It's too bad that the team is not open to suggestions . . .

This message was sent from: Suggestions and Proposals
http://forums.oscommerce.com/viewtopic.php?p=190441#190441
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I agree that OSC is, so far, the best shop available out there. However, I would also like it to be a multi-shop, one database type of project. Peter McGrath was trying to set a mall-like interface but he stopped contributing the improvements to his code. He had the right idea, separate features per shop, etc. The main page would serve as a "lobby" featuring various shops with their own categories, products, payment and shipping capabilities. Why did he stop developing or contributing his code? Beats me! I think this is exactly what most of us are looking for. Linda McGrath also had a pretty good multi-shop set up but I have never found a contribution from her regarding that kind of set up. 

Additionally, I agree with fixion. This awesome project needs to be more manageable for the whole community (not just those in the development team), and it needs a system to be able to quickly add the features we need without having to fiddle with the source code so much.  Updates and contributions should be done almost automatically. I realize you don't like to hear about how other projects have dealt with these issues. However, learning about their solutions can bring greater light to developing your own!  Others like E-Xoops and Xoops have a very manageable system to add the features (contributions) one may need with minimum chances for error.  They have also made available tutorials regarding their coding for those of us who enjoy creating or modifying (customizing). I don't understand why OSC cannot do the same. It is very hard to get answers to error messages, etc. in the forums. I've seen many important questions go unanswered.  Customizing the shop is extremely time 
 consuming since it has to be done mostly on a file-to-file basis and by hand.  

It is extremely frustrating and nerve wrecking to have the work you've done for hours get undone because you update to a new snapshot. Almost every time I add a new contribution that requires altering the source code in some way, something goes wrong. Some contributors do not give clear instructions. They might be excellent programmers but lack skills on giving directions. Furthermore, whenever I update to a latest snapshot, I lose everything I have managed to add successfully.  It shouldn't be so!  I tried saving the changes to the application_top.php files under the local/configure.php but it did not seem to work. Then again, there were no instructions on how to do this or how it works (using the local/configure.php).  Now, I've noticed some changes (improvements) in the coding in the lastest snapshots. That's great but . . . the contributions' coding remains unchanged!  So, where the instructions say to look for this line saying so and so, the syntax has changed in the new
  snapshots. More time consuming tasks hunting down the right lines to modify! 

So, you don't want to be like the other guys! Fine, it's your prerrogative but [b]sharing means making it easier for others to follow and also contribute to the initiative.[/b]  There is no need to let ego and arrogance blind us!  Making things hard, confusing and sooooo time consuming hardly helps advance anything and being inflexible discourages most people who could greatly contribute to this project.  If there are methods and tools out there already set up to make changes easier and less error prone, why not use them?  If you don't like what is out there, create your own and make it available to the community. It would make your work and ours much faster and easier! 

I know that dissent is very unpopular nowadays. It seems that you are not very open to feedback and suggestions from members outside the developing team. I am sorry but that is a failing attitude to have. After all, not only developers are involved, using, and care about this project. I hope you will reconsider your position for the good of the project and the community. Thank you.  :idea: