I just gotta say I'm WAY impressed with opencart. I've been using osCommerce for the past 3 years... and by "use" I mean struggle / wrestling with. >:(
I received a note from my host that my OSC install was possibly corrupted and I should move to the newest version. "No problem... I'll just download and install the most recent release." Well, you can imagine my shock to find out that the project is mostly dead. >:(
So, began my search I did for a great replacement. My requirements:
• Inventory management: I need to be able to have an item with multiple options (sizes) as pull down options. The system needs to track how many items are in stock and how many left.
• Paypal Integration: I need to be able to use paypal as my payment gateway / processor.
• Coupons / certificates: support for these
• No sign-in required: Someone can add items to their cart and go right to paypal without having to sign up in the shopping cart. They can create an account if they want, but it is NOT required. All the contact, payment, and shipping information can be handled in Paypal.
I looked at all the usual candidates and ended up at http://php.opensourcecms.com where I sorted ecommerce scripts by rating. I fully expected I'd have to thoroughly test at least the top 5 to find what I needed. Well, I was pleasantly surprised that out-of-the-box opencart does almost everything I needed!
Well, it is now installed and my store manager is setting everything up. He's SUPER happy with the interface and all the features... like a breath of fresh air compared to what we've been sludging through with OSC. BLAH
On a related note: I was dreading having to find answers to all the questions I knew would come up during install. But get this... every single question so far (and I've had lots) have been answered thouroughly and clearly in this forum. It is rare that a forum community (props especially to Qphoria) has been able to answer every question I've had. Amazing!!!
The only thing I'd be pretty critical of is the lack of thorough documentation, but what's the point when 1) The script is updating and changing all the time and 2) The forum has a great search and all the info I need.
Again, great job on the script, the website, and the forum. I'm looking forward to a long relationship with opencart!!
