Hi Danieliser,
Thanks for taking the time to write.
What you said makes perfect sense to me, and I appreciate you providing advice based on your own experience as a plugin developer.
I know it does not sound like the ideal strategy. I certainly don’t want to offend users especially those that have relied on such features of the plugin for so long now. There are also many folks like yourself who have provided valuable feedback, bug fixes, feature suggestions either through email or this support forum. That said, we are truly grateful for everything.
We have been working on this plugin for so long now, pretty much exactly the same time that Pippin released Easy Digital Downloads believe it or not, and probably like Pippin’s EDD it started out trim and turned into a behemoth of a plugin. 🙂
The main difference between the two plugins I guess is that we developed and gave away just about every feature, and only got into the premium-ifying features as extensions late in the game. We tried monetising the mini extensions, which failed miserably and then went back to bundling the more premium features (e.g. the code auto completion) into the premium CJT and I feel things are looking brighter.
My main goal besides the obvious ‘getting remunerated for the years of work’ cliche, is to keep the plugin development going as I truly believe in the uniqueness, the quality, and the potential that this plugin can reach. It is like the groundwork is done for some ground-breaking ideas that could be developed in the future.
So is removing existing features from the free version wise? Maybe not, and maybe I will get some 1 stars, which I have received before for no valid reason at all. Will people go premium after doing so? I am not sure, probably, probably not!!! I have not taken lightly the decision to remove features AND the features that will be removed is not entirely set in stone yet. Also, I don’t believe it is the end of the world as users can still get everything by staying on the relevant version without updating. Users go premium for support and updates right?
Anyway, I do thank you for bringing this topic up and it is certainly worth the further thought, consideration and discussion.
Thanks again.
Regards,
Damian
@wipeoutmedia – I understand the plight, but have made all these same considerations during my last 5 years developing plugins. Wish you all the best but will leave you with this.
You said
Also, I don’t believe it is the end of the world as users can still get everything by staying on the relevant version without updating.
But there are a few things you haven’t considered.
1) Most users bulk update their sites plugins without ever looking at the change logs. In those cases they will simply update and never know that the feature they were using is gone, until they find the issue one day on accident.
2) Security patches, WP compatibility etc. Effectively you are saying that they have to stick with an outdated version or lose features you gave to begin with.
Why not just fork it and create a new one. That is what I did with Easy Modal -> Popup Maker. Made it twice as popular, twice as fast. In 9 months it has become the Highest used popup plugin on the repo. most active installs, most reviews ( 3x more than any other ) etc.
In that case I built a ground up replacement, that addressed all the shortcomings of the original and added tons of new improvments to everything, as well as adding the hooks and filters needed for extending. It also includes a built in migration for users coming from Easy Modal.
I now charge quite a bit more for the products, but can still support existing users of Easy Modal with security & bug fixes. No new features though.
Best of both worlds if you ask me, by notifying your existing users of this better new one, they will transfer willingly. Once they see how much better it is that increases review rates.
Just my 2 cents.
Hi danieliser,
Thanks for replying and the 2 cents – I am even happy to take 5 cents as you have mentioned some great points. In fact it did not even cross my mind that a lot of users just bulk update without paying any attention to the change-log. And the security patches, etc is a sure-fire way to get a huge backlash, so you are right and I cannot afford to ruin the high ratings and user confidence.
I have heard of Easy Modal and Popup Maker – cool, so you created those!!!. They are great plugins and you have done a superb job with them. You also have a very sound strategy in place that is flexible and fair for users, which is evident in your high ratings and downloads.
You know, I have thought a lot about the things you said today (whilst working at my day-job … lol) and I am considering keeping the user-base happy and I therefore will most probably leave most of the core features at the very least. I have a very good rapport with users and it means a lot to me that people are happy with the free plugin too. Also, the plugin currently ranks very high with search terms such as ‘CSS’, ‘JavaScript’, etc and I would not want to jeopardise that. The good thing is that CJT Plus is an extension much like a separate product and this is the product that I want to develop further with a lot more awesome features. Since it ‘extends’ CJT free (on WP.org), of course it needs to work and play nicely with CJT Plus, so it is important that bugs are fixed and security holes are plugged so both user camps are happy.
Anyway, thanks for your input and I appreciate your time.
Wish you the best with your development projects.
Take care.
Regards,
Damian
@wipeoutmedia – Not a problem. If you would like some help or have questions, or even just want feedback on your plans feel free to email me danieliser at wizardinternetsolutions.com.
