Paid Plugins

Posted on
Mon Sep 18, 2017 3:01 pm
george99 offline
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Joined: May 27, 2015

Paid Plugins

I love Indigo, and how it works.
However, some of the plugins aren't as stable and/or user friendly. Not complaining, I know the plugin developers aren't being paid for it.
Honestly, I would rather pay for my plugins. This would give the ability for users to get better service, more stable plugins, and timely support.

I think it would also incentivize some potential developers to create/improve plugins.
Maybe a free and a paid version of plugins.

Posted on
Mon Sep 18, 2017 3:23 pm
howartp offline
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Joined: Jan 09, 2014
Location: West Yorkshire, UK

Re: Paid Plugins

As one of the published developers on here, I know I for one couldn't offer paid plugins as I don't physically have the time now, never mind with paid expectation of support. I suspect most of the other devs are in the same position.


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Posted on
Mon Sep 18, 2017 4:17 pm
roussell offline
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Location: Alabama

Re: Paid Plugins

I'd also add that paid plugins is not synonymous with higher quality. Perhaps the largest HA system around has mostly all 3rd-party paid plugins and I can tell you from personal history that the quality of most are NOT up to par with what folks have developed for Indigo.

Now, I'm all for contributing and if the devs wish to setup a way to accept donations, I'd gladly throw what I can their way.

If there is something in particular you're having trouble with, make sure you post in the appropriate forum (if you haven't already done so). The assistance offered here is second to none.

Terry


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Posted on
Mon Sep 18, 2017 5:14 pm
jay (support) offline
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Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Paid Plugins

We've asked the developers several times about paid plugins - and probably 95% said they weren't interested. We want to make finding, downloading, and updating plugins better in future releases, and when we do that we'll likely make it easy for people to donate to developers (if they choose), but the majority of them have expressed no interest in "paid" plugins (most citing @howartp's logic above). We'll continue to ask however.

+1 to Terry's post also

Jay (Indigo Support)
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Posted on
Mon Sep 18, 2017 6:12 pm
FlyingDiver offline
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Location: Southwest Florida, USA

Re: Paid Plugins

I'm retired. If I charged for my plugins, then I'd be working again. Work is a four-letter word. ;)

I did get some donations towards my Harmony Hub plugin, because I needed a second one to make sure that the plugin properly supported multiple hubs. Thanks to the guys that contributed! :)

joe (aka FlyingDiver)
my plugins: http://forums.indigodomo.com/viewforum.php?f=177

Posted on
Mon Sep 18, 2017 8:03 pm
Different Computers offline
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Joined: Jan 02, 2016
Location: East Coast

Re: Paid Plugins

The most amateur plugin dev here (and I'm not thinking of anyone in particular, just an impression) is better at support than my experience with, for example, the following corporations:

SmartThings

CenturyLink

FosCam

BA Vision

PayPal

EvoCam (Seriously, fuck that guy)

SmartThings refugee, so happy to be on Indigo. Monterey on a base M1 Mini w/Harmony Hub, Hue, DomoPad, Dynamic URL, Device Extensions, HomeKitLink, Grafana, Plex, uniFAP, Fantastic Weather, Nanoleaf, LED Simple Effects, Bond Home, Camect.

Posted on
Tue Sep 19, 2017 2:37 am
kwijibo007 offline
Posts: 325
Joined: Sep 27, 2013
Location: Melbourne, Australia

Re: Paid Plugins

Me being the above mentioned most amateur plugin dev here, I would never charge for a plugin. I get far more out of other developers work than I put in.

And I would hate the expectation of providing fast support.

Pete


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Posted on
Tue Sep 19, 2017 5:07 am
MarcoGT offline
Posts: 1091
Joined: Sep 11, 2014
Location: Germany

Re: Paid Plugins

Different Computers wrote:

EvoCam (Seriously, fuck that guy)


I can quote.
40 Euro (or something like this) and now everything disappeared.
Ok, it is still working, but we do not know how much.

Posted on
Tue Sep 19, 2017 6:44 am
jmdraper offline
Posts: 103
Joined: Sep 11, 2014
Location: Surrey, UK

Re: Paid Plugins

Nope I’m definitely the most amateur plugin developer here and I too could not provide support for my plugin. The community does more to support my plugin than I do and, frankly, it’s awesome.

Quite apart from the fact that the plugins are a community effort, commercially it just doesn’t work. The numbers just aren’t there to make that a viable source of enough income to buy time from someone with the required skills.

Posted on
Tue Sep 19, 2017 7:06 am
Different Computers offline
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Location: East Coast

Re: Paid Plugins

MarcoGT wrote:
Ok, it is still working, but we do not know how much.

Doesn't work with 10.12! Not last time I tried anyway, which was probably 10.12.2.

The Security Camera plugin was more elegant, and the Dynamic URL plugin does 80% of what I wanted EvoCam for anyway.

SmartThings refugee, so happy to be on Indigo. Monterey on a base M1 Mini w/Harmony Hub, Hue, DomoPad, Dynamic URL, Device Extensions, HomeKitLink, Grafana, Plex, uniFAP, Fantastic Weather, Nanoleaf, LED Simple Effects, Bond Home, Camect.

Posted on
Tue Sep 19, 2017 7:14 am
MarcoGT offline
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Joined: Sep 11, 2014
Location: Germany

Re: Paid Plugins

Nice to hear.
I am still with macOS 10.11 on the MacMini.

It means that I have to switch to Security Camera Plugin at first.

Posted on
Tue Sep 19, 2017 6:09 pm
george99 offline
Posts: 224
Joined: May 27, 2015

Re: Paid Plugins

Guys,
I appreciate the feedback. I didn't mean that all plugins must be paid. More like offer the option for any developer who would prefer to be paid.
That way as a consumer, I would have the right to say:
"hey, my plugin isn't working right, please fix".

Right now it is more like:
"hey, I know you are busy and you don't get paid. Please if you have the chance, can you update the plugin so that it to fix a specific bug".

I am in this situation right now. I have plugin that hasn't worked right for me since day 1, and I have been trying to get help for it for over a year and my requests are ignored. I realize the developer doesn't owe me anything and doesn't have to reply to me. But it's a problem as I have had to look elsewhere (3rd party software) to get what I need to work outside of Indigo.
That is what led me to suggest this.

Posted on
Tue Sep 19, 2017 6:22 pm
Colorado4Wheeler offline
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Joined: Jul 20, 2009
Location: Colorado

Re: Paid Plugins

I've been offered payment for custom plugins that I've turned down because then instead of being creative on my own time I have to answer to someone and then I don't even get any use out of the plugin I've created. The stresses of supporting a free plugin drove me away from development for a while because it was just more than I wanted to deal with considering I also have a job to answer to as well as a life outside of Indigo.

Besides the fact that paid plugins stifle creativity in the name of profit, I think that the stress of supporting and then updating plugins just for pay would drive me to a different solution. If I had to pay for all my plugins that I use then I would go elsewhere.

In the end, way too many cons versus pros.

My Modest Contributions to Indigo:

HomeKit Bridge | Device Extensions | Security Manager | LCD Creator | Room-O-Matic | Smart Dimmer | Scene Toggle | Powermiser | Homebridge Buddy

Check Them Out Here

Posted on
Tue Sep 19, 2017 6:27 pm
FlyingDiver offline
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Location: Southwest Florida, USA

Re: Paid Plugins

george99 wrote:
I am in this situation right now. I have plugin that hasn't worked right for me since day 1, and I have been trying to get help for it for over a year and my requests are ignored. I realize the developer doesn't owe me anything and doesn't have to reply to me. But it's a problem as I have had to look elsewhere (3rd party software) to get what I need to work outside of Indigo.
That is what led me to suggest this.


In your situation, I would just stop using that plugin. It doesn't work for you, and you're beating your head against a wall trying to get it to work.

For less than what you would need to pay someone to work on it, you could get a Harmony Hub (no remote) and use that to control your Denon receiver.

joe (aka FlyingDiver)
my plugins: http://forums.indigodomo.com/viewforum.php?f=177

Posted on
Tue Sep 19, 2017 6:45 pm
george99 offline
Posts: 224
Joined: May 27, 2015

Re: Paid Plugins

Well I am using Simple Control (aka Roomie Remote). Indigo is using it like a plugin do do what I need.
It works, but it’s just a pain to set it up this way.

BTW I intentionally didn’t post that it was denon, although I suppose it is t that hard to figure out if you look at my posts
I’m not trying to throw perry under a bus. He does what he does and he doesn’t owe me anything as I haven’t paid him for anything. But I have asked numerous times for support on this, and have never gotten a response. I am willing to pay for it to work.

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