Badges?

x4135

Hey, I just recently noticed that Vanilla forums has added a little Badge plugin. I was wondering if it is available. If not, has anyone try to make something like it? I really want something like that on my site.

422

Badges is still in dev, no release schedule yet.

Perhaps start using Karma Bank, which will tide you overuntil badges is released and the two should handshake with each other, as an overall rep system etc.

hbf

422 said: Badges is still in dev, no release schedule yet.

Perhaps start using Karma Bank, which will tide you overuntil badges is released and the two should handshake with each other, as an overall rep system etc.

when you say the two should handshake with each other, do you mean that x00 has an integration with badges? is there a conspiracy im not aware of? ooo, im very intrigued.

422

hbf said:

422 said: Badges is still in dev, no release schedule yet.

Perhaps start using Karma Bank, which will tide you overuntil badges is released and the two should handshake with each other, as an overall rep system etc.

when you say the two should handshake with each other, do you mean that x00 has an integration with badges? is there a conspiracy im not aware of? ooo, im very intrigued.

Reading x00 thread, that is what i extrapulated.

http://vanillaforums.org/discussion/comment/154193

hbf

interesting....

422

I believe, knowing how technically anal x00 is ( meant as a compliment ) that he has studied classes and hooks of badges, and has fwd enginered his plugin.

Just a assumption tho.

x00

Actually it directly listens for meta, it does not rely on plugins being a certain way. The source of the meta can be mapped easily.

Also you can create meta where there is none (in the case of QnA), and it also listens for this, but does not have to rely on that event.

alarich

Well, it would be great if the badges plugin was available. I would definitely be willing to pay some serious coin for it...

vbgamer45

@alarich

Well, it would be great if the badges plugin was available. I would definitely be willing to pay some serious coin for it...

If someone can make me some images to use for I can probably build it. Seems like a neat feature.

simonleuf

422 said: Badges is still in dev, no release schedule yet.

Any update on the Badges-plugin for us who host Vanilla on our own servers?

422

Nope :(

simonleuf

422 said: Nope :(

That's a shame. The Badges feature is pretty much the only reason why I am even considering using Vanilla.

x00

well you have to option of goign with the hosted solution.

simonleuf

x00 said: well you have to option of goign with the hosted solution.

I do, but I rather want to host the forum myself.

Edit: And I don't have any problem with paying for the plugin, if that's somehow stopping the devs from releasing it.

x00

I think also they need time to test it an iron out, and also review their business strategy.

If they make a public realease, they are goign to have to support those people.

x00

Seriously though if literally that is your only reason then using the hosting solution for the time being might be for you. It is optimised, something that most self host aren't.

simonleuf

x00 said: Seriously though if literally that is your only reason then using the hosting solution for the time being might be for you. It is optimised, something that most self host aren't.

I am planning on integrating the forum with my Wordpress blog and I already have a decent VPS that will do just fine.

candyman

There are topics around badges plugin every week. I understand developers if they prefer to keep this killer feature exclusive for hosted forums. Anyway it would be a step forward to know if this plugin will be ever released... If the answer is "no" maybe a developer would be ready to write a Badge Plus plugin for ransom.

fh111

I have to say that a badges plugin seems tempting, BUT..on the other hand it is nice to live without it. i don't like the idea of users just posting to achieve something/boost their ego. and some of them would. it sort of disturbs the original idea of a community - which is sharing and helping each other on an equal level ... just my opinion

422

The other option is to get a vb licence for 300 bucks or whatever..

simonleuf

422 said: The other option is to get a vb licence for 300 bucks or whatever..

I actually got an active IPB license and several of its suite products. IPB is a fine piece of forum software, but for this particular site I am looking for a cleaner and simpler forum. When I tried out IPB I just ended up taking away lots of features and code that I felt was unnecessary and made the site look bloated. So Vanilla felt/feels like a natural choice.

aery

@vbgamer45 you mean images like -

or like this -

By the way, second image is interesting and Vanilla should do the same type of badges.

brainolution

Sorry if it's a stupid question, but I'll ask it anyway.

Is it not possible for Vanilla to "license" the badges plugin to folks who are self-hosting? I started using Vanilla about 2 months ago, and this plugin has been my most-wanted plugin since day 1. At least I would not mind paying a fee to have it sooner.

x00

jeez guys seriously get a grip....

phreak

Mmh, this topic is breaking something in the Vanilla community. I feel like moving on, but not sure yet.

UnderDog

phreak said: Mmh, this topic is breaking something in the Vanilla community. I feel like moving on, but not sure yet.

@phreak That's serious man! why would you want to move on! it's the software that counts, isn't it?

fh111

why don't we all see this as a good patience and acceptance exercise : )

this plugin is a little overrated anyways imho. it's nice, but vanilla is still pretty awesome without it

UnderDog said: it's the software that counts, isn't it?

peregrine

"Badges? We don't need no badges. We don't need no stinkin' badges!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinking_badges

phreak

@UnderDog: Mmh, i don't know really. I could mention a lot of small things, maybe some bigger, could start a serious discussion about it, whateva. Key for me is, that i'm running commercial websites, i want to keep up with recent internet-developments for my users, i contributed not directly to the code but on the side (translations>plugins) since early days of Vanilla 1, i went alongsside communities like phpBB, Mambo and Joomla, expression engine, 4 or 5 other systems... splitting communities into 2 development speeds, was never a good descision, open dev-branches at least have always been a better way not to stop the creativity of the community, and dev. bots floating around asking "i could do it for you for 80 pounds".

Consider this answer as small emotional brick of a bigger thing, that i call uncomfortable, it's a thing i learnd in OS communities. Maybe i'm also just hysterical like x00's picture describes. Maybe i learned reading add-on repositories, often changing start-pages of projects, the lack of statements to the community and blog entries that do not communicate to the community but to newcomers or probable clients to get a feeling of something that feels broke. Or Maybe business-models have changed, and i can't adapt to. ;)

Give me a paypal-link and i donate 200 bucks, but i'm not a fan of suspence. Multiply it by 365 users, and the vanilla core's have a serious meal every day to keep the thing running. ;)

x00

If you want to pay, then you could pay a developer to make a reputational system. I developed Karma Bank and have had lot of interest, and several sponsors, including other karma and commerce based, add-ons that are coming. So maybe you could have your "shields" add-on.

Btw sponsored development has produce other types other plug-in recent months.

Also they never mentioned they were goign to release it, it has been entirely peoples' speculation.

These kind of system do benefit from testing, before being released. They also have to come up with a business strategy, to actually be able to afford to pay the core team.

brainolution

Well, I don't see any hysteria here. It's just an offer to buy something.

I want the freedom that comes with hosting my own forum, and I don't think I would give up on that for any plugin no matter how good it is. I'm willing to pay for a good plugin, if it is on sale. To me it's like buying an app from the App store.

This situation reminds me of Siri. Apple said here's iPhone 4S that comes with Siri. Even though you have iPhone 4, which is capable of running Siri (and her mother at the same time), I'm not going to give Siri to you. If you want Siri, you would have to buy 4s.

Well, I'm not going to throw away my 6 month old iPhone 4 just for Siri, no matter how smart she is. At the same time, I would not mind paying $9.99 for a Siri app (if there is one).

Paying a developer to build a custom solution would obviously be much more expensive than buying an off-the-shelf product.