Suggestion: Introducing Verification Fees for Software Products on UNA
A Path Toward Transparency and Trust
In the dynamic ecosystem of software platforms like UNA, new modules and applications are constantly emerging to meet the ever-evolving needs of users. While this rapid innovation drives progress, it also introduces challenges especially in areas like compatibility, quality assurance, and user trust.
A recurring concern is the uncertainty regarding the compatibility of third-party products with the latest UNA versions. Currently, some products are still marked as “Stable” or “Unknown” even after significant platform updates, which can result in unexpected bugs, broken features, or system instability for users. These tags should be clearly displayed on the product page, accompanied by an icon, ensuring that buyers can easily ascertain the product’s status. Additionally, every existing version must have a designated status, and the product’s status history should be clearly outlined, providing a timeline of the changes. The product status should be positioned above the buy buttons, ensuring it is prominently visible with colored icons.
A Proposed Solution: Mandatory or Optional Product Verification Fees
To address these challenges, we propose a structured product verification system, supported by a mandatory or optional verification fee for every product during major UNA releases. Here's how it could work:
1. Initial Product Submission
When a developer submits a new product (module, app, etc.) to the marketplace, they must pay a mandatory verification fee. This fee would fund UNA’s internal team to evaluate:
- Code quality
- Platform compatibility
- Security standards
- Adherence to development best practices
2. Compatibility Verification
After passing this process, the product will be officially marked as compatible with a specific UNA version. This provides buyers with clear, verified assurance that the product has been tested by the UNA team. For each version, verification must be paid to be marked as compatible; any verification has a cost. These tags must be clearly visible on the product page with an icon attached so buyers can see the status.
3. Ongoing Re-Verification
Every time UNA launches a major new version, previously verified products must be optional re-reviewed. Until re-verification is completed, products would be marked as "Compatibility Unknown." Developers seeking to maintain compatibility must request another verification and pay the fee again.
4. Bug Reporting and Reclassification
If bugs or incompatibilities are discovered by users or the UNA team the product status may be changed to "Temporarily Incompatible." The developer must resolve the issues and submit a revised version for re-verification.
Multi-Status Transparency: Compatibility, Support & Documentation
To offer full transparency without penalizing developers, we recommend two distinct product statuses:
Compatibility Status
- ✅ Compatible:
- Verified : UNA-12.X.X, UNA-13.1.X, UNA-14.0.0
- ⚠️ Compatibility Unknown
- Not yet tested
- ❌ Temporarily Incompatible
- Known bugs or conflicts prevent usage with the current version.
- 💤 Abandoned Unsuported
- Product is no longer updated and may not work with recent UNA versions. (https://unacms.com/d/suggestion-for-abandoned-products)
Developer Support Status
- 🟢 Support Available
- Developer is actively responding to issues and providing updates.
- 🔴 No Support Available
- Developer is not offering assistance or updates for this product.
📄 Documentation Status
- 📘 Documentation Available
- Product includes up-to-date, user-friendly documentation.
- 📕 No Documentation
- Product lacks proper documentation or guides.
This triple-label system offers full clarity for buyers, allowing them to make informed purchasing decisions while giving developers flexibility and time to resolve issues without having their product suspended or removed from the marketplace.
Why This System Works
✅ Promotes Code Quality and Responsibility
Tying compatibility to visibility encourages developers to deliver stable, well-maintained products.
🔄 Reduces Platform Conflicts
Verified compatibility decreases the risk of system crashes and broken features across the platform.
💼 Establishes Transparent Commerce
By clearly stating compatibility and support status, users avoid purchasing outdated or broken software unknowingly.
💰 Sustains the Platform Financially
Verification fees provide a sustainable revenue stream to fund quality control, automated testing, and developer tools.
Trust, clarity, and technical excellence
The software marketplace should thrive on trust, clarity, and technical excellence. A verification process supported by a fair fee structure and enhanced by clear product status labels helps everyone: developers gain structure and credibility, users gain confidence, and the platform grows stronger.
We believe UNA and similar ecosystems can significantly benefit from adopting such a system to ensure long-term sustainability and professionalism without stifling innovation.
This way, no developer will be suspended and no product will be removed from the marketplace instead, the product’s status will compel the developer to take action and maintain support if they wish to continue making sales.