What’s happening with the future development of Visiolist?

[ausmann]

Hey everyone,

I've been a paying customer for over 7 years now, and I feel it's time to ask a few questions directly to the developers.
As someone who believes that a paid service should deliver quality, here are some points I'd like to discuss:

1. What are we really paying for?

• 1.1. Forum and Updates:
  When we pay an annual subscription, isn’t it supposed to give us access to an active support forum, regular updates, and fresh plugins for Visiolist? For example, the last update to Visiolist was released 4 years ago (check this thread: Visiolist 1.9 – June 3, 2021).
• 1.2. Plugins Maintenance:
  Similarly, the plugins have not seen regular updates either – with one of the latest updates back on November 19, 2021 and another dating as far back as March 28, 2014. This makes it hard to keep up with modern standards.

2. Why is the forum so quiet?

• It seems like the forum is pretty inactive. Sure, many users might be comfortable enough with their programming skills to fix issues on their own, but it also feels like the developers have stopped sharing new ideas or engaging with us. A little more conversation and community input could really improve things.

3. When can we expect Visiolist v2?

• The big question on everyone’s mind: Is a new version in the works?
• Especially since we’re already approaching PHP v9 (check out PHP Versions), and Visiolist only runs properly on PHP v7.4 with some tweaks. Not to mention, Bootstrap is on its way to v6 while our current templates are stuck on Bootstrap v3.
• In this age of accessible AI (since November 2022, to be precise), it’s surprising that Visiolist hasn’t yet taken advantage of AI to optimize and speed up its performance.

All in all, these issues give the impression of a project that might be losing steam. I remain positive and confident that the developers can turn this around, and I really hope to see a detailed, thoughtful response addressing these points.

Looking forward to your insights and thanks for your time!

Best regards!

 

[ignite]

Ngl, extremely disappointing after purchasing this and had high hopes.

To see it's not maintained, you have to do hacky things to get it to work above 8.3, plugins/add-ons are not supported and(or) need us to upgrade the php as well in those. You're lucky if you get a response from the dev lol.

Can't even use it tbh, it sits on my spare drive what a horrible investment this turned out to be.

 

[Mark]

Ausmann,

I want to start by expressing my sincerest gratitude for your loyalty and continued support over the past 7 years. It's customers like you who have made this project possible, and I truly appreciate the time you've taken to share your concerns and suggestions.

I must acknowledge that the project has indeed faced significant challenges, including low demand, fraud, and piracy, which have impacted my ability to deliver the level of quality and support that you deserve. I apologize for any frustration or disappointment this may have caused.


Regarding your questions:

1. What are you really paying for?

You're right; as a paying customer, you should expect access to an active support forum, regular updates, and fresh plugins for Visiolist. Unfortunately, due to the challenges mentioned earlier, my resources have been limited, and I haven't been able to maintain the level of activity and updates that I would like.

• 1.1. Forum and Updates: You're correct that the last update to Visiolist was released 4 years ago. I understand that this is not acceptable, and I'll explain the reasons behind this later in my response.
• 1.2. Plugins Maintenance: Similarly, the plugins have not received regular updates, which can make it difficult to keep up with modern standards. I recognize the importance of maintaining plugins and will strive to do better in the future, at lease on the plugins I have created.

2. Why is the forum so quiet?

You're right that the forum has been relatively inactive, but I want to assure you that I've made a best effort to respond to support requests and maintenance-related questions in a timely manner. However, I acknowledge that I haven't been proactive in engaging with the community, sharing new ideas, or soliciting feedback on new features.

As a solo developer, my focus has been on ensuring that existing customers like you continue to receive support and can use Visiolist without major issues. While this approach has allowed me to maintain a baseline level of service, I understand that it's not enough to drive the project forward or foster a sense of community.

I appreciate your suggestion that more conversation and community input could improve things, and I'm open to exploring ways to revitalize the forum and encourage more discussion around Visiolist's future development.

3. When can you expect Visiolist v2?

Regarding Visiolist v2, I must be honest with you – I don't have a concrete release date or even a clear roadmap for a new version at this time. The challenges I've faced have impacted my ability to invest in significant updates or new features.

However, I want to assure you that I'm aware of the importance of keeping up with modern standards, such as PHP v9 and Bootstrap v6. I'll explore ways to address these issues and improve Visiolist's performance, possibly by leveraging AI technology which has been an area where most of my dev time has been going over the past 2 years now.

While I can't make any promises at this time, I appreciate your feedback and will take it into consideration when planning my next steps.

I want to thank you again for your loyalty and for sharing your concerns. I recognize that I haven't met your expectations, and for that, I'm truly sorry. I'll do my best to address the issues you've raised and work towards providing a better experience for VisioList customers.


If I may ask, what features/functionality beyond compatibility with latest PHP/CSS libraries are you most looking forward to for V2?

If you have any further questions or suggestions, please don't hesitate to reach out. Your input is invaluable to me, and I look forward to continuing this conversation.

Best regards,
Mark
Solo Developer, Visiolist Project