So along came Prestashop, with money, backing, and a roadmap! We picked this up in its infancy also and started to build sites with it. It had some good features but was again rough! But with very quick releases it has started to evolve into a great product and easy to manipulate from a development point of view.

So bye, bye Zen.. you were cool at the time, but have not been allowed to go any further!
Al

With the code getting closer to a 1.0 release template changes also are getting less and less, so upgrades are getting easier these days.

Regarding the modules, well to be fair free modules are developed out of the developers’ free time, and well we devs can be lazy to document sometimes ^_^, especially when it’s so convenient to just stick the “use this at your own risk” message there :p

Regarding SSU, the wiki does cover in details how to make manufacturer aliases work, you just didn’t look hard enough. There is even a search function there. I’m surprised so many people complained about the lack of documentation with SSU when in fact most of the time what they are looking for is already available on the wiki.

1. Mod developers don’t include basic instructions for people with modded sites like oscommerce requires. I would prefer instructions of ‘add this code to this file after line.’ instead of an out of date file that I am supposed to compare to a new file.

2. Mod developers do not include updated mods on the Zen Cart site. This should be required. Things go out of date and we don’t know unless we go searching through different peoples sites just to find the updated mod. This is a PAIN. I can’t tell you the amount of times something has gone wrong, only to find out it’s because it’s an outdated mod.

3. Mod developers have started combining other mods in their own, thus not allowing one to know what code goes for what and ignoring what is not wanted.

4. Mod developers do not write instructions for the beginners. We still can’t get SSU to alias our manufacturers, or remove identifiers.

While I’m sure most of this is done for the benefit of the developers, it does make it a hassle for the Zen Cart community to stay updated.

I really hope Zen Cart gets things together though.

Even though they have done the long over due bug fixes it is sadly just to little too late.
I said prestashop was catching up… it has caught up and over took

The once expensive mods to get the same functionality of ZC are now built in and free.

for example
Tabbed products Pro type feature – built in
SEO URLS – built in
Google Checkout – built in
IH2 type feature – built in
Stock by attributes – built in
Ajax lightbox/gallary – built in
Admin Profiles type feature – built in
Google Sitemap – built in
Google Adwords – built in
SMS alerts – built in
RSS feed – built in
Loyalty system – built in
Cross Selling -built in
Watermarking – built in
Google analytics – built in
easy populate type feature – built in
need i go on?…. ok…

Login for prices – now available as a free mod.. that was the only thing keeping me at Zen Cart. Shipping is easier to set up, no more CSV crap. Tutorials that show you how to do things like ajax banners and the admin back end.. haha.. you can find things now!

Of course things like the develpers tool kit is missing, but nothing ctrl + F cant do in dreamweaver and admittedly a lacking in US gateway support, but then PP and GCO are BUILT IN and there is 1.4 in production too. Now how long would it take to install the above list!.. and how much of a hack?.. god help you try and up apply one of the updates.

i see there is another update (139e), 32 files that need winmerging and applying.. erm.. no thanks, last prestashop update i did was as simple as drag and drop. Because its OO code and modular.. and the next coming 1.3.2 update will be too.

prestashop’s future development is open, their devs are not closed off, someone should tell the zen cart team theres is not the Manhattan Project. Prestashop is ran like a business, zen cart feel like its ran like a secret social club.

Prestashop has a larger ACTIVE community

Zen cart is dead! I was denying it for a good year but when you see a lot of the same usernames at prestashop that you see in in the zc forums.

In the city I live there are hundreds of web development firms, most use prestashop or Magento. When I was trying to find a developer to bring up IH2 to php5.3 standard (long before it was thought about in ZC) I asked 30+ top local firms on google to do this. Not one were interested because it was Zen Cart (that is in a time of recession too). I had to use a web dev firm from zen carts forums, who now have a growing number of prestashop stores in their portfolio. If that isnt asign?

And when you have three high level zc mod developers tell me in private email chats all saying zen cart is dead… then zencart is dead!

Here is the problem. Even if 2.0 was out and stable tomorrow in OO code, it’s too late… prestashop now has all the things zen cart should have integrated a long long time ago.

ZC was a great system.. emphases on WAS.. it isnt failing, it has failed!. because they dont have the man power for development, dont run it like a business, are behind the times and have not been watching the competition.

as a wise man once said to me about zencart, “there is gold there, but they prefer to pave it with dirt and grass”.

Raine, I REALLY hope that you will join the zenmagick team! We need to recruit as many developers as possible to get behind this project and evolve it into a proper fork that is constantly growing and improving.

I think if ZC2 isnt here within 6 months or if it is here and just not very good I will be moving over to prestashop… simply because of http://www.prestashop.com/en/features

i will be downloading and playing with presta this weekend, I find this a very sad time indeed, but I have had several private convocations with a few ZC members about ZC2 and Kim’s attitude. All of whom have left ZC now.

Is ZC a dead cart?… I’d say no, but it is skating on thin ice