Re: Recommendation request: Use Magento or build my own eCommerce?

On Mon, Oct 22, 2012 at 4:06 PM, Mark <markg85@gmail.com> wrote: > > Hi, > > I'm in a difficult situation here. I have a list of requirements for an eCommerce system > (Magento) where i'm getting mixed opinions about what to do.. Note: i do consider myself to be > a quite experienced PHP programmer and certainly have the skills to either make the extensions or > make everything from scratch. Both do require month of work! First - for the complete picture - the > list of requirements for the eCommerce system: > - (buld into magento) Multishop has to be possible > - Different payment modules have to be possible (buckaroo, afterpay, ...) > - Online chat (with for example zopim) has to be possible > - Advanced product permissions (magento only has "manage" not more specific as in > "edit") > - Setting pruduct margins > - Abandoned cart alerts > - One page checkout > - Some javascript/ajax things like "instant cart" > - A very specific order page (the "Booking and Reservations" plugin can do that) > > Thus far it's all oke. However, if i go to the magento irc channel i'm getting really > mixed opinions about what to use and what to create myself. They basically say that i should prevent > installing as much extensions as possible and try to make most of the things myself. This is where > i'm getting really confused. > > There are two possible routes to take here. > 1. I can go for the magento route and just take the very steep learning curve it has. It will > be a slow process to make the modules required (mainly the advanced permissions, setting product > margins and a abandoned cart extension). Two of those three are very difficult to make. Certainly if > you consider that i'm just starting developing in any eCommerce system. > > 2. Considering the steep learning curve of making extensions for Magento it might be easier - > in the long run - to build it all myself. In the beginning that will be an even slower process then > using Magento, but once the structure is build it will be a much faster development process for any > extension. > > I know it's usually a bad thing to reinvent the wheel and i am certainly not intending > that. However, right now i really get the impression that i'm better of making it all myself. > Both approaches take many months of development where the self made version is going to pay off in > development time in the long run when compared to magento. I am just not sure what the best solution > might be. > > So here is a list of pros and cons that i can think of for both approaches. > > Pros/Cons for using magento > - [pro] a lot of existing extensions > - [pro] i don't need to worry about security updates since the come from magento > - [pro] living community around it to help out if there are any issues > - [con] very steep learning curve > - [con] not straightforward to start developing in > - [con] takes a lot of time till you can even use the basics > > Pros/Cons for self made > - [pro] Development will go a lot faster > - [pro] i can make it more specific for one goal > - [pro] a much easier extension model > - [con] security all depends on me > - [con] i have to make complicated extensions like buckaroo and afterpay myself > - [con] no existing library of extensions to use > > Again, i'm puzzled by this. If i follow the #magento (on freenode) list then i should pick > magento, but make every extension myself or only use the really good ones. Thus that will require a > lot of time to develop them. I 'm guessing about half a year. Then again, if i make it all from > the ground up it's probably also going to take half a year to develop (or slightly more) but it > will obviously be much easier to maintain since i know every single line of it. > > What is your recommendation? Build it myself? Use Magento? or another option that i didn't > even consider yet? > > Kind regards, > Mark Something i made up just now. Would it work if i make the ecommerce system myself and build OpenCart support in it so that OpenCart extensions can be installed in my oscommerce as well? Since then i wouldn't have to bother about payment modules. Though it does add a very complex translation layer from "my to be build oscommerce" to the OpenCart system...