Jelsoft's future

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  • tickedon
    Senior Member
    • Jan 2004
    • 384
    • 3.0.0 Release Candidate 3

    Originally posted by ragtek
    lol
    and if ipb is gonna bought by someone
    what then?
    From Yabb came IPB, from UBB came VB. There will always be someone to carry the flame
    Alasdair Stewart || SolidPHP, Inc - www.solidphp.com
    # License, distribute and sell your PHP scripts - SPBAS licensing solution
    # Does your licensing provider have over 5 years of experience?

    ★ STOP PRESS! Click here for my FAQ on the changes for existing customers

    Comment

    • greggish99
      New Member
      • Dec 2001
      • 8

      Originally posted by choppers4life
      I bought 3 IPB licenses for my forums because of this. Just incase.
      If you're that worried about your software provider being bought out, you should only use GPLed stuff. For instance, if all the developers of phpBB quit tomorrow, another community of devs would spring up and continue the development.

      Comment

      • Fusion
        Senior Member
        • Aug 2001
        • 4346
        • 3.8.x

        Originally posted by Reeve of Shinra
        How will our personal information be shared with IB and in what ways will that information be used?
        Well, I'd expect that information to be kept safely within the confines of Jelsoft, as it is now. I see no reason for it to be shared anywhere else.
        If eg. we were to suddenly receive unasked-for offers from other IB subsidiaries AKA unsolicited spam I'd be flat out offended.
        Toddler from Hell

        Comment

        • Marco van Herwaarden
          Senior Member
          • Nov 2004
          • 6999
          • 3.8.x

          Originally posted by Reeve of Shinra
          How will our personal information be shared with IB and in what ways will that information be used?
          In our license agreement:
          Your information will not be shared with 3rd parties.
          Although i can not look into the future or have detailed knowledge of the agreement between Jelsof & IB, our current license agreement does not even seem to allow for us to share your personal information.

          PS Only James can give an official answer regarding this.
          Want to take your board beyond the standard vBulletin features?
          Visit the official Member to Member support site for vBulletin Modifications: www.vbulletin.org

          Comment

          • Jose Amaral Rego
            Senior Member
            • Feb 2005
            • 11058
            • 1.1.x

            Darn, I did not want to post anymore in this thread..

            Every company uses this as a legal loophole backup
            Code:
            Jelsoft reserves the right to modify these terms at any time.

            Comment

            • Marco van Herwaarden
              Senior Member
              • Nov 2004
              • 6999
              • 3.8.x

              Originally posted by Mac Write
              Jelsoft err Internet Branding is going to have to work there ass off to get me to buy anything from Jelsoft. Major concerns of mine are:
              • How will our private data obtained by Jelsoft be handled?
              • The $160 for vBulletin is the absolute max I will pay
              • I refuse to pay for any major version upgrade in addition to the annual members area access
              • I refuse to pay anymore the the $30/yr members area fee
              • I will pay for add-ons that are developed to enhance vBulletin
              • I will drop vBulletin like a rock if they encrypte any part of the php files and importers avaliable for view at present
              • I will drop vBulletin like a rock if more calling home features are put in the code and or code that collects data on my forum
              The $160 price point is the sweet spot. With money being invested into marketing, the increase in sites using vBulletin and the add-ons will rise off-setting and yielding greater profits then if the prices were raised and less people bought vBulletin and the add-ons. If 100.000 people who didn't use vBulletin bought it thanks to the new marketing at $160, that is $16M in revenue, now raise the price (as allot of people say do since it's worth more) to $200, but only 20,000 people buy it thanks to the new marketing that is only a $4M. By keeping all the prices the same, developing add-ons tying into vBullein that will yield far greater revenue as more people will be able to afford vbulletin. At $50 per add-on+$20/yr members area access, that's a nice revenue stream is on average each board has 1 add-on. That means Jelsoft has effectivally increased the annual fee by 66% from $30-$50 without raising the annual fee at all. Also with the average person having one add-on that is $210 per license. Again a price increase of 31% without having raised the price.

              Think about that.
              Please see the post by James: http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/showp...2&postcount=79

              Onto the subject of product pricing. Since the first release of vBulletin 1.0 in 2000, we have never raised the price of vBulletin licenses. The key strategy moving forward is not to shift prices markedly upwards and make buying vBulletin an unattractive proposition, but rather to offer a broader range of products and services to better cater for all audiences. We are in business to serve our customers, and we will continue to do just that in order to remain competitive.
              Want to take your board beyond the standard vBulletin features?
              Visit the official Member to Member support site for vBulletin Modifications: www.vbulletin.org

              Comment

              • kcikees
                Senior Member
                • Sep 2001
                • 106
                • 4.0.x

                Originally posted by Wayne Luke
                Nothing has been deleted out of this thread.
                It could have been that when I looked before as a guest less postings are being showed per page as when I signed in as a member and then looked at the thread with more postings a page, so my apology for that.

                -

                I even haven't thought of the fact that is been brought up after my posting about our personal data etc., can this be clearly answered.
                KCi aka Rhyze

                Comment

                • Hoffi
                  Member
                  • Aug 2001
                  • 69
                  • 3.8.x

                  Lets loos for the future!

                  Just wait what they do!
                  Such a menace that you will drop the software will do nothing. You habe payed for it, and now? You use ist no longer, and now?

                  Just hope the best for our preferred Software. I am waiting and will use it.

                  Comment

                  • Cowboysfan
                    Member
                    • Nov 2004
                    • 88
                    • 4.2.X

                    Originally posted by Reeve of Shinra
                    Jelsoft appears to have been a solid company with a solid reputation, why the decision to sell out to a third party rather than hire personal, or purchasing a company with, the expertise needed to take the company to the next level?
                    This was exactly my thought.

                    As for Jelsoft running with the same management/development and basically running as a subsidiary company, there are still people sitting in higher offices that will now be looking at the financial numbers, and forcing decisions to be made with the financial numbers, not the product quality in their best interests. This is how large companies work. You have highly paid people sitting in offices and staring at numbers. When they want the numbers to change, they put pressure on management to make it happen, whether it is truly in the best interest of the company or not.

                    What can this ultimately mean? More concentration on creating the future development of vbulletin with paid add-ons, and less on adding features to the stock product. In addition, it can very well lead to increased pressure to release products, so more money can be made, with less attention to quality and security.

                    There is a reason that vbulletin has been the most secure forum software up until this point. It is only speculation, but I fear that an ownership change like this will only jeopardize this.

                    I hope for the best, but I am expecting the worst.

                    Comment

                    • Razasharp
                      Senior Member
                      • Feb 2005
                      • 2789
                      • 3.7.x

                      Originally posted by Mac Write
                      Major concerns of mine are:
                      • I will drop vBulletin like a rock if they encrypte any part of the php files and importers avaliable for view at present
                      • I will drop vBulletin like a rock if more calling home features are put in the code and or code that collects data on my forum
                      I would completely agree with this. If any ecrypted scripts are used or any kind of snooping deployed I will have no choice but to stop using vB. I guess this would also hold true for a large majority - so I really don't think it's gonna happen.
                      What's Special About Ruby on Rails?

                      Comment

                      • RedTyger
                        Senior Member
                        • Dec 2006
                        • 335
                        • 3.8.x

                        Yeah, considering what a strong coder base vBulletin has I just can't imagine them going encrypted. It would be crazy and it would ruin the base of the plugin system as well.

                        Really don't see it at all.

                        Comment

                        • Reeve of Shinra
                          Senior Member
                          • Sep 2001
                          • 4325
                          • 4.0.0

                          Marco: Thank you for the reply... I would like additional clarification from James regarding the privacy of our data and how it may be used within other IB endevours.
                          Plan, Do, Check, Act!

                          Comment

                          • sabret00the
                            Senior Member
                            • Jan 2003
                            • 1044
                            • 3.0.7

                            Originally posted by Razasharp
                            Groups functionality?
                            LOL, yeah James, Groups functionality, you have money now, buy out GRPS midway through development of 3.0, it'd be romantic and inspiring in terms of your customers.

                            Anyway, like everyone else. i'm weary because IB seem to have little to no experience in software development. I really do hope this move finances a UI developer though, a full time one.

                            Ultimately this acquisition will be definitive in regards to the future of vBulletin, for a while now Jelsoft have been working towards entering the market of enterprise solutions and this move will allow that. I'm really hoping for Java/Flash integration in regards to things like uploaders.

                            Looking at the job advertisement that was posted by IB, it would appear that they're definitely brining in someone to manage... let's use the word liaise with Jelsoft and i believe it's for this very means. So as we get closer and closer to 4.0 i surmise we'll see 5.0 or vBulletin Enterprise 1.0 not so far behind.

                            Yes this is all exciting if everything goes ahead but there's no denying that Jelsoft should've held out for the call from an actual software company.

                            What is the speculated price of the buyout btw? does anyone know?

                            Comment

                            • y2ksw
                              Member
                              • Jul 2003
                              • 90

                              My first reaction: Oh no!

                              The reason is, all companies which melt into another (get bought) are subject not only to positive changes. I hope, vBulletin will keep alive as-is for a long period and the negative changes will happen unseen to our eyes and pockets

                              Comment

                              • feldon23
                                Senior Member
                                • Nov 2001
                                • 11291
                                • 3.7.x

                                I am also nervous. But to me, it seems that this is less a buyout than an investment. I am plenty suspicious of acquisitions like this, but I am crossing my fingers and hoping that this is an infusion of resources and cash to develop the CMS quicker and bring PHP back into competition with Microsoft's offerings.

                                Comment

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