-re...-instantly-available-on-vbulletin-1839607.htm

 

I'm still trying to find out how a forum owner can make any money by adding Panjo, being it is being sold to vBulletin owners as a way of monetization for their forums. It is strange the method of monetization isn't promoted more. The only thing I've found is an article, which mentions this....

0.5 to 2.0 percent of what? Value of the goods being sold? And what does a "final value fee" mean? And why do many forum owners not opt in to get the percentage? Do they really just want the service on their site for their users? Maybe it is me, but I find that hard to believe.

And wait a sec.....Viglink? They want to add Viglink into their system and also add advertising too? Isn't the unknown fees Panjo makes on the goods sold enough? Will forum owners be able to turn off the ads and Viglink links, if they want to? Or what does the forum owner get for allowing the ads and Viglink referrals?

Panjo also doesn't necessarily fit into the design of the forums it has been added to, from what I can see. Is there any way to change its design to fit better?

Oh, and Panjo is a system aimed mostly for forums, right? Why don't they have one?

And with just over 5000 listings, it seems this whole Panjo service is just getting started and can add little to no value to a well running forum in many other topic areas. Computers, for instance. Didn't IB take that into account? Don't answer that....I know the answer.

Scott

 

Now come along people, we know that this was discussed and agreed to by VB management, support staff and their customers, in a free and open manner, as shown in this image.
[/QUOTE]

 

Just did a quick check of Panjo's site and this is what I noticed. Thousands of over priced items available from Singapore. 6 items available from the USA 2 of which are advertised as Egyptian products wore by busty women. WOOHOO LOL

I read somewhere that vB customers are saying WTF??? They ad this crap to the core but leave it invested with all the bugs? Another marketing scam??? All that glitters is not gold my friends.

 

I sort of feel sorry for Paul though. This Panjo addition shouldn't be overshadowing his hard work.

Scott

 

Feel sorry for him? Perhaps, but it is his choice.

 

To be honest, Panjo being available as an add on would be perfectly fine thing to have. Some people might like it on their forums I guess.

The problem is, it's not something that should be made a default feature in vBulletin since it's neither well established/popular enough for them to assume it'll still be around years from now, nor that useful for most people using their software. And it gives people a bad impression of their priorities, since it's the first 'new feature' vB have added in months. If XenForo or IPB had done the same, the devs would be slammed for it.

 

To have something like this as an optional add on is one thing, but to force it on customers without their permission, shows a total lack of consideration for VB customers!

So what else is new?

 

Very true, he was given lots of opportunities to do the right thing by VB customers, but he chose to carry on and run away from facing the facts. His choice entirely.

 

And that is why I feel sorry for him. He decided to stick with vBulletin and help it as a developer only to get the success of his hard work watered down by another poorly thought out management decision. The decision itself isn't all that big a problem. It is, IMHO, how they've gone about marketing the fact Panjo is now part of the core. Releasing the software with Panjo in it with a third-party press release is not the way to do it. They should have announced the partnership first on its own, before the release. They should have sold Panjo with all the advantages it may have to all the customers (and that right there might have stopped the deal, had it even been part of their thinking) and let the reactions settle, counter any negativity with more facts as to why Panjo is cool and good for vB customers, then release the version with Panjo in it. It is called containing and forming customer expectations, something IB has very little grip on. You can unfortunately see again the customer is the last person IB is thinking of with this whole Panjo deal.

At any rate. I'd like to commend Paul for his hard work. I'd just like to know, if there is going to be a 4.2.3 now.

Scott

 

It isn't.

 

Installed 4.2.2 today, runs great! Nice to finally be on newer versions of PHP and Apache. Thanks to everyone who worked on this upgrade - our members are happy

 

The 4.2.2 release thread on vB.com has a lot of questions and concerns about Panjo and the last three replies are from the Panjo guy/ gal him/herself. (It reminds me of when Skimlinks was added. They steal the show by actually answering questions halfway decently.)

This thread has a lot of talk about the Panjo integration.

Over at TAZ, one of the first things mentioned was the Panjo integration.

And, ok, over at AEX, I asked the first question about Panjo because, to be honest, that was the first information I had read about it and I had no idea what it was, but I knew it would become an issue, thus my sarcasm about the name.

And there are a number of dedicated threads about Panjo.

But, ok. One could also say the missing IE support is also overshadowing Paul's hard work too. That is why I wonder, will there be a 4.2.3. Will it come?

Scott