Ok I think I will settle for OScommerce, now I need help on the following which Loaded Mod is best Phesis Loaded 6, MS2-MAX 1.5.5 any other worth taking a look at. Since I am Starting from a fresh install I might as well install a packaged version with the most used and popular mods.

Other question I have is when is the new version of oscomerce expected, is it hard to upgrade?

Lastly any good oscommerce hosting companies? I am sure there are plenty here.


Thanks,

javier

Originally posted by javier
[B]Ok I think I will settle for OScommerce, now I need help on the following which Loaded Mod is best Phesis Loaded 6, MS2-MAX 1.5.5 any other worth taking a look at. Since I am Starting from a fresh install I might as well install a packaged version with the most used and popular mods.


It will save you a lot of time and headache debugging.
You should try out all the osCommerce Loaded versions
and decide which works best for you.

This is because many contributions are not compatible or
work together. Invariably you have to decide to put in one
contribution and leave out another.

Your requirements come first. Not the contributions installed.

Originally posted by javier
Other question I have is when is the new version of oscomerce expected, is it hard to upgrade?

You do not need the latest and greatest version of osCommerce.

Once you put in a lot of customization it will be difficult to upgrade
to the next milestone. If you use a loaded version, you will need
to wait for the loaded version to be upgraded to a new milestone.

The current MS2 version has nearly everything that anyone would
every want. The MS3 version will simply standerdize some of the
contributions e.g., which template library will be used and some other international features.

Originally posted by javier
Lastly any good oscommerce hosting companies? I am sure there are plenty here.

I mostly host osCommerce and provide a lot of direct support.
Yes, there are a lot of osCommerce hosting companies., because
it runs with Apache,PHP and MySql out of the box., perhaps installed by Fantastico But the difference come up when you install contributions. Many of the cool or useful contributions need specific apache and php libraries compiled in. This one reason why osCommerce does not come with many contributions installed
already.

Also much optimization can be achieved through MySql and PHP.
These factors decide if your hosting platform is a generic hosting
platform running a shopping cart or one that has been optimized and built favouring osCommerce requirements.

You may notice some companies charging more for the eCommerce hosting package, hopefully they are charging
you for optimized Apache, MySql , PHP that will bring out the
best from osCommerce.

Hi Javier,

I have to agree with sadcoxx here - there are many good snapshots of osC available out there.

Most hosts that provide their own snapshot of osC will have an online demo you can play with. Find the one thats best suited to you. Make sure the host thats providing it is a good one and you should be ready to go.

Upgrading a loaded osC snapshot can be difficult, as all the contributions will have to be re-installed, and compatibility between versions is not guranteed. I would recommed finding a snapshot you're happy with, then perfecting that snapshot to work exactly the way you want it to. Any new features you want can then just be added to your own snapshot.

Best of luck with your search...

sadcox66:

Thanks for the post, great website I was able to test and play with some applications I have not heard about like Xaraya. I really liked what I read about the support you give and that you update the contributions. I think I will be placing my order this week and I might sign up to test also Xaraya, but I need to read about it more and figure out if I can put it to good use. I will read more in your site and will probably have more questions. but for now lets concentrate on OScommerce....

I have just a few more questions where is the detailed list of the contributions added in Snappy Server loaded version. I only saw a few listed in the features section. I see
eBay lister
PayPal, 2Checkout Credit card processing
FedEx, UPS integration
more...
Where can see a list of the more...?

If I dont see a contribution I need can it be added? Is there a extra cost?

I also saw that you have 12 months package can we sign for less months, I dont want to commit for so long If I am still not sure 100% Oscommerce will give me what I want until I begin to test it.


Why is there two pages that look different in design for snappy server, this is just out of curiosity.

oscommerce.snappyserver.com
www.snappyserver.com

Thanks,

Javier

Originally posted by javier
Thanks for the post, great website I was able to test and play with some applications I have not heard about like Xaraya. I really liked what I read about the support you give and that you update the contributions. I think I will be placing my order this week and I might sign up to test also Xaraya, but I need to read about it more and figure out if I can put it to good use. I will read more in your site and will probably have more questions. but for now lets concentrate on OScommerce....


Thank you for the kind words.

Play with the Xaraya demo, it has a steep learning curve
but it has an amazing flexibility. Every module build by disparate
developers show a cohesiveness not seen on other open source projects. It will not break when it gets bigger like PostNuke or phpNuke. Personally I do not think it has matured yet, but if
want a long term commitment to a CMS this one is a reliable one.



I have just a few more questions where is the detailed list of the contributions added in Snappy Server loaded version. I only saw a few listed in the features section. I see
eBay lister
PayPal, 2Checkout Credit card processing
FedEx, UPS integration
more...
Where can see a list of the more...?


Login to the admin demo and follow the menu to
Configuration | Contributions (http://oscommerce.snappyserver.com/demo/MS2_SSL/catalog/admin/installed_contributions.php)

It lists all major contributions. PM me and I can send you an
excel sheet comparing with other loaded versions. It also lists
forum tips and followup to improve the contributions. It helps
me figure out how I'am doing and which contributions work
with each other.



If I dont see a contribution I need can it be added? Is there a extra cost?


You may add it youself, may clients use my package as a starting point and add/modify from there.

If it's a contribution that is getting popular and will be useful to
others I will add it for free depending on the demand.

If it's something specific that few will benefit I will charge
you for hours worked.

Support is free, stylesheet changes, osCommerce questions,
if you mess up your cart settings you can call me. Advice on
tools .


I also saw that you have 12 months package can we sign for less months, I dont want to commit for so long If I am still not sure 100% Oscommerce will give me what I want until I begin to test it.


Sure, just type in the number of months you want to pay for.

When things get busy we tend to favour clients that have
paid for the long run ;-) We prefer you play with the demos
as much as you want and ask us questions if you cannot
do what you want.


Why is there two pages that look different in design for snappy server, this is just out of curiosity.


osCommerce support is becoming a primary business for us so
we thought it deserved it's own subdomain to focus the search
engine results to the first page. Otherwise people were ending up
in the manuals or oscommerce services. We also have Win32 addons to oscommerce coming to make maintainance easier and
need a place to put them. Have not decided what the new
page should look like yet. Any advise on style will be appreciated.

It is amazing how osCommerce has evolved into a primary business for so many of us. I would agree, that you should probably start with one of the CRE or Snappy snapshots of osCommerce and stick with the version because of the complexity of upgrades later on.