Closed topic on vB licenses (positive)

[kinglifer]

Hi,

vBulletin.org is the offical modification/hacking site for vBulletin. The site is part of vBulletin, we have just choosen to seperate the hacking section from the main product site. The vBulletin community and it makes it a lot easier to manage for the community to have its own site and community.

The vBulletin.com site is for selling and supporting the "out of the box" version of vBulletin. That is the product that is sold, and that is what we support here. It would be impossible to support the hundreds if not thousands of hacks that are available.

vBulletin is already heavily configurable, and those configurations are supported here. If however you need something in the software that is not currently a feature, you are free to submit a feature request in the relevant forum or try and find a generous person who has made the modification and submitted it at vBulletin.org.

I hope that answers your questions, please let us know if you have any more.

Sorry the thread I was talking in closed while I was typing this. I do wish to have these small questions answered.

Yes sir I do. When will vB be able to have a simple button, where any member, that is a member, can remove themselves if they wish, from the forum they have previously joined? I would like to see this as an actual thing (part of the software you support) not a "hack".

I was not just to be clear, saying you should support hacks, but in a way you do. Your hack site to me... should be open with out any restrictions. Why you ask? It’s not because I have an illegal copy of your software.

Let’s face it. If I do have illegal copy of your software the damage has been done. Who cares about hacks? AND if I got your software… the hacks are just as easy to get as well. Now really you don’t make money off that .org site (indirectly to me you do actually, but you know what I mean)

SO to me your protecting OTHER programmer’s code to be shown to people that has paid for your "out of the box" software. With out paying for this code. It’s like a null zone. You don’t support it, but you restrict it to people that has paid. You don’t pay programmers to post it. Of course it’s by there free will since they are giving it away.

That isn’t right. On vB.org which I did join it does not state that I am giving up my right as a coder to my code or giving you code that from here on out will now be owned by you. And if it was owned by you… (We could go on for ever.)

Why then must my code on that site be restricted to only users that have a valid license for your software if you are indeed separate?
Here is a doozie why do people who post code on that site say “do not modify with out my consent” Think readers before you respond.

Here is a question I am asking with out sarcasm or rudeness.

If I have a piece of hacked code BUT do not have a valid vB license. Have I done something illegal?

If I have, what? If I have not why isn’t the code displayed publicly?

[Zachery]

If you are running vB Illegaly you have commited a crime called software piracy which we do not take lightly.

Yes sir I do. When will vB be able to have a simple button, where any member, that is a member, can remove themselves if they wish, from the forum they have previously joined? I would like to see this as an actual thing (part of the software you support) not a "hack".

I personaly do not believe this will ever be an option due to security risks, not to mention it could cause overall problems.

Let’s face it. If I do have illegal copy of your software the damage has been done. Who cares about hacks? AND if I got your software… the hacks are just as easy to get as well. Now really you don’t make money off that .org site (indirectly to me you do actually, but you know what I mean)

SO to me your protecting OTHER programmer’s code to be shown to people that has paid for your "out of the box" software. With out paying for this code. It’s like a null zone. You don’t support it, but you restrict it to people that has paid. You don’t pay programmers to post it. Of course it’s by there free will since they are giving it away.

That isn’t right. On vB.org which I did join it does not state that I am giving up my right as a coder to my code or giving you code that from here on out will now be owned by you. And if it was owned by you… (We could go on for ever.)

We make vBulletin.org a place for users in our community who are valid customers to have an exchange of knowleged and resources ot our customers. There are customers who do not wish to use vBulletin.org and that is their choice.

Why then must my code on that site be restricted to only users that have a valid license for your software if you are indeed separate?

It is our website run on our server, provided for our customers buy us, Jelsoft, being that it is our website we make the rules and this is one of them. We do not wish to show users who do happen to use our software without a license access to the site.

If I have a piece of hacked code BUT do not have a valid vB license. Have I done something illegal?

Do you run vBulletin? If so yes, if infact you do not have a valid license.

[DarknessDivine]

I honestly always wondered myself how they can direct people to vb.org yet tell you they can't give you support any longer if you hack your board. I'd be lieing if I didn't say that hasn't crossed my mind.
But vBulletin is great software out of the box it's just lacking some things people might want and if Jelsoft added all the hacks that are at vb.org into vBulletin as features just to please everyone you could only imagine the size of the download.
I have no problem showing that I have a license to get hacks or templates or whatever, after all it takes maybe 5 seconds to register and prove it.

[chrispadfield]

If I have a piece of hacked code BUT do not have a valid vB license. Have I done something illegal?

If I have, what? If I have not why isn’t the code displayed publicly?

In probability, yes because a hack will use vBulletin code. If the product is something that uses no vbulletin code at all, it is not really a hack but another piece of software that links with vBulletin.

People are free to do anything with code that they made themselves and does not use vBulletin's code; even if that software links with vBulletin - and there are many examples of this.

When however a hack contains vb's code we have full rights to restricts its distribution to only those who have bought the software in the first place.

You can not however expect sympathy from a company when you suggest you stole our product and are now surprised we don't bend over backwards to make it easy for you to get help from others. Also remember that most if not all of the people who dedicate their time at vBulletin.org do not appreciate their work being used by people who steal vBulletin.

[chrispadfield]

I honestly always wondered myself how they can direct people to vb.org yet tell you they can't give you support any longer if you hack your board.

When someone asks for a feature that vBulletin does not support and likely will not in the short run we have these options:

1. Tell them vBulletin does not have the feature. End of conversation.
2. Tell them that at vBulletin.org there might be a hack for this feature you can install at your own risk.

Which would you prefere? We clearly can't support hacks, that is obvious. So which of 1 or 2 would you prefere?

[DarknessDivine]

Actually the first time I asked how to do something and found out I'd have to get a hack for it I was told "Try over at vB.org they might have it" This was back when I first starting using vBulletin and saw the link to the vb.org displayed here blah blah..anyway didn't know about the whole "once you put in a hack vBulletin can longer give u support" until after the fact.
But Like I said I just always wondered about that. I'm not saying anything bad, just saying my opinion..I have no problems w/vB or with proving I have the right to use it..as I said before it takes a whole 5 seconds to register..

[Zachery]

You can always remove the hacks, and if it still doesnt work we will do our best. but 9/10 times issues with vBulletin are caused by hacks.

[DarknessDivine]

Or your host as has been many times in my case..lol...and then we have to think of the user also messing stuff up even w/out hacks lol. But yeah u can look in the troubleshooting forum and such it usually never has anything to do with stock vB code..

[Bema Jinn]

You can always remove the hacks, and if it still doesnt work we will do our best. but 9/10 times issues with vBulletin are caused by hacks.

Zachery's right.

vBulletin i very stable, and if it's not your server it's usually a hack causing the problem.

Although they don't advertise it, the kind vB staff do help you a lot when you have hacked your board, but they do so as a favour and are not required to do so. (legally or morally)

[Guest]

Why then must my code on that site be restricted to only users that have a valid license for your software if you are indeed separate?
Here is a doozie why do people who post code on that site say “do not modify with out my consent” Think readers before you respond.

The resource sites are restricted to licensed customers because they are the reason the sites exists. There is no reason for anyone to need to download any peice of code from vB.org or vBt without a verified license status.

Of course you are free to release your code anywhere, under any restrictions, including on vB.org or vBt. Every coder has this right, and if he dos'nt want you to modify his source then release it yourself then you should respect his wishes.

As for the issues with support. When you modify anything you should no loner expect offical support from your vendor. The support team can not offer support for code that has been hacked plain and simple, they will work with you to figure out if it is indeed the hack causing your problem, but will request you upload the stock files before they will look into it.

You should think of vBulletin.org more of a member helping member forum. It is a place for customers to release resources to each other, and support these resources (if willing).

The sites are seperate because jelsoft wants its users to have a place to exchange code and idea's with other licensed members, but they don't want such things to be disscussed on the offical support forums (as they where in days past).

[chrispadfield]

Yes, this thread is not longer useful. It has been made clear why hacks are a) at vbulletin.org and b) are protected so that only licensed members can download them.