New Features For Blesta

[wfitg]

The reason why i switched to Blesta was because it is not bloated. It had a modern and easy to use management console with the exact features I thought were needed.

 

Therefore, rather than have hundreds of new feature requests being added to the core would it not be better to make some of these additional new features as seperate modules that can be added as needed?

 

For instance, if someone wants to have a feature that automatically deletes services after they have been suspended for 90 days, they can download a small plugin giving them that feature. (this is just an example)

 

Thoughts everyone?

 

 

[Michael]

well it's going to be part of billing plugin, if you don't install it, it won't be included, but yeah there are plugins made for stuff like that.

[wfitg]

well it's going to be part of billing plugin, if you don't install it, it won't be included, but yeah there are plugins made for stuff like that.

I'm talking about expanding that concept.

After the billing plugin is installed more features can be added or taken away. IOW make Blesta run more like Joomla, or Wordpress. It is remarkable how each Wordpress or Joomla site can be made different with the use of seperate plugins that are easily turned on and off, or deleted and added.

Blesta is already superior, but could be made more-so with the use if individual feature plugins. Some of them can be commerical, some for free. They can be community supported or Blesta sponsored.

[Michael]

I'm talking about expanding that concept.

After the billing plugin is installed more features can be added or taken away. IOW make Blesta run more like Joomla, or Wordpress. It is remarkable how each Wordpress or Joomla site can be made different with the use of seperate plugins that are easily turned on and off, or deleted and added.

Blesta is already superior, but could be made more-so with the use if individual feature plugins. Some of them can be commerical, some for free. They can be community supported or Blesta sponsored.

 

Yeah people have, You have Logicboxes Extended (Reloaded) by Naja7host, you have SolusVM Extended by Virtovo & cPanel Extended which ModulesGarden did but gave it Blesta. They all have special extras which can be used to replace the default ones.

[wfitg]

Yeah people have, You have Logicboxes Extended (Reloaded) by Naja7host, you have SolusVM Extended by Virtovo & cPanel Extended which ModulesGarden did but gave it Blesta. They all have special extras which can be used to replace the default ones.

You are misunderstanding.

For example, a wordpress plugin could add Google maps to a page without changing the Wordpress core or theme files. Its only function is to embed a map in to a page.

A blesta plugin could be made to do something like turn on and off VAT on the form without having to change the core or add that feature to the core files.

Back in that day there was something called an "include" that would include code from from a file that was not part of the originl framework. Dreamweaver may even still use includes.

[Michael]

They can do that anyway replace stuff, add stuff, just no-one has written one yet. 

[wfitg]

They can do that anyway replace stuff, add stuff, just no-one has written one yet.

Exactly. And that is what I am suggesting.

Rather than add more and more features to the Blesta core (and make Blesta bloated like the others), just make a simple plugin to do that one feature. That way the people who do not need that feature do not have to add it to their blesta installation.

This would keep Blesta light weight.

[Michael]

Exactly. And that is what I am suggesting.

Rather than add more and more features to the Blesta core (and make Blesta bloated like the others), just make a simple plugin to do that one feature. That way the people who do not need that feature do not have to add it to their blesta installation.

This would keep Blesta light weight.

 

But Blesta builds on the core... no-point having 2 plugins, when they can just include a optional selector. 

[Daniel B]

I don't really think this is something that we have to worry about.  The Blesta team knows that they want to keep things simple and smooth.  The UI Designer (Paul) prefers the less = more approach.  So if they feel a feature request would add more bloat than it would be worth, I am confident that they will turn it into an optional plugin rather than a core feature.

 

However, you also have to realize that Blesta is a billing system...and adding onto those features is going to happen and not neccesarily be added as plugins.  The example you gave is a good example I think, the ability to delete a service that has been suspended for 90 days would be a main feature and directly related to the billing system...I'd see no reason at all to have that it it's own plugin, especially when all it would need is a setting in the admin panel on whether to use it or not.

 

Blesta 3.0 is only a year old, and is not feature complete yet so I'm sure there is still plenty more "basic" features to add before we start getting into bloating the interface in my opinion.

[flangefrog]

The reason why i switched to Blesta was because it is not bloated. It had a modern and easy to use management console with the exact features I thought were needed.

 

Therefore, rather than have hundreds of new feature requests being added to the core would it not be better to make some of these additional new features as seperate modules that can be added as needed?

 

For instance, if someone wants to have a feature that automatically deletes services after they have been suspended for 90 days, they can download a small plugin giving them that feature. (this is just an example)

 

Thoughts everyone?

The problem with having plugins change core features is that there can be overlaps or incompatibilities between extensions. Adding an occasional feature to the core (e.g. with vQmod) is fine as is writing a Blesta plugin that extends it. However you are right that there are a lot of feature requests that would be better as a plugin as they are not "core" features.

[Alex - A2Hosting]

This would really work both ways though. If this route was adopted you're going to see hundreds if not thousands of these little 'addons' over time for every little feature that it'll become a pain.

 

I think Paul and his guys know the fine line between a useful feature and what can be kept out so we shouldn't have to worry, hopefully .

[Tyson]

The OP's approach is more or less what we're already working toward. This is the reason we have extensions. For instance, the Order plugin is not apart of the core, although we currently ship it with Blesta by default. Likewise, gateways and modules are not apart of the core either.

 

However, there is still going to be a need for core features to some degree. Currently, there are several still pending, such as the ability to merge clients. Many other features, like a mass mailer, are better suited as plugins. We still need to expand on the event system in Blesta to allow for extensions to perform more actions.

 

There's always going to be some users that need custom feature X, or want feature Y to be changed slightly to work better for their business. But we don't intend to add or change core features that only 1% of users will use. Plugins are better suited in those cases. In the future, you will probably see a decrease in core features, and an increase in extensions.

[Paul]

Tyson responded while I was typing, so just to add to what he said --

 

We carefully consider every core feature, if it doesn't make sense to be part of the core then it's implemented as an extension. Take a look at the Order System and the Support Manager. Both very well used, often necessary major features.. but we understand that other developers may create something that people prefer to use instead.

 

Some future features -- KB, Mass Mailer, Affiliate System.. all of these will be plugins. (The KB will actually be part of the Support Manager plugin)

 

Some features just make sense to be part of the core and forcing them to be extensions when they shouldn't be would fragment the system and de-stabilize the most basic function of Blesta. 

 

I ask the following questions when considering a new feature -

 

1. How widely used will the feature be?

2. How likely is it 3rd party developers will want to roll their own?

3. How basic to billing and client management is the feature, regardless of how many people will use it?

 

Not that we go through a checklist, but this should give you an insight into our thought process. It's usually very apparent to us when something should be part of the core or not.

[wfitg]

The OP's approach is more or less what we're already working toward. This is the reason we have extensions. For instance, the Order plugin is not apart of the core, although we currently ship it with Blesta by default. Likewise, gateways and modules are not apart of the core either.

 

However, there is still going to be a need for core features to some degree. Currently, there are several still pending, such as the ability to merge clients. Many other features, like a mass mailer, are better suited as plugins. We still need to expand on the event system in Blesta to allow for extensions to perform more actions.

 

There's always going to be some users that need custom feature X, or want feature Y to be changed slightly to work better for their business. But we don't intend to add or change core features that only 1% of users will use. Plugins are better suited in those cases. In the future, you will probably see a decrease in core features, and an increase in extensions.

Ok, you are already on that path toward having simple features being added as a plugin. That was what I was suggesting. And I had no idea Blesta was so young. I mean, I knew is was still being developed to a degree, but I did not know to what degree or exactly how young.

My main point was to keep Blesta trim and fit. That is why I decided to use it. Many of the features we read about here on the forum, IMHO, is best added to Blesta as a plugin and not part of the core. These would be additional features that your clients to use to tailor Blesta for their individual use.

The vQmod sounds like a good idea to make these small, (but critical to have for some people) small features --if it does not disrupt Blesta's security.

[Tyson]

The vQmod sounds like a good idea to make these small, (but critical to have for some people) small features --if it does not disrupt Blesta's security.

 

vQmod is useful for making custom changes to software without actually making changes to it. Blesta doesn't use vQmod, but the use of any third-party code, whether it be via vQmod, modules, plugins, etc., may contain code that disrupt's Blesta's security, as you put it.

 

 

Ok, you are already on that path toward having simple features being added as a plugin. That was what I was suggesting. And I had no idea Blesta was so young. I mean, I knew is was still being developed to a degree, but I did not know to what degree or exactly how young.

 

Blesta has been around since 2007, but v3.0.0 has only been around since last year, which is what most people seem to be referring to.

 

 

My main point was to keep Blesta trim and fit. That is why I decided to use it. Many of the features we read about here on the forum, IMHO, is best added to Blesta as a plugin and not part of the core. These would be additional features that your clients to use to tailor Blesta for their individual use.

 

I like keeping it simple and straight-forward. There will always be feature requests here, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will be added into the core of Blesta. Some of them have been supported in 3rd-party plugins already, or are better suited toward a plugin. I wouldn't worry too much about Blesta becoming bloatware--it won't.

[wfitg]

I wouldn't worry too much about Blesta becoming bloatware--it won't.

Good news!

[wfitg]

This would really work both ways though. If this route was adopted you're going to see hundreds if not thousands of these little 'addons' over time for every little feature that it'll become a pain.

 

I think Paul and his guys know the fine line between a useful feature and what can be kept out so we shouldn't have to worry, hopefully .

First, I have all confidence in "Paul and his guys" else I would not have purchased Blesta or bother to be involved on the forum.

Second, I respectfully disagree. I do not think plugins would be a pain. The "plugin" idea is successfully used in everything from Apache web servers to blogs like Wordpress --and everything between. Wordpress has "hundreds if not thousands of these little 'addons' and they are easily managed using a repository. Simply download the one you want or need to use it. Deactivate it and delete it when the feature no longer be needed.

The only problem I see using a plugin is when the author of the plugin stops maintaining it. Blesta goes through their normal version update and suddenly the plugin is no longer compatible, or worse, causes a security hole.