Goodbye, XenForo!

Hello!

I regret to inform you that I'm quitting XenForo. This means:

• No more new features for add-ons
• No more new add-ons
• Prices for existing add-ons will drop
• Free add-ons will become paid or no longer available

The reason for this was the unprofessional behavior of the XenForo administration.

For the last 4 years I have been an active member of the XenForo community and one of the few developers who release major add-ons for this platform. During this time, I have encountered many times the speech freedom restriction on their community forum and, to put it mildly, strange decisions on the administration part. Yesterday I again encountered this behavior of the administration. In response to this post, I sent a joke about what we got a 100 character limit on reviews. It has been deleted, 3 times, in the Off-topic section, then I was banned in this section. My post does not violate the rules, I did not receive any verbal warnings or comments on these actions.

Over the past years, I have encountered:

Deleting positive reviews without notice or reason​

One of the most absurd cases that I encountered in this regard was when people who did not buy my products posted negative reviews, after which all reviews on my resource were deleted altogether. I turned to the Brogan and some reviews were restored. And then they were deleted again silently! Cause? "I don't know which reviews were valid and invalid" © Brogan. As usual, I was ignored.

Deleting posts that do not violate the rules​

At any time, you can fall into disfavor with the administration and your posts will be deleted quietly and without notification. If you pay attention to this, you will get a ban. The reddest flag you can see is unpredictable behavior.

No updates or roadmap​

The last update improving functionality was released 3 years(!) ago! During this time, the community has not even received a roadmap, and dissatisfaction with this situation, as always, is simply ignored by the developers. As a developer, I understand that it is possible to develop XenForo from scratch in such a time period and XF developers are simply not interested in developing their product.

Ignoring the community​

They implement less than 10 small suggestions per year (only 2 this year), with dozens of popular suggestions that have been around for over 5 years.
Any feedback and criticism are taken in a negative way.

Thanks to everyone who supporting my developments financially and morally! I hope our cooperation will continue in a friendlier environment!

---

Inappropriate behavior after a conflict​

I am updating the post on March 21, 2024, six months after the conflict...

Aug 31, 2023
My attempts to prove that there was no objective the rules violation
Banning my account and insults from the administration

March 21, 2024
Ridiculous attempt to remove a review on TrustPilot

🍿🍿🍿

 

[stux]

If you mean feature updates, then I wrote about this in the first post:


But I still plan to keep my add-ons working as long as there are customers with active licenses for them. That is, bug fixes will definitely be released.
It’s too early to talk about support for XF 2.3, this version doesn't even have a release date. It seems to me that this will be the most problematic update in the entire 2.x branch, so I won't rush to update my addons for this version

I highly doubt people would rush to upgrade to 2.3. New customers maybe, but existing ones that have built up everything and not get it working on the newer one, unlikely.

 

[gogo]

If you mean feature updates, then I wrote about this in the first post:


But I still plan to keep my add-ons working as long as there are customers with active licenses for them. That is, bug fixes will definitely be released.
It’s too early to talk about support for XF 2.3, this version doesn't even have a release date. It seems to me that this will be the most problematic update in the entire 2.x branch, so I won't rush to update my addons for this version

Not going to support new version of ChatGPT? I would like to surprise my users by the ChatGPT thing.

// I just found that it actually supports the latest GPT4!?!



Anyone using it now? How's the cost if I'm going to let users to use it?

 

[rdn]

I'd say GPT4 is 10 times more expensive than 3.5.

 

[rdn]

Here's an actual comparison: I just enabled GPT4 for almost a day, and it's very expensive.

 

[gogo]

Here's an actual comparison: I just enabled GPT4 for almost a day, and it's very expensive.

View attachment 1621

Wow thanks for your data! And that's how many users in the forum? I just want to have a rough estimation.

Where do you get this chart by the way?

 

[André]

Wow thanks for your data! And that's how many users in the forum? I just want to have a rough estimation.

Where do you get this chart by the way?

Ya can find the usage stats chart in your account @OpenAI.

Mine looked almost the same as rdn's.

On the first day, I asked two members if they'd test the GPT4 bots....(😄they're the only members who ever use them)

They were keen, although didn't take 'em long before the bots were regurgitating the old "I'm sorry but as an AI language blah blah blah"....so the members quickly became bored and ditched.

Total time was less than 30mins...racking up almost $3—(roughly the total monthly charge I was gettin' with the GPT3.5)

😂I'd definitely recommend setting a charge limit with GPT4.

Tbh I'm already questioning whether it's even justifiable paying $20/month–let alone potentially another $90+ on top.

What we're seeing is that there's simply nowhere near even $20 worth of value provided from the bots, both the 3.5s/as well as the 4s.....and omfg DALL-E is just completely-utterly useless.

Spoiler: DALL-E examples

 

[ModeleFilmowe]

Hello;

As a software developer, I must admit that I felt genuinely disheartened upon hearing about this situation. Developers are the cornerstone of a community's sustained growth. To achieve popularity within a community, it is crucial to support and encourage developers. I hope you experience more positive developments in your future endeavors.

Best regards,

They should actually take care of you on XenForo, I need to write to them...

 

[Lytvyn]

Дуже шкода, класні плагіни... На рахунок політики xenforo солідарний з вами

 

[André]

They should actually take care of you on XenForo, I need to write to them...

😄 Honestly I do wish you all the luck in the world.

At this point I've completely given up bothering wasting my time/energy suggesting anything @xf community, including via the public forums, DMs as well as the client-"support" tickets.

I really don't know what the deal is over there, but from my subjective perspective, it almost seems like once you're familiar enough with xf community and if ya still don't submit & conform to the aggressive will of the dominant mob of most active members, well then, apparently this mob sees a gigantic target on ya, and are basically free to pile on passive aggressively attacking ya every chance they get.

However in my experience, what's most irritating is the fact there's at least one moderator-(I currently suspect is one P Brogan)-who actively enables the mob's abuses by "punishing" the one who's being targeted.

Sure, I'll admit, sometimes I have deliberately antagonized certain-(imo)-dishonourable posters @xf community, but nothing I've done is anywhere near comparable to the vicious group behaviours I've seen the dominant mob regularly perpetrating upon isolated members.

@ModeleFilmowe, if you did write to xf, I hope they don't begin covertly targeting you like it seems they've been doing with me. Coz right now @xf community I'm unable to use a range of basic functions, eg: can't use reactions, can't post in certain forums, can't change or even access some of my own account settings, and there's probably more, but they never actually tell me/nor do they ever respond to my direct questions asking why they've disabled whatever permissions they have.

😂In my genuine opinion, XF customer "support" is absolutely bloody atrocious and frankly as of a few days ago when my account was again further restricted, I've decided to start looking into ditchin' XF for InVision coz I'm just sick of being treated like utter sh_t by a bunch of obnoxious power trippers.

Yet, for what little I know, what's the chances InVision is just as dysfunctional as XF is too aye ...🤣lmfao

 

[thaidt]

I agree with your thoughts, but it's also saddening that you've decided to leave.

 

[bleh]

I am saddened by this. Many forum owners are super annoyed with XenForo's lack of updates. Something internally is going on there that we do not understand.

 

[rdn]

Something internally is going on there that we do not understand.

It seems only Chris is the full-time developer, plus the other two new part-time.

 

[021]

Okay guys, I don't know what to add. They're just acting like offended kids.

March 18
They are asking for additional information regarding my review.


March 21
XenForo flagged my review for containing harmful or illegal content 🤷‍♂️


I don’t quite understand what they are counting on, taking into account the fact that for each point of the review I have screenshots to prove it...

Spoiler: Just review

Unprofessional administration behavior​

For the last 4 years I have been an active member of the XenForo community and one of the few developers who release major add-ons for this platform. During this time, I have encountered many times the speech freedom restriction on their community forum and, to put it mildly, strange decisions on the administration part. Yesterday I again encountered this behavior of the administration. In response to the post asking what we got while other platforms are releasing something, I sent a joke about what we got a 100 character limit on reviews. It has been deleted, 3 times, in the Off-topic section, then I was banned in this section. My post does not violate the rules, I did not receive any verbal warnings or comments on these actions.

Over the past years, I have encountered:
\> Deleting positive reviews without notice or reason
One of the most absurd cases that I encountered in this regard was when people who did not buy my products posted negative reviews, after which all reviews on my resource were deleted altogether. I turned to the Brogan and some reviews were restored. And then they were deleted again silently! Cause? "I don't know which reviews were valid and invalid" © Brogan. As usual, I was ignored.

\> Deleting posts that do not violate the rules
At any time, you can fall into disfavor with the administration and your posts will be deleted quietly and without notification. If you pay attention to this, you will get a ban. The reddest flag you can see is unpredictable behavior.

\> No updates or roadmap
The last update improving functionality was released 3 years(!) ago! During this time, the community has not even received a roadmap, and dissatisfaction with this situation, as always, is simply ignored by the developers. As a developer, I understand that it is possible to develop XenForo from scratch in such a time period and XF developers are simply not interested in developing their product.

\> Ignoring the community
They implement less than 10 small suggestions per year (only 2 this year), with dozens of popular suggestions that have been around for over 5 years.
Any feedback and criticism are taken in a negative way.

Do you find anything harmful or illegal in my review? 😄 Although this is really harmful for XenForo's reputation, I'm not sure if it's the text 😄

March 25
Of course, the review was restored, and its contents were thus once again confirmed.

 

[rdn]

Good bye, you will not be missed ;)

Who's this troll? :D

 

[021]

Who's this troll? :D

Brogan? xD

 

[021]

Ok, just some genius who got caught in a copyright violation and was unhappy enough with it to come here and write about it, lol

 

[021]

March 25
Of course, the review was restored, and its contents were thus once again confirmed.

 

[André]

Okay guys, I don't know what to add. They're just acting like offended kids.

March 18
They are asking for additional information regarding my review.
View attachment 1703

March 21
XenForo flagged my review for containing harmful or illegal content 🤷‍♂️
View attachment 1704

I don’t quite understand what they are counting on, taking into account the fact that for each point of the review I have screenshots to prove it...

Do you find anything harmful or illegal in my review? 😄 Although this is really harmful for XenForo's reputation, I'm not sure if it's the text 😄

March 25
Of course, the review was restored, and its contents were thus once again confirmed.
View attachment 1706

Actually found your "Trust"pilot review earlier tonight before attempting to give a frank review of my own.

I decided to call in here just now because "Trust"pilot auto-removed my review less than 30 seconds after posting it.

Fortunately I documented it in full prior to posting because "Trust"pilot is perfidious af.

A very basic example is their claim of never deleting any reviews.

😏 Except they bloody well do. They merely use different terms, like: "Removed", combined with delayed deletion practices congruent with requisite legal minimums.

Not to mention that any company willing to pay enough, "Trust"pilot affords special privileges which are not openly clarified to the rest of us.

Regardless, I have had enough of the insidious abuses directed at myself and an as yet unknown number of others, all being perpetrated by the feral Xenforo Cultists.

 

[André]

(A full copy of my now "Removed" "Trust"pilot review.-(*This is a very polite and very brief version of what I want to say)

---

Xenforo: Compelling Communal Cult


"What went wrong this time? How can this company improve?"

Well, unfortunately this review will more than likely incur an intensification of the Xenforo cult's current ongoing insidious wrath with even more covert &/or overt abuse being directed at me by the Xenforo owners.

Perhaps they'll yet again attempt fabricating &/or twisting some minor supposed "offense" specifically to frame their victim as somehow being the perpetrator while Xenforo the poor helpless"victim".

Just look at Xenforo's flagrantly disingenuous and outright deceptive responses to the 1 & 2 star ratings here.

The unfortunate reality is that the Xenforo owners and staff are astonishingly capable manipulators.

I would strongly advise against taking them at their word.

These are some of the most dishonest individuals I have ever encountered, yet furthermore compounded by their positions of "power" over thousands of largely unwitting "customers".

Fortunately I'm not a submissive coward and to protect myself for some time now I have been documenting the persistent egregious offending by Xenforo associates against myself and many-many other innocent victims.

As of this moment I have now had to endure Xenforo's standard practice of shameless proactive abuse repeatedly for over a year by the Xenforo owners themselves-(particularly ChrisD)-as well as XF staff-(ie: "Slavik", "PaulB", et al)-along with certain preeminent third party XF devs-(ie: "OzzModz", "MaxTaxable", "NicolasFR", et al)-plus various hysterically fanatical XF community members-(the list is substantial)-with some of whom I now suspect may possibly be the actual owners &/or staff using pseudo- "members"-aka: 'Sock Puppets' in order to anonymously perpetrate abuses against innocent Xenforo Community members who fail to comply &/or expedite submission.


What is the definition of a -CULT?

-Xenforo

Below, is checklist of 11 traits common to - CULTS


1. Deviant Beliefs and Practices:

-Distinctive ideologies and rituals that diverge from societal norms.

*Xenforo✓


2. Charismatic Leadership:

-A dominant figure exerting significant influence and control over followers.

*Xenforo✓


3. Exploitative Practices:

-Financial manipulation, labor exploitation, or psychological coercion.

*Xenforo✓


4. Isolation and Indoctrination:

-Limiting contact with outsiders and using techniques to instill unquestioning belief.

*Xenforo✓


5. Restricted Communication:

-Controlling access to information and suppressing dissent within the group.

*Xenforo✓


6. Legal Violations:

-Engaging in illegal activities such as fraud, child abuse, or obstruction of justice.

*Xenforo✓


7. Mind Control Techniques:

-Employing psychological strategies to manipulate thoughts, emotions, and behavior.

*Xenforo✓


8. Suppression of Individuality:

-Enforcing conformity, discouraging critical thinking, and promoting a collective identity.

*Xenforo✓


9. Financial Exploitation:

-Demanding excessive donations, controlling members' finances, or engaging in fraud.

*Xenforo✓


10. Harmful Rituals:

-Practices that pose physical, psychological, or emotional risks to members.

*Xenforo✓


11. Lack of Accountability:

-Limited transparency, suppression of criticism, and avoidance of external oversight.

*Xenforo✓


It is very easy to find examples for all of these and a hell of a lot more.

Ironically Xenforo obsessively practices hoarding of almost all except for the most obviously incriminating content.

This is a reprehensible company that specializes in developing "community platform" software designed for the specific purposes of collecting, categorizing, storing, controlling and manipulating all users "contributed" content.

I am definitely not the only one who has eventually realized exactly what Xenforo has been and is currently still perpetrating without consequence.

*Please note: I am aware of the hidden allowances Trustpilot affords companies willing to pay for such.

-Therefore as a necessary precaution this review has already been documented in full, in it's complete original form exactly as I personally authored up until immediately prior to clicking 'Submit Review', thus any alterations, including deletions in part and in full, as well as any subsequent responses by Xenforo owners, staff or other individuals, presenting, whether in part &/or in full, as assertions, accusations, denials, statements, claims, supposed "evidences" &/or anything of any form that is false, fabricated, misleading, disingenuous, deceptive, manipulative, dishonest, covertly &/or overtly threatening &/or in any conceivable manner incongruent with true reality, will be considered acknowledgement by Xenforo owners & staff of criminality.

*************************************

☝️😐 Again, that is a very brief, non-comprehensive and incredibly polite version, barely a drop in the toxic Xenforo Cult bucket.

And yes. These ghastly c_nts are a literal cult masquerading as a "Community Platform".

 

[André]

Okay guys, I don't know what to add. They're just acting like offended kids.

March 18
They are asking for additional information regarding my review.
View attachment 1703

March 21
XenForo flagged my review for containing harmful or illegal content 🤷‍♂️
View attachment 1704

I don’t quite understand what they are counting on, taking into account the fact that for each point of the review I have screenshots to prove it...

Do you find anything harmful or illegal in my review? 😄 Although this is really harmful for XenForo's reputation, I'm not sure if it's the text 😄

March 25
Of course, the review was restored, and its contents were thus once again confirmed.
View attachment 1706

I see nothing wrong with your review.

You have every right to express your experiences, and that is entirely regardless of any arbitrary "rules" imposed by anyone.