Removing the Virtuozzo spam from Plesk's interface

[SHGreg]

That's exactly what I told him to do

Now, if everyone could make sure you send him a CC when you contact your sales rep, Behshad Behnam - [email protected]

BB – what damage is caused by your customer’s being able to read about virtualization? Do you really think your customers aren’t aware of virtualization?

What right do you think you have to ‘educate’ my clients on virtualization?? It’s simple, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT! I should be the one who decides what to communicate to my own clients.

The advert should be displayed to the Plesk ADMIN only (YOUR client), not the end users (MY clients).

Do you honestly believe you are right to impose your ads on my clients? <-- important question

I know you have received a lot of complaints on this issue and that it is not just me, take a look at your own forums for proof. Don’t try and tell me I am the only one.

 

[awlane]

Originally posted by SHGreg
According to the battle going on between me and my sales rep, he states that I am the only one complaining about the virtuozzo banner I cant do it alone.

My guy told me this:

As far as the Virtuozzo motto in the top right corner of Plesk: To give you some insight we are working on the tighter integration between our product lines, including Plesk and Virtuozzo (our OpenFusion initiative: http://www.swsoft.com/en/openfusion/), including technical and marketing integration that involves unified authentication engine, common interface components, etc on the technical side. At the same time on the marketing side - brand integration (we were actually thinking about some kind unified brand - unfortunately the SWsoft name is not part of the product names). Thus we've felt that Virtuozzo motto in the top corner next to SWsoft copyright will not be in any way intrusive for our customers.

While we justifiably got backlash on the inability to turn-off Fotolia/etc, so far we have received few complaints on the Virtuozzo motto. From the partners/customers I personally manage actually quite the opposite. They have received requests from the own customers about upgrading their shared plan to a VPS plan, etc…and have begun selling.



Regardless, we certainly understand and appreciate your feedback. I have forwarded along, and will certainly continue to do so…at this time I don’t think there are plans to remove. Your Plesk 8.1 licenses also work with the Plesk 8.0 software that did not have…so I could work with you and provide temps, etc…if you wanted to move back the software version to Plesk 8.0.

 

[SHGreg]

I got the same cut and paste reply awlane which is why I will keep emailing them daily until I get a proper reply to my questions and concerns.

 

[awlane]

Originally posted by SHGreg
I got the same cut and paste reply awlane which is why I will keep emailing them daily until I get a proper reply to my questions and concerns.

You got the same, word for word from a different account manager ( I am not with the person you referred to ) ?

That's disappointing.

 

[CrK01]

hello all

there's a simple checkbox to disable virtuozzo or fotolia spam.

Go to:

Server -> interface administrator -> interface templates -> preferences ->

Hide newsfeeds
Hide Virtuozzo promotion
Hide Fotolia promotion

Cheers,

 

[awlane]

Originally posted by CrK01
hello all

there's a simple checkbox to disable virtuozzo or fotolia spam.

Go to:

Server -> interface administrator -> interface templates -> preferences ->

Hide newsfeeds
Hide Virtuozzo promotion
Hide Fotolia promotion

Cheers,

Yes, but this does not remove the text ad and the associated hyperlink in the top right hand corner of most pages, including the login page.

 

[kingsquare]

Just edit the template and remove the spam from there?

 

[BoXie]

Just want to add:

In my opinion, the agressive marketing methods SWSoft is practicing at the moment is NOT DONE !!

They are trying to steal, or persuade customers of THEIR customers. They have no right and it is very unfriendly towards their loyal customers.

As soon as i find a better alternative for Plesk (and believe me .. they will come, if not already there) I will kiss their *** goodbye.

They are killing their own credits.

 

[breun]

Gee, this has to be the most 'popular' forum thread I ever created...

 

[execubob]

Switch

We would like to hire someone to convert us to cPanel. That is probably the best way to keep control of our customers. Please PM me if you have experience necessary to take on this project.

 

[wendat]

It is annoying yes but I admit its a very good idea for advertising our own products.
So this being said I would prefer to have a config button to be able to insert my own pics text and links. This would be a very good add-on.
Same idea with the webmail ads.

 

[aaabyss]

Okay the bottom left corner is okay.

The top is UNACCEPTABLE!
HOW do we REMOVE the plesk and virtuozzo at the top???

I have the Server -> interface administrator -> interface templates -> preferences ->
Hide newsfeeds
Hide Virtuozzo promotion
Hide Fotolia promotion
checked but virtuozzo STILL SHOWS!

This is RIDICULOUS!

Does cpanel try to cram spam down their customers throats like this?

 

[wendat]

I suggest you to contact SwSoft about it. They seems to believe not many people are obfuscated about this issue.
In your Plesk you should be able to find a direct link to support ->server->support icon.

You should get the same copy paste reply:
"There are a few reasons that we have included the Virtuozzo motto in the top right corner of Plesk:

-We are working on tighter integration between our product lines, including Plesk and Virtuozzo (our OPEN FUSION initiative: http://www.swsoft.com/en/openfusion/), including technical integration that involves unified authentication engine, common interface components, etc on the technical side.

-We are working on a higher level of brand integration since SWsoft is not part of our product names.

-While we justifiably got some backlash on the inability to turn-off Fotolia/MPC/etc, so far we have received very few complaints on the Virtuozzo motto and don't feel it is intrusive to your customers. Thank you for providing your feedback, We are interested in it and it will be forwarded to the appropriate people. "

Yeah! B_S_
I replied back: "I did not ask why it is there I asked how to remove, please answer."

Then they replied a short: "Virtuozzo motto in the top right corner of Plesk cannot be removed."

B_S_ again

If you want to remove it you only have to edit or replace your skin. Pretty easy to do, and while doing it you can customize your skin as well.

To tell you frankly, I was really disappointed and shocked to find out who really is SWSoft.

I really like Plesk and I managed few servers with it, but now I am not sure anymore. I am totally fed up with Microsoft and Verisign and now SWsoft in ending on the same black list in my mind.

I like to serve my client, not ripping them off or take advantage of their ignorance.

 

[SHGreg]

I have been trying to get an answer from SWsoft to the following simple question:

Does SWsoft believe they have a right to force their advertisements on to my clients?

I asked this question after my sales rep told me they are trying to make my clients aware of Virtuozzo!

Not one person at SWsoft can provide a simple one word answer to this question. To me, that is as good as an admission of guilt. They know it shouldn't be there and are being stubborn about it.

SWsoft simply do not care about their clients. Their staff (including senior staff) seem to have zero training in customer services. Arguing with customers and making 'comments' about their business plans would be a sackable offence in my company!

 

[wendat]

You are damn right.

Sad story, I feel uncomfortable. I cannot trust them anymore.

 

[kassah]

It makes sense, right now their the best control panel (in terms of customer friendly, and that's the whole reason we use control panels anyway). They know this, and their taking advantage of it.

At this point, bad rep can be handled. They know Plesk is in the 'Cash Cow' phase. They are not interested in improving it beyond simple maintenance. Their star product is Virtuozzo. This just trying to take advantage of their existing channels of distribution and marketting to present their new product.

The top news is 50% SWSoft's announcements and 50% top news. The latter being simply an excuse to call it top news.

If you want to help the community, contribute to one of the many Open Source Control Panel projects out there. Tell them what you want, not 'I want Plesk', but what you really want. Support them financially and by hiring employees who work full or part time contributing to the project.

Talk with your money by moving off of Plesk onto your chosen Control Panel. Use the money you were paying SWSoft to maintain your Open Source Investment. (it's also good rep for your company)

 

[nibb@]

Yes it wondered me too the first time, all over that virtuozze banner. Why doestn SW Soft go further and put some Adsense banners on our servers or even better, they put hosting banner where our clients can buy directly. What the hell is this guys? Now my clients start to ask why my server hasnt Virtuozzo on it and now they say im a low budget host for not having it. Thanks plesk. How can you do this on a panel that costs 1.000$. You guys are crazy, im thinking about moving from plesk too, this is unaceptable, not to mention the upgrades brakes every single server. And for the record, i was planning to offer Virtual plans, forget Virtuozzo now im going with VMware.

 

[nibb@]

No wonder why the biggest marketing promotion from Cpanel is:
* Free Installation!
* Unlimited Domains per Server!
* Complete Server Administration Interface!
* Fully Featured Domain Owner Interface!
* Separate Server Administrator, Reseller and Domain Owner access!
* Free Language Support!
* Free Virus Scanner!
* Free GameServers!

Plesk started what way wrong. In the past they started to make people pay to things that where free and opensource, I even remember you had to pay to had Oscommerce in it, what a joke, SPamassin i think was a paid feature in the past too.

This it the marketing strategy from SW Soft, we charge for free stuff, and when all hostings have that then we give it for free, so they are late on technology all the time.

At first Dr. Web antivirus for example was free, i had it set on all my account, now you have to buil licenses, same with sitebuilder and tons of other things. The market to sell you a panel where you have then to buy every single addon. But now they even put Adversting your panel, which you paid.

Everybody panel in the market tries to competite with giving the most features possible and that includes branding too.

SW Soft hasnt even put clam antivirus as a feature where others has.

Of course they wont, then nobody will use Dr. Web antivirus which sucks anyway.

 

[regionalzebra]

I've been talking with cPanel about this. (apparently they have been telling prospective customers about this) They think it's quite funny.
Anyway, they will be offering a special deal for anyone that wants to convert. They will be promoting this at HostingCON and making Plesk look like a bunch of thieves.
Contact cPanel and reference the Plesk Spam issue for your discount.

 

[usdcservers]

Originally posted by gtoger
Wow... yes, even as a Gold Partner, I have to say we consider this over the line. We'll do what we can to remove the advertisements from the templates.

Has anyone found a way to edit these links to use in our favor? I think it is very underhanded of SW to add this **** into Plesk and encode the files so they can't just be edited.