PHP-MODS still in business?

[KenG]

I left a ticket for PHP-MODS and have not heard anything back. Are they still in active business?

 

Thank you,

 

-Ken

[ProAvia]

@servetas 

Maybe this will get you a reply.

[RandyD59]

I don’t think he's in business any longer and that is very upsetting to say the least as my forum module quit working on 1/3/23.  His site is down so the forum license can’t be verified.

 

His site is down completely and emails bounce with this error:

    Host or domain name not found. Name service error for

    name=          type=AAAA: Host not found.

 

I had a hard time to get him to finish up our contracted round of changes for 2021. He said his real-life job was keeping him too busy.

 

Sent him several emails during 2022, the last on 12/9/2022.  All of those went unanswered.

 

I’m working to find a creative way to get the forum working again until I can find another dev to bring in another forum module – I just don’t have the knowledge to do this.

 

Servetas did a good deal of work on our site for several years for a very reasonable price and it is a shame that he shafted us this way with ZERO (0) warning.

[ProAvia]

2 hours ago, RandyD59 said:

I don’t think he's in business any longer and that is very upsetting to say the least as my forum module quit working on 1/3/23.  His site is down so the forum license can’t be verified.

 

His site is down completely and emails bounce with this error:

    Host or domain name not found. Name service error for

    name=          type=AAAA: Host not found.

 

I had a hard time to get him to finish up our contracted round of changes for 2021. He said his real-life job was keeping him too busy.

 

Sent him several emails during 2022, the last on 12/9/2022.  All of those went unanswered.

 

I’m working to find a creative way to get the forum working again until I can find another dev to bring in another forum module – I just don’t have the knowledge to do this.

 

Servetas did a good deal of work on our site for several years for a very reasonable price and it is a shame that he shafted us this way with ZERO (0) warning.

 

You could always go thru the module files and attempt to strip out the verification parts in the code to see if you can get it working again.

While I doubt your forum posts and users can be converted over, consider using phpBB forum software. It's free and has a lot of free addons as well.

[flyalaska]

Hopefully its an oversight on his part. I am sort of in the same boat. My Awards MOD stopped worked when his domain closes. Just another v5 MOD author closing shop. 

[PaintSplasher]

Probably not, his domains are all in Quarantine, which is a first stage of deleting. The availability date for new registrations of this domain is dated for February 10th, 2023.

 

You should go through the files and look up for check_license functions and eliminate them.

[ProAvia]

Just remember, these are payware. You can't share any code changes you do to possibly change the license verification.

[LesJar]

We had the same problem with the forum and I fixed the security check easily and properly.  However of course I cannot show you the code changes on here as it id payware and one of the things used was the airlines local key.

However ProAvia is correct in saying that yes it is possible to get the Forum running again . 

[1] try an e-mail to Php-Mods.eu first as then you have proof that you have tried to contact them reasonably first before making any software changes.  This is helpful should they ever take legal action against you for altering their code.

[2] make a backup of all the forum software before you start and have it stored offline by the CEO of the virtual airline as proof that you had the original code in the first place

[3] modify the code and comment that it has been done for the reason that the on-line security check with PHP-mods.eu is no longer working etc.

 

This should get you back running and give you some sort of legal backing for making the modification to such code.

[RandyD]

Yeah, the whole copywrite thing is an issue – unless there was an agreement in place. 

 

In 2016 I had a member that I trusted to work the site who stole the entire site and started selling it to start-up VAs.

 

Long story short and $500 to a copyright lawyer in Dallas, a cease-and-desist letter was sent and that fortunately worked. If that had not worked, I would have been out thousands to go to court and the return on the violation would never cover the cost as the profit level of the Individual on the stolen software was miniscule.

 

Since then, and at the advice of that same lawyer, any development contract included that all changes to our site became the property of the site. In the case of the forum, it was installed under contract.  I didn’t buy the module and install it myself.  I also think that he is in default as he is not holding up his end, but I dont want to spend another $500 to get the question answered.  Friggen lawyers!

 

I also had an app developed that not only included that language, but also an exclusive use and NDA for the software keeping it closed to our use only.

 

Bottom line here,  it was still crappy business to just drop off the planet and leave everyone hanging.  If he had the intension of going out of business, he should have let current license holders know and give them options. I would have gladly given $200 to buy a full right copy for the site.

Edited January 13, 2023 by RandyD

[RandyD]

On 1/10/2023 at 6:41 PM, flyalaska said:

Hopefully its an oversight on his part. I am sort of in the same boat. My Awards MOD stopped worked when his domain closes. Just another v5 MOD author closing shop. 

Fortunately, mine is still working.  He put that on the site for me as well, but it is ver 1.5.  It’s been telling me there is a new version for years, but I could never get it to update.  I think that is because he manually stitched into the site during a round of changes.  

[ProAvia]

20 hours ago, LesJar said:

We had the same problem with the forum and I fixed the security check easily and properly.  However of course I cannot show you the code changes on here as it id payware and one of the things used was the airlines local key.

However ProAvia is correct in saying that yes it is possible to get the Forum running again . 

[1] try an e-mail to Php-Mods.eu first as then you have proof that you have tried to contact them reasonably first before making any software changes.  This is helpful should they ever take legal action against you for altering their code.

[2] make a backup of all the forum software before you start and have it stored offline by the CEO of the virtual airline as proof that you had the original code in the first place

[3] modify the code and comment that it has been done for the reason that the on-line security check with PHP-mods.eu is no longer working etc.

 

This should get you back running and give you some sort of legal backing for making the modification to such code.

 

Sound advice!

[RandyD]

Well, It seems like PHP-MODS is back in business!

 

Checked this mormning and my forums are back up, which is good as I just dont have time to work on the issue right now and I'm still looking for a dev that I can trust.

 

Whoo hoo!

[LesJar]

Yes it does seem to be back, however they still are not really supporting the products anymore , The virtual airline sent an e-mail to them and still have not got a reply.  maybe all they have done is pay the domain fee.

 

I am waiting until 10th February or to be precise 11th February as to see if they are still in operation then !!!

If so I will put the escrow software back in place over the modified version I created when they were down

[KenG]

5 hours ago, LesJar said:

Yes it does seem to be back, however they still are not really supporting the products anymore ,

 

I agree, they simpelly exisit. I have had a ticket in since early last year and have tried multiple methods to contact them. They refuse to respond. Our webmaster has found solutions and modified the software for our site. Servetas has done a lot for the phpvms community over the years and deserves our support, however, I just wish he would have contacted his customers and let us know that he would no longer provide support for his products.