Announcing www.flashpanos.com!

[zleifr]

Patrick Cheatham and myself would like to extend a warm welcome to all to come and visit the plug-in, tutorial, and template project we have been working on, and to invite the community to contribute to the project. http://www.flashpanos.com

Spending as much time as we do on the forum, we have noticed that it is a great format for answering particular day-to-day questions, but it is less suited to publishing information which should be distributed universally. And so, the community now has a website to publish our tutorials, templates, and plug-ins.

We currently have a number of plug-ins available, both free and for purchase:

DropDown Menu v2.0 -- Super flexible dropdown (or dropup) menu for pano-to-pano navigation in an FPP presentation, by Patrick Cheatham

ExtensibleMeter -- Highly configurable load meter; uses custom external dynamically loaded images; custom position/alignment; custom font, size, color; can change settings on-the-fly, by Zephyr Renner

Cache -- Makes panorama transitions quick; eliminates loading time before the transition to new panorama; sequentially loads files from the XML into the browser cache after the first pano loads.by Zephyr Renner

Mouse -- A highly configurable "Mouse Over" interface so you need not click to move the panorama; an intuitive and realistic way of looking around the panorama, ideal for fullscreen panoramas. by Zephyr Renner

Tooltips -- Extensible version of Denis' tooltips plug-in, allows the user to change fonts, sizes, colors, transparency, etc, by Zephyr Renner



There are a number of tutorials and templates which are in the works and will be published soon.

And, I am sure members of the community will want to add their plug-ins, tutorials, or something we haven't even thought of yet, so, contact Patrick or me, and we will make it happen.

http://www.flashpanos.com

Zephyr Renner and Patrick Cheatham

[mickmick]

Great idea if you want to make money but no thanx from me.

You talking about "There are a number of tutorials and templates which are in the works and will be published soon. "

So far I see there some plugins 10-25$ :) no thanx....I believe in open source.

Flash Panorama Player Current price is €39.95. You want 25$ for a plugin ? I am sure its a great plugin but......well.....Good Luck guys

Wish you all the best :)

[cheathamlane]

Great idea if you want to make money but no thanx from me.

You talking about "There are a number of tutorials and templates which are in the works and will be published soon. "

So far I see there some plugins 10-25$ ... no thanx....I believe in open source.

Flash Panorama Player Current price is Ђ39.95. You want 25$ for a plugin ? I am sure its a great plugin but......well.....Good Luck guys

Wish you all the best

Ouch! :)

Well, mickmick, we do say "coming soon". And they'll come sooner if other people pitch and help out. There is a free plugin on the site, and I'm sorry you missed it. There will be others... coming soon. We had to start somewhere! :)

The plugins and tutorials we put up may not be of interest to you, if you're a coder or not-so-new to Flash. But, in my experience, non-coders may find $10 to $25 a fine and reasonable price to pay for something that saves them much more than $10 to $25 in frustration.

And, it helps spur further plugin creation when there's a tangible incentive. If you're a coder, you must know that the probable volume of sales could never begin to really repay the time and effort spent in creating these plugins.

At any rate, any and all folks interested are encouraged to contribute their plugins and/or tutorials to the new flashpanos.com site -- and they can set their own prices, from $0 to the whatever they choose. The purchase links are to the contributor's own personal merchant account which they set up on their own. FlashPanos.com by itself isn't making any money, but rather providing a service... for free.

Personally, I have a long history of contributing and giving back to the developer community, and I applaud open source initiatives: but they aren't always appropriate. Check the QTVR mailing list archives, the LiveStage Pro developer forums and lists, and/or the IVRPA forums and blogs for my street cred.

I believe in open source.

Hmmm... Did you say "no thanx" when you purchased FPP for Ђ39.95? Just had to put that out there...

Again, you are encouraged to contribute your own plugins and tutorials to help further knowledge about FPP. It will help "coming soon" equal "coming sooner". :)

Cheers,

[zleifr]

mickmick: I think maybe you misunderstand the idea behind the website. It is a place to PUBLISH useful plug-ins, tutorials, templates or whatever, free OR for purchase. We mean it to be a part of the FPP community, and any community members who wish to publish things of value to the rest of the community should let us know.

And the for purchase aspect of the website is simply a recognition that if there is a marketplace for plug-ins, etc, many more developers will be interested in taking time away from the other things they do to make money, and instead turning their talents to making plug-ins for FPP, which makes the community, and the platform as a whole that much stronger.

And if you want to make some plug-ins and release them open source, we hope you will want them posted on the site also; we certainly do. And I for one will continue to be a forthcoming as always I always have been with any knowledge I have to help any members in the community building plug-ins or anything related to FPP. This truly is about making FPP the best panoramic format available, which it already is, and it still can be better.

Thank you for the best wishes, we all need them!

Cheers!

[WideEyes]

I for one would just like to say thank you for your initiative with flashpanos.com

You guys contribute to this community and it is only fair if you make a little money on it. And if it can encourage other people to develop more plugins - then we will definately all benifit from it.
I will certinately be one of the first to download your plug-ins. I support every initiative that will help me utilize this player even more.

I look forward to seeing some of the templates you are developing :)

Best regards
Morten

p.s. when I buy a plug-in does it come with support if I am having difficulties figuring out how to use it? Or am I on my own?

[zleifr]

Morten: It most certainly does come with support!

[DMCDigital]

Hey Guys,

As some one who runs a Photography/Virtual Tour business full time....here is my thought....I use Photoshop and now Flash CS3 every day...what do they cost ? I also use FPP every day...personally I would pay many times what Denis is getting for the FPP. As far as the plugins go...The guys that develop these are asking 20-25 bucks ... Most all of the plug ins offered are WAAAYYYY beyond what I am capable of developing and I am greatful for the chance to get these and get support from the people who wrote them it has saved me Hours of bangin my head and let me concentrate on my business.

I for one say THANKS GUYS !

Regards,

Dennis

[seeinside360]

I think you want to earn some more money! No thanks...

[zleifr]

@seeinside360: I think you also misunderstand the intention of the site.

The site is about building a stronger community around fpp. We need there to be a marketplace for items: knowledge, plug-ins, or whatever, which are of VALUE to the fpp community. Before the site, this forum was the only such marketplace, and it was not very good at being a marketplace, whereas it is great as a place to ask questions and get answers. If the only acceptable price is free, then a lot of VALUABLE items will never be made.

So the question really is: do you want to build everything yourself, or scrounge for free things? or do you want to CONSIDER paying someone else for their valuable time and effort to have done it for you.

And the answer SHOULD be obvious: presumably you paid Denis for FPP in the first place, and probably you paid Adobe for photoshop, and maybe for PTGUI, and you definitely paid a company for the camera you take your pictures with, and you certainly paid for the computer you process them with. You are strengthening those communities by persuading people to contribute their time to them in exchange for your money. And I would hope you would consider strengthening our fpp community in the same way.


And on a final note, there are a number of items on the site that are free right now, and I personally have a few more free items in the works (the thing is working for money trumps working for free, and so it takes a while longer to produce free items of any value...)

So, to anyone who thinks the site is only about money, and says, "no thanks", I would like to ask you why you say, "no thanks" to it but say "yes please" to fpp, and to everything else you buy....

DMCDigital: I am glad to hear the site gets your seal of approval!

[izoneguy]

I think it is a great sevice and I intend to support it.
This is the future for me. I cannot find excitment
working on flat static websites anymore.

[mickmick]

Ouch! :)

Hmmm... Did you say "no thanx" when you purchased FPP for Ђ39.95? Just had to put that out there...

Cheers,

Nope, I said YES thanx to Denis and gladly paid him Ђ39.95 :) I paid Apple, Adobe, MS and some other developers but as I said i like idea of open source and communities like this forum.

Its quite funny when you introducing your ComboBox / Dropdown menu plugin in this thread: http://www.flashpanoramas.com/forum/showthread.php?t=661

and now there is: DropDown Menu Plugin v2.0 available @your website $20:- :) Was it meant to be a paid plugin from the beginning ? Be honest now....:)
Are you a professional Flash developer/coder or photographer/designer just making plugins you need and now trying to take money from FPP users.

I believe lot of users could pay for a Lens Flare plugin, Tooltips and some other plugins available @flashpanoramas.com but still these are free and open source...and I say YES Thanx.

I just said No Thanx to your commercial website and trying to make money this way from users with no AS3 knowledge.

[panocanarias]

The site is about building a stronger community around fpp.
No! I do not believe that! You're splitting the community just for making profit. Bah!
Sorry Patrick, I do know your street credit. Therefore I' m surprised about your turn.
This truly is about making FPP the best panoramic format available, which it already is, and it still can be better.
Wrong! This is not what you want! What you want is just profit !
Instead of helping here, developing some kind of (still lacking) Gui e.g., making FPP more useable for more people
[which really would make FPP a strong viewer-format] you (and a few others who suppose themeselfs pros) want to keep the secrets covered.
You want FPP to be a tool just for specialists.
So, for me, your 'story behind' is nothing but covering your real targets.
Don't call it a favour to the community, call it by it's name: business!

Sorry Denis, wrong friends! Take care of freeriders!

Hope, Thomas will make a big step foreward soon, to go back to Pano2VR.

Just my 2cents,
Klaus

[cheathamlane]

Nope, I said YES thanx to Denis and gladly paid him €39.95 I paid Apple, Adobe, MS and some other developers but as I said i like idea of open source and communities like this forum.

Its quite funny when you introducing your ComboBox / Dropdown menu plugin in this thread: http://www.flashpanoramas.com/forum/showthread.php?t=661

and now there is: DropDown Menu Plugin v2.0 available @your website $20:- Was it meant to be a paid plugin from the beginning ? Be honest now....

No, mickmick, it wasn't -- but I put a lot of effort into it. While making it as good as it is now (which is pretty good :rolleyes: ), I started thinking about Plugins, the work I was doing, and so on. I approached Zephyr, and he and I both thought an FPP Plugin site was a good idea.

Are you a professional Flash developer/coder or photographer/designer just making plugins you need and now trying to take money from FPP users.

I'm a full-time "VR" Photographer and developer. I shoot 360° photography, and then "make it interactive" for my clients.

The plugins (currently only one, at this writing) I make available at the flashpanos.com site came into existence because I personally had a need for the functionality. Likewise, all the assistance I've given others (and asked for, too!) on this FlashPanoramas.com Forum site stems from a need.

I believe lot of users could pay for a Lens Flare plugin, Tooltips and some other plugins available @flashpanoramas.com but still these are free and open source...and I say YES Thanx.

I just said No Thanx to your commercial website and trying to make money this way from users with no AS3 knowledge.

Well, again, mickmick -- the only reason you and I have access to the lens flare, tooltips, and other plugins which Denis provides is because you and I are already paid licensees of Flash Panoramas. When you purchase FPP, Denis guarantees you updates-for-life. Denis's plugins are just that -- the updates which he is providing. They are not free. You already paid for them.

Let me know when you have something useful, free and open source to contribute, mickmick, other than opinions. ;)

Wrong! This is not what you want! What you want is just profit !
Instead of helping here, developing some kind of (still lacking) Gui e.g., making FPP more useable for more people
[which really would make FPP a strong viewer-format] you (and a few others who suppose themeselfs pros) want to keep the secrets covered.

Klaus, the GUI has been very much discussed in another thread or two. It may be that Denis has a GUI coming -- but until then, we have the FPP forum; and we have a third-party plugin site for those who might be interested. (Thanks, Klaus, for spreading the word about FlashPanos.com yourself at http://panorama-forum.net , by the way :). Also, why mention going back to Thomas Rauscher's Pano2VR in this forum? If you're going to do that anyway, then what do you care about FPP and my plugins for?) .

I have absolutely no real interest in keeping anything FPP secret or covered. If I receive enough negative input and ill will, I could be persuaded simply keep all of my innovations and insights to myself and not offer them to anyone at any price. This is precisely the stifling scenario which Zephyr and myself were hoping to avoid. I don't expect to make money from any plugins I sell -- but it might be enough money to encourage me to make more plugins.

I'll probably not respond to any more threads on this subject. This is horribly off-topic for the FPP forum, and merely taking up space. Anyone who wishes to respond to me is encouraged to do so personally, off-list -- whether it's mickmick, Klaus or someone else. I'm easy enough to find. :)

[Sam Rohn]

having recently just made the leap from pano's as an long time expensive hobby to finally selling a few panos for what i feel my time is worth, i can now better sympathize with folks like denis, zephyr and patrick, who's hard work has made these tools available to us, and it does not seem unreasonable for them to expect to support themselves with these endeavors, we all gotta make a living somehow -

prob is, most pano-people seem to be hobbyists, generally not making much money if any on all this -

perhaps some kind of commercial/non-commercial pricing scheme, perhaps some limited functionality free/demo versions, etc, i imagine there will be free plugins as well, give them some time, the site only went up yesterday ?

sam

[cheathamlane]

Sam, good to see you here -- I remember your Jerusalem panoramas (very nice!).

Hope all is well!

Cheers,

[AaronSpence]

G'day Guys,

Good job on the new site & plugins. $25 is chickenfeed & I wouldn't even think about trying to develop a plugin (or similar functionality) when I can buy it for that price.

Anyways, well done and I may become a customer soon :)

Thanks,

Aaron Spence.

[ThomasK]

Buying an available plugin is faster as developing for your own.
And it shouldn't be a problem to put these costs on the client's invoice...

[PauloGGPX]

@cheathamlane & Zephyr, and to everybody who cares about my 2ў :P

Loved the idea/concept of the site. Personally I think that what you're asking for the plug-ins is just a small incentive and not the real cost, I don't know how much a Flash license is these days, but I'm certain that it's a bit more than 25$.

In a commercial project, I would have to think if I wanted to reinvent "the wheel" or just buy a plug-in that does what I need and save time.
But in a Hobby context Sam Rohn does have a point, maybe restricted versions of the plug-in's would keep the more "conservative" people happy ;)

But in the end, no matter if they're free/0$/5$/10$/15$/20/ or even 50$ the plug-in's are great :) keep the great work, flashpanos.com is already added to my bookmarks and my RSS reader ;)

[zleifr]

I would like to thank everyone for the feedback. Good, bad, or ugly.... sincerely.

Sam Rohn, and PauloGGPX, I don't know how exactly a restricted, hobby-ist version of the plug-in would work, but I am certainly open to the concept. How do you envision that working? what restrictions etc?

[Sam Rohn]

thanks patrick, your presence and participation here was one of the things that kind of brought me on board, as you seem to always be somewhere in close proximity to the cutting edge :)

and zephyr, i remember your cooking up the tooltip plugin overnight, after a question by me if such a thing were possible, and offering it free to all FPP users -

i am not at all familiar with what's involved with creating these plugins, or the ability to restrict/enable certain features, hard coding url access, watermarking, etc but i imagined something like limiting configurability, perhaps an expiration date, maybe limited url access for reg'd free non-commercial use demo ?

the vast majority of my pano's are for me, not for work, the only reason i actually started using fpp was because a client requested hotspots, & qtvr hotspots were not versatile enough, then they wanted flash, then xml configurability of the hotspots, custom hotspot mouseovers, the project had a deadline, etc......

anyway, the final project is here - http://www.brides.com/promotions/dreamhouse/virtualtour

i didn't do the site, just the pano photos, controller, & xml, and unfortunately did not have time to get the tooltips working properly, i'll be polishing it up a bit for inclusion in my own site however, as im kind of hooked on fpp now :)

keeping those who cannot afford or justify the cost in the game is a good thing though, as it makes for a larger gene pool and all that, free & demo software is always a good draw...

sam

[Jason Villmer]

If there is something you want but can't (or won't) create it yourself then you should consider yourself lucky that Zephyr and Patrick are taking the time to offer their support, ideas and tools in the first place. They are the one's listening to suggestions, making things, improving things and trying to enhance the possibilities of this technology.

[panocanarias]

Seems that my words have been too harsh, targeting the wrong person.
Sorry! Please accept my apologies, Patrick!
Maybe you got me very frustrated, struggling with my limited fpp-xml knowledge, at the time of your announcement.
(those, who might know me from various forums and lists, know that's not my normal tone of voice)

Please, let me clarify:

From the very first time I tried FPP I' m convinced of it's quality. I bought a licence quite early (before FPP supported stripes) and consequently use it at my site.
I repeatedly brought it to attention of my collegues in the german panorama-community forum.
(and therefore, for me it's logic and fair to point to your site, too)

On the other hand I'm very disapointed that, untill now, without a lot of investigation (reading blog, forum, example-xmls) and good programer-skills,
it's hardly possible to set up even the basics for just one node, like initial pan, FOV, Controller yes or no, autorotation ...
Even installing the editor-plugin isn't easy as said.
Untill now I couldn't detect why, in my case (don't use swfobjects but Deval Script), only vers. 1.1 works properly.
Vers. 2.2 simply isn't operable.

Well, exactely when I was sitting there, having lost hours again, thinking how nice it would be to have something like a simple "starter-kit"...
... Something, which provides everything for "daily use" for "normal" users.
...Which comes with a simple Gui, just for the basics (initial values, simple hotspots, controller, autorote); maybe similar to Thomas' Gui.....

.... you guys came across, declaring your new "Pro-Shop" open. Bang!
And, though you declare the site as source for everybody, there's nothing to find for FPP-beginners.

Reading the last Gui-Thread (which I started) I noticed a clear tendency.
The pros would like to keep things complicated.
What I see is, that some of the pros want to force users to outsource theire work, to pay for help, even for basic xml-programming.
Therefore FPP logically has to stay a profesional tool.
I almost can hear some of you shouting:
"What? You want to use FPP but you are not willing to go through a 3-month university-education-course? Well......."

Don't get me wrong.
I do accept commercial software and admire profesional work. I'm willing to pay for an extra. I don't want to discuss prices.
I'm willing to pay for a profesional plugin when I really need it.
I did so (photoshop actions and plugins e.g.), will do and will continue donating for freeware, when I frequently use it.

But:
I think, making FPP useable for more people is more important and the way to go; the way to spread FPP.
A good, huge basis of installed FPPs will naturally generate a growing demand for more sophisticated plugins, spinning hotspots and more eyecatching tour abilities.
There will be a market for those add-ons. And there will be enough work for the more experianced, profesional tour-creators.....
Better documentation, Gui, etc..... is what we need first.
I believe flash is the future, regarding pano-presentation; and FPP is likely the best tool at the moment.
It easiliy could become quasi-standard.
But again: How can we support spreading FPP when there are still these limitations for beginners?
My personal feeling is: actually there is almost nobody interested in making FPP an everybodys-tool.
Maybe the rest of the world has to wait a bit, untill the pros and flashers became tired to play with their new toy?
I know, that's not true. But the feeling stays...

Taking up my first words.. (wrong person):
I should better address my wishes to Denis, who is "real good keeping quiet" (as you mentioned before, Patrick).
And again: Please accept my apologies.
Regards,
Klaus

[cheathamlane]

Klaus:

Thanks for your more reasonable and thought out reply. I appreciate it -- and no apologies are necessary.

Friends? :)

Everything you mention are the exact reasons for this "official" Flash Panorama Player forum to exist, and also the reason Zephyr and I spearheaded flashpanos.com.

We invite everyone interested in contributing something to please do so!

Today I just posted a small code example, with explanation, which I think can be helpful. The more things like this (and also "bigger" examples which are more like tutorials) the better!

Code example (http://flashpanos.com/content/code-snippet-simple-panorama-auto-presentation-using-multiple-functions)

[amandap]

I saw this post a few days ago, before there were any comments. When I came back today, I couldn't believe the anger it generated! I think the new site is a great idea, and I applaud Zephyr and Patrick for putting it together. They are under absolutely no obligation to anyone to spend their time creating plug-ins and posting them free of charge. Frankly, I'm surprised that anyone had the nerve to say that they should. If you don't think their plug-ins are worth what they are charging, then don't buy them! That is the beauty of a free market--you can decide what to do with your money.

A lot of hard work goes into programming the plug-ins, and I doubt they will even come close to being fully compensated for the time they spend creating them. Meanwhile, they probably spend hours each day on this forum answering people's questions, no matter how "stupid". If I have a need for one of their plug-ins, I will most certainly buy it, if for no other reason than to encourage them to create more. Like it or not, money drives innovation. Zephyr and Patrick: Good luck with the site, and I may even try to contribute a plug-in or two if I have the time. :)

Amanda

[zleifr]

Amanda: Please do contribute a plugin! or two! or a tutorial!

[PauloGGPX]

I would like to thank everyone for the feedback. Good, bad, or ugly.... sincerely.

Sam Rohn, and PauloGGPX, I don't know how exactly a restricted, hobby-ist version of the plug-in would work, but I am certainly open to the concept. How do you envision that working? what restrictions etc?

Hi zleifr :)

I do panoramas as a hobby and as a profession ;) my suggestion was just that, a suggestion :)

Hmm ways to restrict, let me see... maybe reduce the number of parameters that one can change? Add a link to your site in the right click menu? For instance in the Drop Down menu, limit the number of options shown?

Either way the only thing that I ask is that you and cheathamlane keep the great work :)

[Trausti Hraunfjord]

After having had a look at what your panos can do, I am truly amazed. Paying for a product is well worth it if the product does what it promises and if those promises live up to one's own expectations (or exceed them). Plugins for commercial use should of course be paid for (out of my pocket as well). I'm not going to give my panorama work just because I am a bleeding heart communist/anarchist... I need to feed my kids and wife and even my car... so I fully understand the need for the devellopers to request a fee for their work.

That being said, I have a few concerns about the FPP product before ever having used it. It sounds as if it is not very user friendly (unless said user is a coding master of some kind... and I'm not at all).... my 13yo son is very much into coding and programming and could probably do all the setup work for my photos if it is too complicated/time consuming for me.

In relation to that, I would like to ask the following question: Once I have bought the program (which I will do) can it be installed on 2 seperate computers (mine and my son's) or would it work on one puter only?

I am absolutely sure that if there would be a fully functional graphical user interface for the program, where literally everything could be done by novices like me (who are too time limited or lazy or otherwise occupied with life to learn new coding tricks) FPP would without a doubt bust all competition away, and would stand up as THE pano software to be used.

Everyone who CAN help FPP to become truly GUI'ed for normal know-nothing users like myself, should put all their energy into that to happen, since that WOULD get the program into a leading position world wide. The price for the program at the moment is very moderate, and it would not be a problem in my view, if it tripled ... given it didn't require me to become a pro-coder.

Please, respond to my above question (one or two puter install), since that will be the answer deciding whether I buy the program now or later.

Thank you in advance....

[zleifr]

You can use it on any number of computers.

[cheathamlane]

This is from the license.txt file I have with my install, dated October 2007 -- it may be superseded, of course, by newer versions of FPP or an updated license from Denis. I provide this as just an FYI.


2. Once purchased, the user is granted a non-exclusive license to use Flash
Panorama Player on one computer (single or multiple cpu), for any legal
purpose. If you need to use Flash Panorama Player on multiple computers
(home computer and your work computer, for example), please select the
correct quantity according to the number of computers.
The resulting panorama application can be used for any number of domains
or devices without restrictions (royalty free distribution).

[Trausti Hraunfjord]

You can use it on any number of computers.

Great. Thanks for the reply.

I already feel better... but I was so impressed by the possibilities of this software, that I already ordered it 2 hours ago... the order hasn't been processed though, so I'm still looking forward to trying things out (with the help of my son if need be).

[cheathamlane]

Hey there:

I was having fun with jaaab's "Simple Compass Tutorial (http://flashpanoramas.com/forum/showthread.php?t=390)", and extended it a bit... This (free) example/tutorial (http://flashpanos.com/content/rotating-nadir-image-bottom-cap) shows you how to have a rotating nadir cap.

Enjoy!

[Trausti Hraunfjord]

I got the "program" .... or rather... the lack of same, but I do NOT worry about using what I got, because I have seen what it can be used for.

I make my living by making photos... not by writing code... so in my view, this needs to be converted into something I can use.... and my will - will be done!

Had I bought this with the assumption it was a program like "whatever".. I would have been very disappointed indeed, because this is not a prorgam or a readily usable player at all. Don't worry, I am NOT complaining, I knew of the "risk" BEFORE I bought it, so I can not (and WILL not) complain. What I see, are possibilities, and those I want to explore as much as possible.

[jriley]

I hadn't dropped in recently and I was pleasantly surprised to see the announcement for flashpanos.com. I have seen a lot of great things on Patrick's panos and wished I knew how to program those things too. A few bucks to purchase that functionality is a small price!

I have to say that I am appalled by the response some people gave to this announcement. You think that people are trying to prevent you from using the advanced aspects of FPP and taking advantage of you??? Heck, if you would just get in there and take a look at some of the XML, you would see that it really ISN'T that complicated after all! Sure, the first time you look at it, you might want to throw up your hands and run, but after studying it just a little bit, you see that it is pretty simple. The documentation is terse, but once you get your head around how parameters work, it's just not that bad.

Would a GUI be helpful and nice? Heck yeah! How much would you be willing to pay someone who wrote one? $200? $100? $50? Would you insist that the only price that would be acceptable is FREE?? Do you have a job? Get paid for it? Would you do it for free?

I, for one, would suggest placing a bounty on a GUI if you are so desperate for one. How much would YOU be willing to pledge for it? I know Denis says "free updates forever", but I would happily pay a full-price update fee and more.

As to people offering commercial plugins: if it isn't worth the $$ to you, don't buy it! Do you whine that people write plugins for Photoshop and dare to charge money for them? Or do you shell out the money when one does something you really need or want? If you have the skills to write these sorts of plugins and want to give them away, more power to you. But how will you eat?

[user101]

Some of the stuff on offer is frankly too trivial. glassMeter.fla was released as OS by Denis and it contains a few basic lines of code. The related $25 plugin on offer here only adds a few more lines and standard XML parsing. Consider that FPP is 40 euro. I agree that the market dictates what people are wiling to pay. However, this is not a reasonable price for the work involved.

[HansNyberg]

Some of the stuff on offer is frankly too trivial. glassMeter.fla was released as OS by Denis and it contains a few basic lines of code. The related $25 plugin on offer here only adds a few more lines and standard XML parsing. Consider that FPP is 40 euro. I agree that the market dictates what people are wiling to pay. However, this is not a reasonable price for the work involved.

First you need Flash to be able to edit the glassmeter.fla

I have already done that. It took me half a day to figure out how flash works and how to edit it.
But the reason I bought the editable meter was that I can now place it anywhere within the page. I can not do that with the glassmeter.
Plus I can just open my template .psd in photoshop and create a new meter in minutes.

$25 is nuts for me as a pro. Actually it just represents 15 minutes work.
FPP is in my opinion to cheap. The more you pay for a software the more you can demand from it.

Hans

Hans

[David J]

When did it become a crime to make some money? I think that there must be some users on here who still live with Mum and Dad with their own bedroom and everything in life paid for. Get real!!

Good luck guys and thanks.

[garyobrien]

Hi Patrick & Zephyr:

I appreciate very much your continued willingness to share and teach. Power isn't derived from hoarding knowledge, but from sharing that knowledge.

FPP is the tool we've been waiting for, and making it easier to use serves our viewsers.

Now, about that GUI for FPP...

Thanks!
Gary

[mickmick]

When did it become a crime to make some money? I think that there must be some users on here who still live with Mum and Dad with their own bedroom and everything in life paid for. Get real!!

Good luck guys and thanks.

Problem is that forum is a SUPPORT forum for Flash Panorama Player NOT about making money and how to take money from FPP users with no actionscript knowledge.
Its about sharing and helping each other, now we have too much talking about paid plugins which some users trying to sell and using this forum to advertise their work.

Nothing wrong with making money but once again, its not right forum I think.