New category on HostBill "Provisioning Modules for HostBill"

Danny · June 04, 2013, 02:34:17 PM

Did you see the new category "Provisioning Modules for HostBill" on hostbillapp.com/clientarea/index.php?/cart/provisioning-modules-for-hostbill/&step=0 there are now modules like PowerDNS and SolusVM for $ 99,95 that was before version 4.6 included for free.

For me there is one question: i see in this list that there is a Pingdom module, is this a completly new one? because i interested to buy this but i´am not sure if its included before version 4.6 or is it completly new!?

regards

nibb · June 04, 2013, 05:04:02 PM

I would be very cautious on buying new modules, because once released I don´t think they get developed anymore and most of them have bugs. A great example are the orderpages, most of them have problems.

Regarding your question, if the module is new I think you will need to purchase it. I know this was the case with the SMS module and other stuff which was released, I purchased my license pre 4.6.0 and everything that was there before, should be free, but new stuff it seems not. So if the Pingdom module you mentioned is new, I assume nobody will have it.

Danny · June 04, 2013, 05:30:30 PM

i had HostBill before Version 4.6 i think since 4.0 or something else don´t know it anymore so this is not the problem.

But i have checked it now and it was not included before 4.6 so i have buy it now and for me it is working, just a little things that should be better but so i can offer monitoring for VPS and Dedicated Server and to pay the $99 is no problem for me so i done this now and take the risk with this module ;-).

tallship · June 04, 2013, 06:02:31 PM

One solution you might want to consider, is to set the default DNS servers to:

Then provide a link to https://dns.he.net for the management of your customer's domains.

nibb · June 04, 2013, 06:50:52 PM

Quote from: DannYFreSh on June 04, 2013, 05:30:30 PM
i had HostBill before Version 4.6 i think since 4.0 or something else don´t know it anymore so this is not the problem.

But i have checked it now and it was not included before 4.6 so i have buy it now and for me it is working, just a little things that should be better but so i can offer monitoring for VPS and Dedicated Server and to pay the $99 is no problem for me so i done this now and take the risk with this module ;-).

Yes im sure it will work, but the problem is eventually you need something else on it and then what?

You find a bug and it may or it may never get fixed. In particular if you are the only one using it.

You need something else, and it may never get developer and since everything is encoded you cannot change or fix things yourself. So between paying 99$ and paying 200$ to a freelancer, I would rather pay a freelancer and keep the code for myself so I can keep adding stuff or fix bugs.

Its just a bad investment, in particular like I said, because everything is encoded, and you get no support, and no guarantee what so ever on anything working. All you can see is the screenshots and assume that is what it does. Now for one module you could take the risk, but if you need 5 or 8 of them? That is quite a nice sum of money.

Software should be an investment. Sadly with Hostbill we never know. Maybe he charges 99$ per month tomorrow so you can keep using it that module, and then what? Knowing how trigger happy Kris is regarding prices, license changes, now developers are screwed, now all modules are paid, nothing guarantees you tomorrow he just does the same for the module you just purchased.

Its like going to the casino or playing roulette. I hope it does work for you, because most modules he sells for 99$ are absolutely very basic, he just uses the Pingdom API to accomplish something very basic. I would wonder if Pingdom does the same he does, and closes this API down, or documentation, or if everyone was doing that, all his modules would stop working. Well that is more or less what he did with the recent changes. All modules are paid, developers are not allowed to do their own modules anymore.

This are just my concern and personally I would also buy 3 or 4 modules I need, but I will not spend anymore money in the product until I know where how its future is looking.

Danny · June 04, 2013, 07:14:00 PM

yes of course you are right i don´t want to say anything else but it is just only this one module and i have take the risk now i know all the things you say before i buying this Module .. but i want give this a try and we will see what happen

it is not so that i want to buy one module after the other. This is my first and for now the last paid module and i will see where this ends.

nibb · June 04, 2013, 07:22:04 PM

Quote from: DannYFreSh on June 04, 2013, 07:14:00 PM
yes of course you are right i don´t want to say anything else but it is just only this one module and i have take the risk now i know all the things you say before i buying this Module .. but i want give this a try and we will see what happen

it is not so that i want to buy one module after the other. This is my first and for now the last paid module and i will see where this ends.

Well good luck and keep us posted if the module is what you expected and if its doing everything perfectly like you hoped. This help others wanting to buy the same module as well.

Danny · June 05, 2013, 06:21:59 AM

The prices for Provisioning Modules are now changed all from $99,95 to $199,95 .... crazy, crazy

ezpnet · June 05, 2013, 09:32:55 AM

I'm so confused. So when you buy hostbill now, what do you get? Just the hostbill framework? All the paid stuff - which are all the features of hostbill - are now paid, optional addons?

nibb · June 05, 2013, 09:33:43 AM

Quote from: ezpnet on June 05, 2013, 09:32:55 AM
I'm so confused. So when you buy hostbill now, what do you get? Just the hostbill framework? All the paid stuff - which are all the features of hostbill - are now paid, optional addons?

Yes

ezpnet · June 05, 2013, 10:22:15 AM

I am gobsmacked. The software, imho; was worth $999 when it came with everything. Now, you're looking at $2-3k for everything....

And that's assuming it all works.

electric · June 05, 2013, 12:23:22 PM

Quote from: ezpnet on June 05, 2013, 10:22:15 AM
And that's assuming it all works.

Which it doesn't.

If there was an amazing regression testing process, and new bugs were rare and small... then *maybe* it might be worth the price. Maybe.

However...

1. Bugs are often huge showstoppers. It is not reasonable to "wait a week" in the hopes that some new major bug that killed ability for customers to receive support notifications might be fixed in the next build. And then who knows what new bug is introduced.

2. Since no 3rd party development is possible now... you are stuck and 100% dependent only on Hostbill to provide whatever functionality you need. You can't hire someone to fix a bug that Hostbill deems unworthy of attention. You can't do anything if there is some minor change to a feature that you want. Etc... You are totally at the mercy of Hostbill.

3. Since you're stuck in "vender-lock" as per point #2 above... if (when, based on past change) hostbill decides to increase pricing to $10k/year... you're screwed. Don't think it will happen? lol. All evidence, based on the FACTS of previous pricing changes, points to Kris wanting to make his software the most expensive on the planet. You're in for an eventual shock and rude awakening if you think Kris has any morals or ethics that might prevent him from extorting as much as possible from you.

Patrick · June 05, 2013, 01:40:20 PM

Since we all or most of us owned hostbill pre-4.6.0 we should be entitled to all of these modules. It's still rather confusing if we are continuing to get updates on any of this? They've made the software as barebones as possible.

Danny · June 05, 2013, 01:41:29 PM

this is the new tactic to get his $999 + as before ...

Patrick · June 05, 2013, 01:46:18 PM

Quote from: DannYFreSh on June 05, 2013, 01:41:29 PM
this is the new tactic to get his $999 + as before ...

Absolutely, he just found a way to ask 20x more then the $999. It's a little nuts. He's the only software available that doesn't include anything. You even have to pay $199 if you dare to offer Interworx instead of cPanel or along side it. It's absolute madness.

I at first thought ok, i can learn to deal with how he set it up, but now he's removed everything from what's normally included. I mean wordpress module for $199? Really? Is he dreaming prices or just thinks it's a great price point? I've never seen a businessman try so hard NOT to make money LOL!!!

Quote from: ezpnet on June 05, 2013, 10:22:15 AM
I am gobsmacked. The software, imho; was worth $999 when it came with everything. Now, you're looking at $2-3k for everything....

And that's assuming it all works.

Actually now that every module is $199, the software as a whole for what you probably have right now is artificially valued at over $6,000 or more. It's silly. So instead of upping the price constantly on the "framework", he's going to play with the pricing on every module.

Wait, tomorrow it might be $299

edit:

https://hostbillapp.com/features/wordpress-plugin.php ---- Not to mention he's doing it VERY and i mean VERY fraudulently. His pages are all broken now but if you read through it, wordpress among others do not list as "premium features" so they are assumed included when they actually are not. Since he removed refund guarantee's, he's essentially scamming people now.

Has hostbill turned to scamming?