Ok, so I have to comment on this, as I keep seeing this approach, or "attitude", of "this is how we do it", or "this is where we are going with it".
I think that is a fundamentally misaligned approach for an extension provider. Joomla is a toolkit. People build websites of ALL different kinds with it, use ALL kinds of templates and extensions to make it do what they WANT it to do for THEIR audience.
Yet, the StackIdeas approach with the ED5 direction seems less focused on "providing a flexible toolkit so the user can decide what to do with it" and more about "this is what we believe is good".
As I have alluded to in other posts, I think you are taking a MAJOR strategic risk with this approach. You can EASILY dominate the market for Joomla Forums extensions, slow down the move of people wanting to integrate a Joomla site with XenForo, Flarum, Discourse or other "core forum" offering, through some SSO option like aMemberPro or similar service to connect things.
What you have working in your favor is the FULL integration vs lose integration AND consistent "look and feel" under ONE template umbrella.
Based on what I what I see, many Joomla sites are for smaller audiences. See:
https://w3techs.com/technologies/overview/content_management
I'm sure you have a direct insight in the types of sites that use your software and how large their audiences are, or not.
So if you can make it:
- EASY to add a forum,
- with LOTS of TOTAL customization options,
- and that is integrated (which ED4 very nicely is),
- then users can create the EXACT look and feel they are looking for.
IMO, SI then has the best CHANCE to outperform other offerings.
Going back to your response, the idea of "many users do not want a support forum" does not make sense to me. What about the people that do? You do not want to help them? Your EasyDiscuss platform is already SO configurable. Just stick with it and make it the ultimately flexible Joomla forum extension. Then if I NEED a support like look, I can do so. Others can do what they need to do.
Another part of the response that I have a problem with is the "you should just do xyz and then it can do what you want it to".
Sorry, I think a lot of Joomla site managers have JUST enough experience to make it do something halfway cool, but are not all that technical and would not WANT to touch the template files, or create Custom CSS changes, etc. Just give us the configuration options to turn things on or off, templates to do some of the most obvious layouts, and be GENEROUS with things that cost you nothing or little at best.
So when I recommend to publish your support template, I'm really thinking it would take you very little time and effort to package it up and make it available to subscribers. That would be HUGE, because you are a partner to the people that are committing to SI and making these long-term, strategic decisions on WHO to trust, which software to use, etc.
Like many people, I am building a website that I invest in with an approach of "this will be the ONLY website in the world that does this". This is a 10 year or longer process.
So I need to know who I can count on, has the longevity and understanding of the importance of the commitment ones makes when building SOCIAL platforms. No one wants to have a website that has a lot of users a few years in, only to end up with a major migration and no clear options on "where to go". YOU should be the place to go and can be for Joomla based, mixed use websites where a forum is a component.
To speak in terms of one famous marketing expert, Marty Neumeier, I think you should approach EasyDiscuss and all your products with a mindset of "we are the ONLY provider of Joomla extensions that allow FULL configuration, extensive flexibility and strong ongoing support WITHIN the Joomla platform". The word ONLY is they key one here and borrowed from Marty's writings. Adjust the details as needed and based on your detailed understanding of your business and differentiators. But there has to be an "ONLY".
I'm NOT seeing that with the direction of ED5 and the break you are wanting to make.
Compared to other offerings, I see this:
Kunena is loosely integrated, but barely. The template part ***** and there is hardly any flexibility, certainly compared to ED. They are NOT the only forum offering and more standard main stream, classic ones are much more appealing.
CoreJoomla is nicely integrated in Joomla, but almost TOO much, for example with their Tags function and how they capture all content. ED has much more configuration in ED4, and their company is a complete mistery. No team, based in India without any details, minimal clarity on changelogs, etc. SI is a MODEL of transparency in comparision - you WIN easily.
phpBB Bridge stuff is a nightmare for the normal user. Xenforo integration may be coming due to more API stuff happening from what I read, but it will NOT integrate within Joomla the way ED4 does.
Cobalt and Chrono Forums are not realistic options and perhaps no longer support, or barely so.
So here is the bottom line: WHY go toward a more NARROW path with ED5 the way you are doing now, versus expanding on ED4 with even more customization, cleaning up any issues, expanding the social piece with a migration to ConverseKit, etc.
I think the current approach with ED5 will leave you with less appeal very quickly and does not have the "we are the ONLY" concept in it can grow market share. It is more niche, not more appealing.
As an FYI, I'm simply providing these comments with the best intentions, and I work in an environment where the "customer is always right", so fully understand that "customer input" is not necessarily easy to hear. I am just concerned that you are missing on an opportunity after spending a LOT of time looking at this space and evaluating LONG-TERM plans for my site.
Also, when people like myself make suggestions, please do NOT tell us the paying customer to "submit" the suggestion in some other area. The suggestion was submitted and you can cut and paste the information where you want to track it, giving credit to the person who provided it, etc.
What I'm basically saying is: in marketing, the concept of "YOU" is critical, and that "you" here is "us" as the users of your WONDERFUL software. My main concern is that you are changing that approach and building more what SI thinks makes sense, instead of what we would like to be able to do with it.
Thanks for listening - please understand I have the UTMOST respect for what you do - but do want to share my 2 cents.
Hope any of it helps in some way.