Facebook Ecommerce

:oops:The above mentioned application located here http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=product_contrib_info&products_id=1893 is not a FREE application its use requires a subscription could it please be removed from the Free Software Add Ons section

I've looked at something similar recently.

Does something like this create duplicate content issues for Google/search engines?

philiplemon:

:oops:The above mentioned application located here http://www.zen-cart.com/index.php?main_page=product_contrib_info&products_id=1893 is not a FREE application its use requires a subscription could it please be removed from the Free Software Add Ons section

Well, one could argue that PAYPAL is not a "free" module either, as they charge for each transaction, and USPS and UPS are not Free shipping modules, because they charge too.

The MODULE is indeed free... The SERVICE it invokes may not be free, but there is nobody standing there with a gun forcing you to use the service.

Bear in mind that some of these services are very costly to manage and administer... and there is nothing wrong with making a profit in business.

Fortunately, in the Free Market System, we have choice... we can choose to use a service, or not to use a service.

schoolboy:

Well, one could argue that PAYPAL is not a "free" module either, as they charge for each transaction, and USPS and UPS are not Free shipping modules, because they charge too.

The MODULE is indeed free... The SERVICE it invokes may not be free, but there is nobody standing there with a gun forcing you to use the service.

Bear in mind that some of these services are very costly to manage and administer... and there is nothing wrong with making a profit in business.

Fortunately, in the Free Market System, we have choice... we can choose to use a service, or not to use a service.

The service paypal module provides is to accept paypal payments via your website that service is free in the sense of what that mod allows the installer to accomplish when they install it. It is not misleading.

The service the usps mod allows is for the installer to either calculate rates or auto fill forms on the usps website it does not imply that you will be able to ship your order for free.

Your mod? As it is marketed via this website as free. Does not provide any services for free. It is a for profit module that provides 1 service which must be paid for to be used. Thus it is not free. Has no right to be market as free, and your companies? Business practices would not be approved by the Better Business Bureau.
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Long rant short the usps mod says hey install me and get rate quotes on your site etc. you install it and you have rate quotes on your site for free. The paypal one says hey install me and we will make it easy to have your customers pay via paypal thats what it does for you.. for free.

The facebook ecommece app says hey install me and I will let you have your store on your facebook page as well which it does for a fee which makes it NOT FREE and should not be allowed to be listed on this open source software website under a section entitled free software (okay i lied this rant was equally as long.)

I'm with philip on this one - looks like a commercial mod to me. But then so does Form Armor, and it's available in the Free Software Add Ons.

I can go and collect (and install) ANY for the free add-on modules on my system. I dont have to PAY for these modules. They are available FREE...

Whether the SERVICE they support is not ultimately free is a separate issue. But the modules themselves are entirely free of charge. So, in my opinion, they have every right to be in the free add-ons.

Consider what is meant by NOT free.

If I go to TemplateMonster for a template, I can't download any software UNTIL I have paid for it.

That is an example of NOT free.

I'll continue to respectfully disagree. The fact that the mods we're discussing are completely worthless unless payment is made renders the fact that the download itself is free moot. We aren't even talking about 'free', time-limited trial versions of commercial mods (which I don't think belong in the Add Ons, either.)

There's probably an automotive analogy here somewhere, but you get my drift.

schoolboy:

Consider what is meant by NOT free.

If I go to TemplateMonster for a template, I can't download any software UNTIL I have paid for it.

That is an example of NOT free.

Exactly schoolboy that is why if template monster made and application/mod and under the description of the application it said have a template monster template on your website. It should not be allowed on the website.

If i give you (and i hate this game with passion never have played it myself) a copy of world of ################ and say hey now you can go play world of ################ for free because hey this is a free software section and you go home and pop it in and it wants 15 dollars a month to okay it you would go um what the :censored:?

Now if template monster created an app and it said hey heres a mod that lets you seamlessly install tempalte monster templates on your zencart site and instead of having to overwrite lets say the logo by searching for it etc you can do it all from this admin mod your installing. It is providing a free service at that point no matter how useless it is for someone not using template monster.

Does anyone here not understand the difference? If the service the mod provides is free it should be under the free add ons section.

If the service the mod provides is not FREE I.E. FACEBOOK ECOMMERCE. Then it has NO place touting itself as FREE.

The analogy of USPS and PAYPAL apps is 100% moot. If I offer you a free ride to the grocery store I'm not implying that I am going to buy your groceries, but if I give you free ride to the park (i.e. this application zencart is free and the park is free i.e. facebook) and before letting you out of the car make you pay something then I am misleading and falsely advertising.

Cnet would not allow the mod to be hosted as a Free download on their site it doesn't belong on this site as one too heck it isn't even freeware shareware or a free trial.

It really just comes down to having to pay for the service the add on provides. the add on states that it will let you have your shop and a Facebook shop and have them linked for free (it implies that it is free as it is under a section for free software and only free software) and the service the free software is providing for free requires you to pay a monthly cost which in turn makes it not free and it can not be marketed as such.

A reasonable compromise might be to ask the mod author to add a disclaimer to the mod description as on the Form Armor description.

There are quite a few free add ons that connect to services that have to be paid for in some manner. Would it help if there was some sort of "disclaimer" on the Free Add Ons section as a warning?

A disclaimer sounds like a reasonable solution. If it would be possible that the up-loader selects a radio button for it would be better for everyone I guess the only thing about these that's annoying is getting them downloaded figuring out where your going to put it and then getting half way through the read me to find out hey if you want to use me you have to pay, its more of an annoyance because of the wasted time.

I think maybe a disclaimer Yes,
but I do see the OPS point.
its like all the FREE AOHell discs that you used to be able to pick up everywhere,
while yes the Disk and installer are free they are totally worthless unless you sign up for a subscription.
so in essence they are NOT free

but hey what do I know