Pirated Joomla Extensions and Templates and how it affects you.
Piracy, or warez is sure an easy way to get hold of digital software nowadays. I remember our bittersweet surprise soon after the release of JomSocial back in December 2008, somewhere around Christmas when we discovered that our baby, JomSocial 1.0.21 was already available on the net.
JomSocial Nulled 2.8.0
In a way, it did help people to get to know JomSocial and other extensions. Piracy allow users to digest the quality of the extensions before purchasing it, or for developers to get familiar with our structure (and boy have I said that our JomSocial templates are well commented for easy modifications?), or for other Joomla developers to integrate with JomSocial without having to subscribe or contact us directly. To a certain extent, piracy does work wonders.
Soon, coupled with a meteoric rise of Joomla 1.5, I began to notice something peculiar. There were groups claiming that they have released JomSocial 'nulled' / 'cracked' / 'removed site checking' and it is now safe to install JomSocial without us blocking its features & functionality. We had a good laugh, as JomSocial is a GNU/GPL software. It means there is no such 'nulling' / 'cracking' required in order for you to use JomSocial at its fullest. Our source code is readily available, well commented, and not encrypted at all. As such, there is no point of having to null or crack JomSocial.
We figured, well perhaps these groups were merely chasing popularity and we couldnt be bothered much.
Piracy will cost you.
Then I notice something more sinister. Instead of actually removing codes to emmm 'null' JomSocial, some devillish groups are actually adding more codes into the core. This all started when I begin to see issues with blank cWindow popups, Ajax requests failures, and other unexplained codes in our output.
I have been debugging Joomla sites since Mambo days (2006), and I have seen countless sites fell victim to numerous exploits. This is one of the easiest ways for irresponsible entities to manipulate your site into whatever clever use they can think of.
In Joomla, pirated extensions and templates are freely available on the net and unsuspecting users would simply download and install these rogue extensions without a second thought.
At the moment of writing, I am actually debugging a site with a very nice looking Yootheme template that seems to have something foreign in its output. My inspection shows that it has a hidden div next to the footer that links to some funny Russian sites and it can be traced to an altered file in Yootheme's Warp library. The same encryption can be found in numerous other templates available for free on the net. And it will take a keen eye and experience to locate and remove such a code.
If you are using pirated templates and extensions, take note. Piracy will cost you.
JomSocial 2.6.3 released, the last of 2.6 branch
With the imminent release of JomSocial 2.8, we are happy to announce the immediate availability of JomSocial 2.6.3.
This version will be the last of JomSocial 2.6 branch, resolving a number of minor updates in JomSocial core and a single important update for Facebook Connect. This update is to keep up with Facebook's latest breaking changes on 6th December as announced in Facebook Developer Blog. A new security restrictions for OAuth authorization prevented JomSocial from retrieving user status without updating to the latest specification. A patch for this FBC has already been released in our Forum but has now been superceeded with this release of JomSocial 2.6.3
To upgrade to the latest JomSocial 2.6.3 version, you have two choices. The simplest and most recommended option is to uninstall older version and install the latest package.
For more experienced users and for those who have customized JomSocial with your own set of modifications, you may be interested with our upgrade patches, available in our Bugfixes and Upgrade patches forum.
In case JomSocial 2.8 is released by the time you have finished reading this, you may download JomSocial 2.6.3 by using this URL:
Have a good year ahead!
Blogging made easy in Joomla
The main JomSocial.com website went through a successful Joomla 1.5 to Joomla 2.5 migration a couple of weeks ago. Some questions pertaining to our blog area were raised, in particular about the component that powers our Joomla blogging system.
Well, it might be a surprise to most of you to know that the Joomla blog component is actually a standard Joomla com_content component. Yes, you heard it right, com_content and its perfectly suitable to be a good Joomla blog extension.
Joomla! is a CMS, Content Management System and within its core is a powerful yet underutilized content publishing system. This is a component that exists since the days of Mambo CMS, gradually improved upon minor iterations with each subsequent releases of Joomla 1.0, 1.5 and the rest. Joomla is pretty much a good blog software in itself.
"What sorcery is this? It doesnt look like com_content at all. This is the com_content that I know."
With a bit of trickery, you can achieve the same layout as ours easily and turn your Joomla website into a Joomla blog community easily.
JomSocial 2.8 Beta 3, Free download
We are thrilled to announce that JomSocial 2.8 Beta 3 is now available for download for free. JomSocial 2.8 is set to continue our tradition of helping Joomla! community build amazing social site with incredible features. We received encouraging response and are eager to get a final build out soon.
JomSocial 2.8 Beta 2
Beta 2 build for the upcoming JomSocial 2.8 is now available for download. When we say "available", we really mean it. We have decided to open the beta build for everyone in the Joomla! community to play with. Every single Joomla! user will be able to login to our development forum and download the latest build
You may download your copy of JomSocial 2.8 Beta 2 here, http://www.jomsocial.com/forum/jomsocial-2-8-beta-2/1101-jomsocial-2-8-beta-two-is-ready
SWFUploader security notice
It has come to our attention that there is a XSS security issue with SWFUploader library used in JomSocial. In version 2.6, this library is no longer needed but are still being included along with the installer.
To protect your site against this vulnerability, simply delete this file, "/components/com_community/assets/uploader/swfupload.swf"
Something sweet for Joomla World Conference 2012
The upcoming Joomla World Conference, less than a week from now (16th Nov - 18th Nov) is perhaps one of the biggest global Joomla! event ever organized. I will be there on behalf of JomSocial Team and look forward to meet Joomla developers, users and enthusiasts from all over the world. If you happen to be there, we have prepared something sweet for you guys. :-)
Happy Halloween!
The JomSocial Team would like to wish a very happy Halloween to our beloved customers! Do not let those lurking monsters scare you. ;)
Some technical changes in the upcoming 2.8
I would like to share some notes on technical changes in the upcoming release of JomSocial. These changes won't be immediately apparent at first, but a lot of work were put into it. We believe that it is necessary, greatly enhance our code base and making our growth forward easier.
Stratos jump, 25% price fall for today
Felix Baumgartner parachuted into the New Mexico desert nearly 40km (25 miles) from Roswell as he successfully completed his first journey towards the edge of space.
You have to give it to the man, to anyone who pushes themselves to the limit. I stayed up until late at night (it was almost 2 am, my time) to watch the historic jump. He made it look all too easy. But we all know how much training and preparation has been poured into the project, with delays and setbacks. With grit, hard work and not to mention balls of steel, he made it safely, in style. Attaboy felix.
To mark this historic moment, we've decided to offer everyone a 25% off for all purchase in JomSocial.com . This includes new purchase and renewal for the next 24 hours. Use the code "stratos" at the checkout page.
Quest for support improvement
In our quest to improve the delivery of our support, we are delighted to announce some support changes for the betterment of you, our dearest customers.
No more Zend Framework, yay!
The next iteration of JomSocial will finally do away with Zend Framework. A while ago, we decided to "supplement" our underlying development framework with an extensive, well supported php framework to speed up development process. Joomla! at that time, have not yet launch their Joomla-Platform initiative.
Although Zend framework does gives us a bit more features as opposed to core Joomla framework, it does have quite a few downside. Firstly, it is a huge library and took a while do be installed. Our installer had to download them separately with each install, which does fail at times. Secondly, coding style of ZF is also different than Joomla!, causing mixed coding style within our internal code. Finally, although we manage to minimize it, it does have some impact to JomSocial app in term of performance.
Looking into the future, 2013 Development Timeline
With yesterday’s announcement of our new social networking service, JomSocial Hosted, we have promised you to release 2013 Development Timeline. This timeline, we hoped would help you understand and be prepared with our 2013 course of action.
We realize our dear users are generally still in the dark on our plans for JomSocial and the new social networking service, JomSocial Hosted. Allow us to clarify and show you what’s in store for the next one year.
Read more: Looking into the future, 2013 Development Timeline
Introducing JomSocial Hosted
After the release of version 2.4, we are forced to think hard about the future of JomSocial. Our designers and developers always have tons of new ideas but being a component that run within Joomla! templates forces us to scale down a lot of those ideas. Quite a number of highly interactive features have to be put on hold, delayed or worse, cancelled due to the restriction that we have to face.
JomSocial, a massive overhaul
For the past 4 months, the JomSocial Team has been on a tight schedule to refactor JomSocial from ground up. The inclusion of Bootstrap in Joomla 3.0 offers us an opportunity (and excuse) to redesign JomSocial in its entirety. To be compatible with Bootstrap, all existing template structure has to be discarded, CSS has to be scrapped and all Ajax calls have to be renamed, re-done, cleaned of older elements.
By using Bootstrap, we can be sure of mobile compatibility from day one by utilising responsive design that would adapt the display according to your screen’s resolution. Of course, it would mean that the template will show optimized styling for your iPhone, iPad and desktop monitors. This is a massive endeavour and requires our full dedication to port everything from JomSocial into the new structure. At the end of the day, we are pretty satisfied of the outcome and are hoping to be able to start opening the new JomSocial for testing in two weeks time.
Allow me to show you what we have come up with.
Bidding Farewell
Hi everyone,
Just to inform you guys that this blog post will be about my departure from JomSocial. Like every journey on a roller coaster ride, my journey here has come to an end. Here at JomSocial I have learnt so many things that I never knew I could before, like meeting new people everyday, discussing about JomSocial with our clients, discussing promos and deals with the Joomla! community and the list goes on!
To the entire JomSocial Team, thank you for much for working with me!
To the customers, just to let you guys know that I have read each and everyone of your comments on Facebook and on this blog. Seeing positive comments and support towards JomSocial has always been a great encouragement. As for the negative ones, we're always grateful for them as they aid us in our strive to improve for the better.
Don't forget too lookout for the new JomSocial "3.0". It's going to be a smashing release and I hope you guys will enjoy the new JomSocial. Also do check out Offiria.com if a hosted social network geared for the enterprise is what you are looking for.
All the best!
Jacqueline
Shaper Crux : Joomla Gaming Template by JoomShaper
Do you always wish for a JomSocial compatible template specially for gaming community? Guess what, guys? JoomShaper has released a Joomla gaming template that has one unique advantage: It specially supports e-commerce functionality for Joomla!
Introducing Shaper Crux, the latest template from JoomShaper. It is ready to help you to start your gamers' shopping paradise right now. Besides E-commerce and social community, the template can also be used for Game review, Online Game Shop, Game Portal, Gaming forum and Gaming blog websites.
Read more: Shaper Crux : Joomla Gaming Template by JoomShaper
Introducing OFFIRIA, a private secure Social Network for your office. 50 trial accounts up for grabs.
Building a social network application isn't new to us. Our team has had extensive experience with JomSocial, a leading social platform based on the Joomla CMS, winning multiple awards years in a row. The magical thing about building applications is that you can be surprised as to how people implement its usage - it is after all, a tool, and how you choose to use it is unnumbered in manner. It is through some of you we learnt that the social aspect of the internet that we have grown so accustomed to is craved by the workplace as well.
That lead us to explore the idea further.
And so Offiria was born, at its core a social platform, built to extend and optimized the work environment.
Introducing UploadnSell, a FREE service
Want to sell your ebooks, files, downloads and digital products online, but it’s too much hassle sometimes? You always have to go through many steps and procedures just to get your money right? Uploading files on other places does not secure your payment online? Worried that you might be scammed? Want to make sure your product won’t be re-downloaded many times after being sold?
Shiny New Templates, JF Corporate (JoomForest) & Shaper Social (JoomShaper) updated to JS 2.6
JF Corporate
JF Corporate is a Free Professional JomSocial template for corporate and portfolio purposes that has been just released by JoomForest. It's very clean and neat, suitable for presenting your services or previous works to the clients.
