I am absolutely frustrated beyond belief right now. Is there not a decent free PHP shopping cart out there that actually has a templating system? I've installed and configured *multitudes* of the damned things for a client's site, and nothing is fitting the bill. The ones that don't rely on register_globals (or other outdated PHP 'features') have crappy templating or no templating at all. The ones that do rely on register_globals...well, they've got crappy templating systems also.

Is there not a decent, free, PHP (I'm even open to Perl in the case) shopping cart system out there with a good templating system? Someone *please* tell me there is...

It would help if you would have listed the carts that you have tested.

I will say test CubeCart (http://www.cubecart.com) and you will say I have already done that.

And there is where you're wrong. I completely overlooked cubecart. I haven't played with it in awhile, but maybe it will provide the templating system that I need...

Also try out Viart (http://www.viart.com). They provide a Free Version.

You may try also Avactis shopping cart (http://www.avactis.com). They have free version. As I know they don't use register_globals.

I just submitted a request for the 100% off coupon for Avactis. But once I get that coupon, will I be able to use it on a client's site?

Yes, you will.

And you will love Avactis. :)

:D Bailey

Well then I can't wait :)

Avactis is nice when first starting out and i havent tried to skin it yet. CubeCart V3 and V4 is great for skinning with excellent forums. Another vote here for Viart in terms of their software but support isnt great but i guess not everything cart will have everything ;)

Avactis just released a new version today with a lot of new features........ skinning is a snap with Avactis, BTW. :)

:D Bailey

Magento Commerce looks very good also - www.magentocommerce.com (http://www.magentocommerce.com)

Hope it helps.

Ben.

Magento doesn't even exist yet -- at least in terms of stable, production quality software. No business owner (of a real, live business) is going to touch beta software with a 10-foot pole.

:D Bailey

What Bailey said..

I've looked at Magento and it looks great, but not for an established, real business.

Kevin

Bailey, I see you had to edit your post there, you originally posted...

"Magento doesn't even exist yet. :eek: What's with recommending software that you have no first-hand experience with??"

Then you edited your post to say...

"Magento doesn't even exist yet -- at least in terms of stable, production quality software."

So considering you had no idea a beta was even available until after you had posted, then clearly you have not even tested it yourself.

I think you should in future actually download and test software before calling it "unstable" on a public forum. Just my opinion :)

We have had no problems with Magento whatsoever and it's running in a live environment right now and in comparison to our previous solution, oscommerce, it is running like a dream. We don't usually trust beta software for our business either, however it has proven itself, at least to our company anyway.

Also Magento Production release is scheduled for next month. It's certainly a solution to watch out for.

But each to our own :)

Ben.

No, I edited my post so I didn't sound quite so abrasive. Maybe it's a girl thing, but I do try to be sensitive to how I come across with folks. :)

In fact, you will find that most of my posts have been edited. I always go back and edit for grammar, formatting and tone.


"Beta" is not stable. I don't care how you cut it, beta is beta. Even if you are playing with a beta, that's not first-hand experience with production-quality software that can (or should) be used by a real business ... businesses are not hobbies where the people in them having nothing better to do than play with new software ... what you are testing does not qualify (IMO) as first-hand experience with a live product that anybody in the real world can safely (or wisely) use.

And even though it is slated to go "production" next month, that doesn't mean that it should be used by any serious business for quite some time to come. Early production software is notorious for being buggy, missing a ton of important and necessary features, etc. And only time will tell if the Magento team will even stick with their project in the long haul... how many start-ups have we seen that launched out of the gates with big promises and pie-in-the-sky ideas, and 18 months later the project has been abandoned, while a few forlorn adoptees wring their hands and bemoan their bad fortune???

This is the world of software: Beware bandwagons, very few actually make it anywhere. And NEVER stick your business on something unproven.

Incidentally, we just had a discussion about Magento and how it currently applies to real-world businesses a couple of days ago (http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=650045&page=2).

:D Bailey

(Incidentally, I have nothing against Magneto. I would love a shopping cart that is actually user-friendly... it is a niche that desperately needs filling !!!!! And let's face it, Magento holds the potential to be a huge boon for my design & hosting businesses. ;) So it is not like I have any personal investment against Magento, quite the opposite... I just have seen way too many small business owners end up wasting a ton of time and money on technology dead-ends, and it really bothers me when that happens. :( Small business owners take that kind of thing on the chin... they are not an endless fountain of time, energy, money and resources. If I can help someone avoid that kind of hardship, then I'm going to speak up.)

Cheers :)

:D Bailey

I'll second Magento. It beats the hell out of Zen Cart, osCommerce, and any other shopping cart system out there. And if you want experience, I've personally setup 4 Magento sites for businessess and they are using it without a problem. The templating system is nice, it's built off an MVC framework, and even though it's beta, it's getting the job done.

Of course, I can see why some people *cough* would recommend not using it. Most hosts DO NOT support this application. Thankfully, I've recommended my clients to the right place for this.

When a stable version of magento is released, it will break the backs of oscommerce and forks such as zencart etc.

It is a product definitely worth waiting for.

Absolutely!

Bailey,

Interesting response, thank you for clarifying your "opinion".


Ben.

and what about Virtuemart i have read very good things about it.
http://www.virtuemart.org/

When a stable version of magento is released, it will break the backs of oscommerce and forks such as zencart etc.

It is a product definitely worth waiting for.


And you base this opinion on what evidence?? There is no evidence to back up such claims right now, other than empty promises on the Magento website, and a forum filled with complaints, errors and problems. :(

We desperately need a good, easy-to-use cart, in the e-comm industry. Magento is nowhere near earning that title.


This thread is an essential read (http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=650045&page=2) (<-- click) for any business owner currently considering Magento.


Recommendations for Magento must be taken with a grain of salt. If nothing else, take 10 minutes and read the latest threads on Magento's forum (http://www.magentocommerce.com/boards). Ten minutes is all it will take ... that will cure anybody with good sense, of their interest in Magento for a good while. This script is very much in its infancy and is nowhere near ready for the big-time.

:D Bailey

Magento will gain the market, especially oscommerce because they are creating an import module especially for oscommerce.

I am eagerly awaiting for magento's stable release.

Farrukh, it is going to take a lot more than just an import script for OSC databases, to gain considerable market share on OSC. There are many variables which determine a shopping cart script's success.

I also think you are vastly underestimating the size of OSC's user base. ;) There could be "a lot" of migrants to Magento, and it's still not going to be a drop in the bucket compared to OSC's market share. OSC is huge.

As I have said previously, a user-friendly, drop-dead easy cart is desperately NEEDED in the e-comm marketplace. I would love to see a cart (Magento) fill this niche and take off like crazy. It is great there are users like you, Farrukh, who are eagerly awaiting the stable release, so you can test it and report bugs and help get it developed enough so it does actually do everything advertised, and meets the needs of the masses.

I just hope the project is continued long-term, that the developers don't burn out and drop it in a year or two. The kind of commitment needed to sustain a project like this is mountainous. It is easier to be enthusiastic about it early on, because it is new and the potential is still inspiring. But after a couple of years, resentment builds and burnout rears its ugly head... developers get tired and frustrated... it is only human nature. I don't fault people for that, I've gone through this same thing many times myself, on my own projects and websites.

I am not wishing to be a nay-sayer here (I promise!!!) just a realist. I have been around the block so many times, and seen so many great ideas get half-built and then abandoned... I will believe it when I see it. A girl has to remain detached about things like new software projects, otherwise she sets herself up for disappointment when the most likely outcome becomes reality.

I have long recommended sitting back and observing online projects (e.g., software) and web hosts/data centers long term, to get the most accurate handle on the company before signing up. It is the only way a person can be sure they are signing up with a stable, equitable firm (rather than a flash-in-the-pan that doesn't have staying power). Time is the only test that can provide the kind of data on stability that serious business owners need. Time has barely begun to pass for the Magento project. The time and their own forums thus far show they have a LONG ways to go with their project. Something like Magento is needed in the marketplace. Only time will show how it matures over time (far beyond the initial stable release).

:D Bailey

You may try also Avactis shopping cart (http://www.avactis.com). They have free version. As I know they don't use register_globals.

whats the downside to register_globals ?

register_globals can open the doors to BIG security issues (http://www.google.com/search?q=register_globals+security&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)...

:D Bailey

register_globals can open the doors to BIG security issues (http://www.google.com/search?q=register_globals+security&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a)...

:D Bailey
Only if the script is poorly written ;)

Only if the script is poorly written ;)
And a lot of them are. This is a case where I'd rather not deal with that what-if.

A cart that still relies on register_globals is something I don't want to use anyway.

And a lot of them are. This is a case where I'd rather not deal with that what-if.

A cart that still relies on register_globals is something I don't want to use anyway.


Amen to that! :gthumb:

:D Bailey