The background

Having worked with osCommerce and CRELoaded on multiple sites for clients all around the globe, and being an active member of both communities, I have very rarely been able to install an eCommerce site out of the box and had a happy customer. Invariably, extra features are needed, bugs need to be ironed out and complex administrative functions need to be explained. For UK based customers who run businesses that are VAT registered, the problems become even more chronic with an extremely convoluted methodology needing to be straightened out before a store can start trading and conform to UK legal requirements.

The future as it stands

As it stands right now, the future holds some optimism. osCommerce Milestone 3 is now on alpha patch 4, a progression which has taken 3 years longer than the original scheduled date and with two more alpha releases proposed before a stable release, whilst the MS3 codebase looks to be a marked improvement on MS2, this could well be a case of too little too late. CRELoaded plan a new release for July this year, but with the history of bugs on new CRE releases and the marked differences now between osC and CRE, amending the codebase with necessary changes for a succesful deployment looks to be even more problematic in the future.

The future as it COULD be

The ideal scenario would be a project based on osCommerce values (FREE software which works out of the box and has an active community of developers and user contributed features) but which responds quickly to new demands and requirements in the way that the CRELoaded project does. New developments need to be scalable - i.e. they need to be applied to existing deployments without overwriting other code changes. ZenCart? has gone a very long way to filling this void, but shopacart will be a project with a completely different take on how things can be acheived.....read on....

The big idea

shopacart will be developed as a fully retro-compatible solution which fills all current industry standards (i.e. Register Globals compliant, SQL5 and php5 compatible). Newer technologies such as ajax will be included as standard with a "fully loaded" approach similar to the thinking behind CRELoaded. There will only be ONE code base, with plugin upgrades available to offer additional functionality for those who require them (similar to the Pro and B2B CRE releases, but all based on the same code base). Every shopacart module and contribution will be deployed in a separate folder of the code, enabling installation without code edits via a zip upload and unzip function in the admin panel. All contributions will be vetted by a team of experienced developers to ensure standards are maintained, and beta tested by a community group of users. Only once this process has been completed will contributions be released to the public.

Why users will want shopacart

shopacart will be a well coded, scalable and reliable solution. The code will be flexible but conform to a set of standards which will make editing, modifying and usage much easier. The aim is to have a web based installation process which completely bypasses the need for users to utilise ftp software, meaning that ANY person can use the software to install, configure and launch an online eCommerce website without paying monthly fees. With rapid response to user demands and web security issues achievable through a strong community base, the solution will offer an attractive, easy to use and fully scalable alternative to the current offerings.

Why developers will want to get involved

shopacart will have a unique business model which could lead to a lucrative reward system for strong developers. Developers have two different avenues of contributing and gaining reward:

1 - Contributions can be developed independently then (once approved as maintaining coding standards by the admin team and passed as stable by beta testers) will be available for download and installation by the users for nominal fees (not to exceed a pre-determined figure). Because of the volume of users we anticipate converting to this system, even a £10 download could quickly yield a return. All proceeds from contributions will be split 50/50 - 50% to the original developer, and the remaining 50% to the shopacart fund, which can be used for a variety fo purposes (see below).

2 - The second model for development of contributions is user requested mods. These will be requested in a special forum, where developers can then come back with a plan for development. This plan should include timescales and costs involved. Users can then contribute towards the development with donations of any amount they choose. Once the full cost has been donated, the coder can then commence work knowing that the fees they have quoted have already been secured. The fees will be paid to them upon successful approval by the admin team and beta testing period. All users who donated towards development will automatically receive the code for free, and the code then becomes available on the shopacart website for a nominal fee (much lower than if the method above had been used). All proceeds from these sales will go towards the shopacart fund.

The business model

The shopacart fund (contributed to by the two methods described above plus user donations) will be used for the following reasons:

1 - if necessary development is required which is beyond the skills or time capabilities of existing community members, the shopacart fund can be used to employ freelance developers to contribute. The same standards and beta testing must be met by any freelancer before any payment will be released.

2 - If certain contributions are proving to be extremely popular or deemed necessary to integrate into the codebase itself, the shopacart fund can be used to buy a contribution outright from the contributor.

3 - As the project grows, certain obligations and commitments will need to be maintained such as hosting, support staff and equipment. The shopacart fund can be used to assist in this aspect, but only as a last resort. Wherever possible, donations, volunteers and sponsorship should fulfill this purpose.

4 - At the end of each financial year shopacart will publically release statements of account showing where all funds have been spent. Donation dates will be displayed, but donators names and details will not be made available.

So, whats next?

shopacart is at an embryonic stage, and at this point in development we need many things - please do as many or as few as you can, but most importantly be sure to register with us so we can keep you up to date on progress and development. Initial estimates put a beta release at September 2007 with a full public launch in January 2008. If we are able to secure the requirements below sooner, we could aim for a quicker schedule....your involvement REALLY could make a difference. So what do we need?

1 - A community - Register today, keep an eye on the forums and bulletin boards and help us to make this a real community driven project

2 - Your opinions - Complete our online survey, let us know what you like about existing software, what you don't like and the features you consider a must-have on your own website.

3 - DEVELOPERS - Get involved! We are looking for php programmers with time on their hands who can help make this project a truly professional software suite and keep the codebase on the cutting edge of technological progress - visit our forums and register your interest.

4 - Graphics specialists - there are a number of graphical elements which will be integrated to the system, from template design and button development through to layout development. If you have an eye for colour and visual design, help us out and register your interest on our forums.

5 - Support and wiki creators - as the code develops we will need a solid faq, code standards and help system. If you have time to help us create this, again visit the forums and register your interest.

6 - Linguists - the shopacart system will be available globally. As well as creating translation packages for the software itself, we will also need to ensure that this site is accessible by anybody who wishes to use it.

7 - Funding - can you donate to the shopacart cause? Get in touch using the contact us form to find out how you can help us out.

8 - Beta testers - help ensure the shopacart system is the ultimate in stability and usability by downloading our beta packages when they become available and reporting any bugs. Again, visit the forums and register your interest.

Thanks for looking - bookmark shopacart.co.uk today and check back regularly to see our progress.