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Oh look, another 'software as a service' platform offering what would have once been a normal script for a 'per month' payment model. Why even often this for a

by CM30 11y ago

Oh look, another 'software as a service' platform offering what would have once been a normal script for a 'per month' payment model. Why even often this for a monthly fee instead of say, a single one off purchase price with optional renewals? Is the new trend 'don't host anything yourself any more'? Honestly, as decent as the pictures look, I think this is the kind of thing you could do with a free script and a few theme changes, not a service.

brandon272 11y ago
I don't think a service like this is targeting hackers who can easily replicate what this service is providing in an hour or two. Not everyone has the time/skill/resources/desire to find a free script, modify the logic, modify the "theme" to something that looks halfway presentable, etc. Some people will find a service like this entirely worth it – and that's who it's targeted to.
- CM30 11y ago
  Download a script and download a theme for it? It works pretty well for things like WordPress and phpBB. And it's not like there aren't a lot of options out there. That doesn't seem that complicated, especially not with basic shared hosting (which a company will likely have if they have any form of web presence whatsoever). I also don't like the move towards trying to get 'average' users to walled gardens and managed solutions, since it usually ends up being about nickle and diming them.
  - brandon272 11y ago
    > Download a script and download a theme for it? It works pretty well for things like WordPress and phpBB. And it's not like there aren't a lot of options out there. Are there free, actively managed, themeable FAQ scripts out there that would compete with this? > I also don't like the move towards trying to get 'average' users to walled gardens and managed solutions, since it usually ends up being about nickle and diming them. I wouldn't use this particular product, but other users in this thread with genuine FAQ and knowledgebase management needs seem to think this is a worthwhile product. Not everything works effectively as a one-time-fee downloadable script. And at the end of the day, consumers have the choice in what they use. It's not like these folks have the monopoly on FAQ solutions.
- dynjo 11y ago
  Hi Jan here from SlimFAQ. Yep you hit the nail on the head, a lot of non-technical people and support staff want an easy way to manage their FAQs without setting up Wordpress, managing scripts, media etc.

by CM30 11y ago

brandon272 11y ago

I don't think a service like this is targeting hackers who can easily replicate what this service is providing in an hour or two. Not everyone has the time/skill/resources/desire to find a free script, modify the logic, modify the "theme" to something that looks halfway presentable, etc. Some people will find a service like this entirely worth it – and that's who it's targeted to.

CM30 11y ago
Download a script and download a theme for it? It works pretty well for things like WordPress and phpBB. And it's not like there aren't a lot of options out there. That doesn't seem that complicated, especially not with basic shared hosting (which a company will likely have if they have any form of web presence whatsoever). I also don't like the move towards trying to get 'average' users to walled gardens and managed solutions, since it usually ends up being about nickle and diming them.
- brandon272 11y ago
  > Download a script and download a theme for it? It works pretty well for things like WordPress and phpBB. And it's not like there aren't a lot of options out there. Are there free, actively managed, themeable FAQ scripts out there that would compete with this? > I also don't like the move towards trying to get 'average' users to walled gardens and managed solutions, since it usually ends up being about nickle and diming them. I wouldn't use this particular product, but other users in this thread with genuine FAQ and knowledgebase management needs seem to think this is a worthwhile product. Not everything works effectively as a one-time-fee downloadable script. And at the end of the day, consumers have the choice in what they use. It's not like these folks have the monopoly on FAQ solutions.
dynjo 11y ago
Hi Jan here from SlimFAQ. Yep you hit the nail on the head, a lot of non-technical people and support staff want an easy way to manage their FAQs without setting up Wordpress, managing scripts, media etc.