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Pros: We consider osCommerce the Premier Shopping Cart system available today. The basic install offers just about everything you could ask for. The adminstration offers the storekeeper flexibility and ease of management with powerful category and inventory features. osCommerce uses the MySQL relational database which is optimum for large inventories. Great User Forums - Tons of help, questions answered and problems solved. If you're having a problem, the chances are someone else has had the problem and it's been answered and resolved. osCommerce has the largest community of contributors available for any shopping cart system. Online Manual and How To's - Tutorials and walkthroughs for common modifications. Hundreds of Contributions - Free modifications for every aspect of the store. Cons: Customizations can be more difficult for those not experienced working with script or code other than html. For example; you can modify most colors, fonts, and similar style elements by making changes to a single stylesheet (css), which is nice, but doing something as simple as moving a layout element may require making changes to two or more documents. Bottom Line: If you understand and have worked with PHP and MySql this is the choice for you... or If you are comfortable working with html, have installed a cgi script or two, and are willing to take the time to read and research your questions this could also be the choice for you. There is more help for this cart than the others but keep in mind you will need to read more. PHP, CSS and and possibly a little about MySql (the database). Take a look at the Online Manual and see if you can hack it. If osCommerce looks too involved, consider AgoraCart as it is full-featured and constructed in a more traditional manner using templetes comprised of html. |