vBulletin Lite
Sunday ~ March 03, 2010
Would you fine folks at vBulletin please consider publishing a "lite" version of your software? Something without all the power-user features and at a lower price. I'm sure there are many people out there like me who want the security and stability of vBulletin but just don't need (or want) all of the high-end features.
Right now I'm thinking of adding forums to a couple of my hobby websites but there's no way I could justify paying the high price for vBulletin for these, so I will likely (and grudgingly) use open source forums. However, if I could get a scaled-down version of vBulletin with a price point of around, say, $19.95 per year, I wouldn't think twice about going with vBulletin over open source. I'm sure there are MANY other people in this same situation.
I don't recall a request for less featires ever on any product.
Steve
My question for you is, what would you like removed? I would be interested in hearing what you would find unnecessary in a "light" version. This would give the vBulletin team a bit more to decide if they should make one.
I think just like
$499? Why don't they just give it away? A sitewide license for only 499 would be suicide.
If the AdminCP is too overwhelming, edit this file:
/includes/xml/cpnav_vbulletin.xml
I agree. A site license would probably start at at least $999.
I'm not just asking for less features, I'm looking for less features at a lower cost so I can justify using it for smaller forums.
I don't recall a request for less featires ever on any product.
Maybe not, but there is plenty of high-end software out there that comes in "lite" versions for the casual user. Photoshop for example. Many people that can't justify $700 for Photoshop can justify $100 for Photoshop Elements. The opportunities for Jelsoft with a lite version of vBulletin are even greater, because while few people will purchase multiple copies of Photoshop Elements, there are probably a great deal of people (like myself) that run multiple small websites that would purchase multiple copies of a lite version of vBulletin.
I know there are many people out there who use vBulletin because of its myriad of features, but for every power-user there are probably 10 people like me who would love to have an entry-level forum with a streamlined interface and the safety and security "under the hood" that vBulletin has a reputation for.
My question for you is, what would you like removed? I would be interested in hearing what you would find unnecessary in a "light" version. This would give the vBulletin team a bit more to decide if they should make one.
You mean like you can already easily upgrade from most other forum apps?
vBLite is a bad idea. Period. You pays your money and you takes your choice. Pay peanuts, get monkeys.
Simple, upgrade to the full version. In fact that would be one of the primary appeals of using a Lite version of vBulletin vs. an open source board: I could start a forum without a great deal of expense, and if my forum grows and becomes successful I can easily upgrade to the more powerful version.
It seems to me with a Lite version Jelsoft would loose sales of the full version initially, but MANY more people would join the "vBulletin family" that couldn't afford to before, and many of those would eventually upgrade. Also, there would be people like me who want to run several small fourms which don't justify purchasing the full vBulletin, but would purchase multiple copies of a Lite version if it were available. I can't see how a Lite version of vBulletin wouldn't be a huge boon to Jelsoft in the long run.
Try it before asking for a vB Lite.
vBLite is a bad idea.
Thanks for your opinions, but care to state why you think it's a bad idea? I'm curious to know. So far the only reason I've seen in this thread is that it would split the development team in half. I'm not sure "half" is accurate; I can only see that being the case if the Lite version were a totally separate product, which is not what I was suggesting.
Of course it could be that Jelsoft is simply happy with what they have and not interested in an expanded product line. If that's the case it is a perfectly valid reason. However, it's a shame for people like me that don't need vBulletin's complexity but still want its security and stability.
If you want less features I suggest using vbulletin 2 :).
Watcha say Steve/Wayne...? any thoughts on this?
Of course it could be that Jelsoft is simply happy with what they have and not interested in an expanded product line. If that's the case it is a perfectly valid reason. However, it's a shame for people like me that don't need vBulletin's complexity but still want its security and stability.
To create a vB Lite version would be another product; there's no way of making one version and simply disabling certain features in the files, as they could probably be cracked anyway and making it pointless.
Plus, since Jelsoft does have the intention of expanding their product line, I think their focus would be on those things than creating and working on two version of the same product.
You know you're surrounded by power users when your how-about-a-lite-version thread turns into a how-about-an-enterprise-version thread!
If you want less features I suggest using vbulletin 2 :).
If they would keep it regularly updated with security patches and let me use it for $20 a year I would! :)
Just scanning the admin panel quickly:
Template Editor (allow only basic stuff like changing your banner)
Phrase manager
Calendars
User infractions
User reputations
Paid subscriptions
Many vBulletin options like External Data Provider, User Notes, etc.
It's hard for me to determine what should and shouldn't be used in a Lite version because I don't know vBulletin that well. I don't know it that well because it's just to complex for the amount of time I have to devote to it. I just want something simple without dozens of configuration pages that doesn't cost a lot of money. However, I continue to use vBulletin because of the stability and security it provides.
