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Why not host Vanilla Cloud locally?

Lokio27Lokio27 New
edited February 2015 in Vanilla 2.0 - 2.8

I know that I'll get a bunch of people saying "because of pirates and stuff" but really I just want the features of cloud on my forum. Most of the features in cloud are possible through plugins but still. It would be cool if we got light-weight versions of each feature from cloud, with some limitations. :/

Also, I really just wanna have a forum for a small group but I can't do it with all the features I want with vanilla since the open source is limited and cloud is around 250$

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Comments

  • vrijvlindervrijvlinder Papillon-Sauvage MVP

    No, open source is not limited. You may need to understand what it is that you want and how to do it.

    The only limitation is yourself..

    http://lifehacker.com/5993596/how-to-set-up-your-own-private-cloud-storage-service-in-five-minutes-with-owncloud

  • What I mean't was the following. Is there a easy way to get MOST of the features in cloud on an opensourced forum. I know that the possibilitys are endless for this software but have I missed a button or..?

  • R_JR_J Ex-Fanboy Munich Admin

    You have not missed a button, there is no such thing. OS version is barebone and you can either use it this way, or add cherry picked plugins so that you have exactly the functionality you like.

    If you like the product vanillaforums.com sells, you have to buy it.

    If you yourself are not capable of customizing OS Vanilla so that it feels in most parts like the commercial Vanilla forum, you can hire a developer to show and setup similar OS plugins, but what you will never get on a cheap host is the speed that comes with a commercially hosted forum. And you will also have to take care of updates.

    As far as I can see, you have to pay $199 and not $250 but I guess that makes no difference. Many forums are the pet projects of individuals and they will not pay such amounts. I once had a forum with 100 members and I know that a maximum of 10 users would have paid at least a small amount. So a hosted version would have been no solution for me and I guess that's true for a lot of forums.
    But it is as always: if you can't afford "luxury", you have to stick with standard and standard forum installation includes work of your own.

  • OS doesn't pay for itself, there has to be a funding model.

    OS by its nature, is more developer friendly than "free stuff" friendly.

    grep is your friend.

  • LincLinc Detroit Admin

    you have to pay $199 and not $250

    There is still a $99 starter plan, fwiw.

  • AdrianAdrian Wandering Spirit Montreal MVP

    @Lokio27 and @R_J

    Actually, the Starter Plan for Vanilla Cloud is $99. This gives you most of what you want and support from Vanilla. You can always start with the open source and upgrade later. If you go that route, you may find this helpful: http://vanillaforums.org/discussion/28444/some-notes-on-coming-to-cloud-hosted-vanilla

  • Lokio27Lokio27 New
    edited February 2015

    @Adrian said:
    Lokio27 and R_J

    Actually, the Starter Plan for Vanilla Cloud is $99. This gives you most of what you want and support from Vanilla. You can always start with the open source and upgrade later. If you go that route, you may find this helpful: http://vanillaforums.org/discussion/28444/some-notes-on-coming-to-cloud-hosted-vanilla

    Yeah but the problem with that is that I wanna host a small private forum not some huge production forum for a company. I don't just have 100 dollars laying around to hand out to any person who asks for it.

    Edit: Anyway, I'm capable of coding in PHP and js so I shouldn't have a problem with modding this, but in all reality I don't really want to

    Edit again: Also, the starter plan only lets you have 1 staff member to unlimited members who can only view the site 50k times. I'd rather host on my webhosting I bought for this kind of thing.

    Edit once more: This thread grew pretty quickly

  • AdrianAdrian Wandering Spirit Montreal MVP
    edited February 2015

    @Lokio27 i just wanted to correct the error that the plan is $199 to start.

    Also consider this, for some it make sense to spend 100$ a month. You have to look at how you value your time and if you have the skills. If you have the skills and you have the time, you may see $100 as expensive. For others, it's a time saver, and lets them focus on other stuff than worrying about coding, upgrading and support. We have all kinds of customers. It's really up to you, just wanted to make sure the facts were accurate :)

  • @Adrian I know that it was just for a correction. I know that for some it would make sense. But for some that just wanna have a small friendly board for a small community and make it look and operate nicely they might be willing to offer up 50$ one time for a license and maybe renew it every 2 years. I personally don't wanna blow 100 dollars on a forum who is hosted by some other company that I can't ftp into and explore.

  • AdrianAdrian Wandering Spirit Montreal MVP
    edited February 2015

    @Lokio27 and that's why we have the open source version, for you to do as you please. No $50 license fee at all, and all the freedom to explore and do as you please :) Like I said, I wanted to make clear the starter price, not for you so much, but for those who happen upon this thread. Regardless if you use hosted or host yourself, you are making the right choice with Vanilla (in my view). It's why I started using Vanilla in 2008, many years prior to working here :)

  • @Lokio27 if you have skills what are you complaining about? I think you should read a good article on OS software.

    No intuitive, no go. It is as simple of that. Either make do or use your initiative.

    If you think thins thread will come to much don't hold your breath.

    grep is your friend.

  • @x00 said:
    Lokio27 if you have skills what are you complaining about? I think you should read a good article on OS software.

    No intuitive, no go. It is as simple of that. Either make do or use your initiative.

    If you think thins thread will come to much don't hold your breath.

    What?

    Anyway, I know what Open Sourced software is. I will make plugins for this forum software at some point. I really like how this software is set up.

  • whu606whu606 I'm not a SuperHero; I just like wearing tights... MVP

    @Lokio27

    I will make plugins for this forum software at some point

    Before you do, have a good look around here first.

    The developers in the Open Source community have, I would suggest, provided plugins that more or less replicate many of the features people admire in the hosted plan.

  • @whu606 said:
    Lokio27

    The developers in the Open Source community have, I would suggest, provided plugins that more or less replicate many of the features people admire in the hosted plan.

    Yeah I know. I've looked around on there before. Couldn't find an infraction plugin, though.

  • @Lokio27 said:
    What?

    When someone has received something substantial for free, turning around and saying that they want more, smacks of entitlement. Especially as when offered other community solutions, they are saying it is still not all packaged how they want.

    People only act this way, when you they are used to getting something for nothing in the first place.

    Some of the solutions on the hosted site by their nature only lend themselves to a large scale cloud infrastructure and are specifically designed as services, not something most could set up let alone install in an "out of the box" form.

    Make up for what you can't buy with your initiative and skills.

    grep is your friend.

  • @x00 said:
    -snip-

    I'm just not happy that I have to pay for hosting through vanilla if I want premium features. I would rather host it myself, not get all of the features for free. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.

  • AdrianAdrian Wandering Spirit Montreal MVP

  • LincLinc Detroit Admin
    edited February 2015

    For what it's worth, one of my personal goals this year (as opposed to company or roadmapped goals, so take this with a grain of salt) is to lower our support cost to the point where we can lower the price point and increase the features of our Starter plan to make it more compelling as an alternative to self-host. It is a difficult balancing act to get the lower tiers to a place where they are affordable to the client and still profitable to us, without undermining our mid-tier plans. There's internal (legitimate) skepticism it can be done, hence the grains of salt.

  • x00x00 MVP
    edited February 2015

    @Lokio27 said:

    Yes 'mI saying that if you hosted yourself you would have to replicate their infrastructure which could cost you 100's of dollars a month. You are paying for a service, not simply some feature that you install.

    They have thought long an hard about their business model. The thing about business is the "mass market" is a myth. If you are not in the demographic, it is becuase you don't fit the business plan, not everyone can be targeted always.

    I'm not saying they won't keep innovating an come up with new products, but is is not as if they haven't thought about ways to do it. They have lot priorities that they are juggling keeping everyone happy is impossible.

    grep is your friend.

  • @Linc said:
    For what it's worth, one of my personal goals this year (as opposed to company or roadmapped goals, so take this with a grain of salt) is to lower our support cost to the point where we can lower the price point and increase the features of our Starter plan to make it more compelling as an alternative to self-host. It is a difficult balancing act to get the lower tiers to a place where they are affordable to the client and still profitable to us, without undermining our mid-tier plans. There's internal (legitimate) skepticism it can be done, hence the grains of salt.

    Well, it would be possible for the very very bear boned version to just not have phone support or whatever you're offering at the moment.

    @x00 said:
    ... you would have to replicate their infrastructure which could cost you 100's of dollars a month...

    Still, what?
    It's a SMALL FORUM not a forum hosting service.

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