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Closed 10 years ago.
I'm the primary tech guy for an e-commerce site that gets 700k pageviews/mo. and does over $1M/yr. in online revenue. We've long outgrown our in-house LAMP e-commerce application and I'm searching for alternatives.
I've looked at almost every OSS shopping cart I could get my hands on, but none of them have met our needs. I've pretty much come to the conclusion that we're going to have to go with a hosted solution (which isn't all bad, since it offloads a lot of work from me.) However, most of the hosted solutions I'm seeing are designed for the typical small business owner who simply wants to sell widgets from his garage. I need something that is more aimed at a customer who already has qualified technical staff to implement the solution. Our needs include:
Integration with Google Checkout. Our company president formerly worked on the project while at Google. It's a no-go if we suggest something else. He's also a Google Analytics addict therefore that is a requirement as well.
Powerful API to get data both in and out of the e-commerce platform. This will need to integrate with our CRM application and accounting systems.
Interface has to be fully customizable. This would primarily be done with CSS, but CMS-liked editing feature for non-technical staff would be a huge bonus. This is what has kept us on our home-grown system for so long.
If the solution is installed rather than hosted, it will have to run on Linux. We don't use Windows on the backend and are not likely to consider doing so anytime soon.
What I've looked at so far:
Yahoo Shopping (Sales rep I talked to was iffy about Google Checkout support. Deal breaker)
Prostores (I've learned the hard way not to tie a business to any company associated with Ebay)
Nexternal (Sample store unimpressive and unacceptably slow)
Magento would be my best suggestion but you could look at PrestaShop.
What about OsCommerce? It's very customizable and there are tons of additional checkout options and free extensions available for it.
I ended up going with BigCommerce.
The host that I use http://www.Station5.net has auto installs for osCommerce, Zen Cart, and nopCommerce. I used osCommerce and it was very simple to install. It is very customizable from the front end, but if you need to you can always open up the code and add any new functionality you need as long as you know PHP. Another option for you could be to use the Joomla CMS and add the shopping cart features that you need to that. There are a lot of shopping cart plugins for Joomla so you can customize it with the features you need. You can find them in the extension directory on the Joomla site.
Related
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Closed 10 years ago.
I'm looking for a AaaS to handle the agile/scrum project management for a commercial software development project. We are probably going to use git as SCM and ideally we would like to have a good integration between the code changes in SCM and the tasks/bugs in the project management. I've narrowed down the search to a few options:
Redmine: Mainstream open source, free software development management tool. Tasks, bugs, wiki, blogs, time tracking, git integration, pretty much everything we need. Not hosted. Could be deployed in-house or in a PaaS like CloudFoundry.
JIRA: Lots of features. Integration with Git, Eclipse, plenty of plugins, plenty of functionality. 1 to 4 $/month/person/application. Limited integration with google apps.
Zoho Projects: New generation of management apps, fully integrated with google apps (calendar, docs, tasks). Task Management, Document Sharing, Time Tracking & Billing, Bug Tracking Software, Gantt Charts, Project Wiki, Project Chat, Project Calendar, Project Forums. With bug tracker, ticketing, git integration. Quite expensive (Projects $299 / year, Bug Tracker Add-on $299 / year)
Yodiz: Looks perfect for scrum (scrum board, release board, backlog, planning board, epics, sprints, releases). It has time sheets and integration with SCM, with automatic posting in the tasks/defects when the code is committed (http://app.yodiz.com/thirdparty/pages/git.vz?pid=6). Pricing 5$/user/month + 22$ month for GitHub. There is another similar software fogcreek (http://www.fogcreek.com) but it's VERY expensive.
Assembla: Everything under one roof. SCM repository + all the agile functionality (wiki, tickets, files, etc). 9$ to 99$ per month, 10$/user/month for assembla portfolio. Quite popular.
Assembla looks like a very good option, but I don't seem to find a loot of feedback about it. Could you give me your advice on Assembla, the other tools and maybe other different options.
An interesting project managament/CRM/bug trackers comparison spreadsheet:
https://spreadsheets.google.com/spreadsheet/pub?hl=en&key=0Ahw066SJeeSadFJGWXRTUVVfaE1WWmpkU09WUkt6Z0E&hl=en&gid=6
Assembla is good at integrating your SCM with your ticket/bug tracking. This is it's specialty. You can use Merge Requests for Code Review and Release Management. It has several ticket views for Management planning and Development planning. Every commit is able to be linked directly to tickets and you are able to track not only your bugs as they flow through the system, but the code that surrounds these bugs.
You should try it, there is a 30 day free trial that will allow you to use all of the various tools associated.
Looks like you are trying to look at different software alternatives for project management. Here is one good comprehensive list (and comparison) of the different tools you can use: http://blog.timedoctor.com/2011/02/02/43-project-management-software-alternatives
That should give you some really good alternatives and you can add that to your research.
Also take a look at SonicAgile.com -- designed specifically for Scrum and it includes support for backlogs, scrumboards, and burndown charts. I wrote a blog entry on its features here:
http://stephenwalther.com/archive/2012/08/08/announcing-sonicagile-an-agile-project-management-solution.aspx
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Closed 10 years ago.
I’ve developed an application over .Net 4 / MVC 3. And now I want to host, this is my first ever hosting experience so I'm confused and seriously need help.
It’s not so complex application basically serving as a community image sharing website.
Now I'm looking for a hosting service for it, I don’t know much about it but what I’ve learnt I think I need following in it.
Host provided using IIS 7 (that’s fully supports .NET4/MVC3 so I could ideally use MVC routing functionalities totally, without having the headache of adding extensions in route and support functionalities (File MIME Types, Custom Error Pages etc.)
As it’s a community website, so it should remain available 24/7 like good server performance and availability, so users don’t get bugged by server not available and alike errors.
Domain registering/hosting functionality, Security
SQL Server support, an easy control panel (I think Cpanel?)
Dedicated IP address for my website (for SSL and better SEO)
Ideally unlimited bandwidth/space packages (because it image sharing so it can be increasing in both parameters)
And of rouse as it’s not actually a commercial product so be compact in price.
I know I’ve put up a lot of points up, but I’ve also searched through other threads and other forums and found out these as recommended options, any words over their performance and support:
Arvixe | Seekdotnet
Here are some you can use. Depending on the price you want to pay.
I have godd experiences with GoDaddy and DiscoutASP (both offers what you need, depending on what you want to pay).
But there are so many hosters. Its not only the features and price that counts, it is also the location of the servers .
Companies
GoDaddy
DiscountASP
Arvixe
Seekdotnet
WinHost
Peer Hosting Stackoverflow Offer
Hosting Lists / Directories
Windows Web Hosting Gallery
Best ASP.NET Hosting
Best Windows Hosting
Just my experience
One of my website is hosted on Godaddy. The domain and hosting was ordered on 22 december 2011. To be honest, they may be cheap and enticing at first, but their services aren't too great to talk about. My site is hosted on Asia-Pacific servers so I am talking about those only. The one's in US might have good standard so I can't comment. Actually they have too many customers so it's basically boils down to very tedious task to manage all of those. But, even if we say this, that's what we pay them for.
DiscountAsp is a slight bit expensive and it's good too. No current experience, but they were great when I tried them in 2009 so I suppose they might have only improved. But, do consider the reviews from real users for this hosting provider.
Cytanium is another hosting provider. My friend has a website hosted on it and if his views can be taken, it's a very recommended windows hosting provier. If your requirements aren't that big, you will find it cheap.
Additional Info
You haven't asked for deployment guidance, but I am listing a decent article for getting things up and running with few insights into this important aspect of web development : Deployment to a Hosting Provider
Winhost is a good option, and I believe it has everything you need. I am currently using it to host a .NET4/MVC3 website.
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Closed 10 years ago.
Were looking to roll out a ticket system that also has project management capability. We're currently using Trac but we find that it's really difficult to config and also has very weak support with workflows. Ideally we want a system that has:
A ticket system that supports workflow
Integrates well with window's Active Directory for user management
Has good integration with our source management (SVN)
Has project management functions and reporting. At the very least some sort of Gantt chart.
Project manager needs to be able to pick tickets and features to go into a certain milestone/sprint
The interface to this system needs to be accessible from any platform (windows, mac etc).
What system should we use? What are your experiences? We are looking at a few examples like Jira, FogBugz, TFS, Jass, etc etc. There's just too many, looking for recommendations.
We are a commercial shop so cost is not an issue.
Personally I find the Atlassian products to be affordable, robust, and well supported, so I went with JIRA when I was looking at ticketing systems in the past. It integrates nicely with AD and SVN which I had no trouble setting up.
One of the reasons I picked JIRA was the reporting functionality which gave great breakdowns of number of issues and progress on each project, and even let you use sql-like syntax to customize as needed.
It's web based, so any platform is not an issue.
I did not use it for project management, but they have a solid plugin community and a quick google search turns up a few gantt plugins such as Gantt Connector.
I think Redmine (opensource, GPL) is a nice alternative.
Below are some of the main features of Redmine (from the site).
Multiple projects support
Flexible role based access control
Flexible issue tracking system
Gantt chart and calendar
News, documents & files management
Feeds & email notifications
Per project wiki
Per project forums
Time tracking
Custom fields for issues, time-entries, projects and users
SCM integration (SVN, CVS, Git, Mercurial, Bazaar and Darcs)
Issue creation via email
Multiple LDAP authentication support
User self-registration support
Multilanguage support
Multiple databases support
I'd also note:
There are many plugins for Redmine on internet
Issue reports generation in PDF
Intuitive interface
I agree with the Redmine suggestion - it's got great functionality compared to the rest of the open-source/free competition, although in my opinion its still a relatively immature and unpolished product.
If you have your own servers or high end VPS, somebody dedicated to IT/admin stuff and don't mind paying the money, I think the Atlassian suite of tools (Jira etc.) are the way to go in terms of features, usability and customization.
You can add my favourite to your short-list: Gemini by CounterSoft.
It's .NET based and just requires Windows IIS/SQL Server, works on all browsers (even for some our client's running IE6 and keeps the MAC boys happy!).
Doesn't have AD support yet, but has fairly flexible capabilities to help you set it up so you get quickly user adoption. By this I mean, define your screens, tweak your on-screen labels, workflows, per-project metadata, nested versions (for your sprints, etc.).
Funnily enough, one thing that it has that really makes a difference to us is inline editing: editing in place when viewing lists of issues, makes things easier when running daily meetings, etc. Reporting is basic, but we dropped in our own custom reports (by creating simple ASP.NET User Controls).
We used it with SVN and it's OK but now switched to TFS Source Control and Gemini still works well with it.
Please try BootStrapToday, it is just fit for your perusal. Equipped with all the features of Ticketing, Tracking, Project Management, SVN and GIT support, Integration with other softwares, Gantt charts, apart from these.. the Two very unique features of this tool are:
1) Automation :
2) Intelligence:
To gain insights of these features in detail do visit www.bootstraptoday.com
I have tried this tool at my office and the collaboration has become much more easier at our premises.
BootStrapToday is also available as On-Premise set up as well cloud based.
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Closed 10 years ago.
I have some concerns about the Integration of Magento with other CRM,ERP systems.
How is it possible to integrate Magento with any other Industry standard CRM and ERP system?
How can i fetch the data from a ERP and update Magento database, like transactiona replication. Is this possible? And Whats the right way to do it?
Also, How can i integrate Magento with POS? Is it possible to have bi-directional data update between Magento and Industry Standard POS?
I hope I have stated all my doubts and made it clear. I would be thankful if someone guides me to do the integration, the Right way.
If you're using Magento Enterprise Edition, take a look at Bridge Connect, which is a service specifically built to integrate with common ERP packages. If you aren't using EE, or if you don't want to pay for Bridge Connect, your best bet is to use the webservices that Magento provides for this task.
The big advantage of using these is that they are relatively stable between upgrades, so you won't completely break your upgrade path. The downside is that they are slow. Silly slow. And they leak memory like a boat made of toilet paper. In my experience, though, this is nothing compared to the trouble of upgrading handwritten code when Magento decides to change the underlying database.
As for a POS, in simple cases the Magento admin sales interface may suffice. You can take CC payments, arrange shipments, etc, and your orders will be approximately the same as if they had been submitted from the web. If not, you're back to webservices if you want them in the Magento system.
If your ERP system is handling fulfillment, you may be able to skip the step of adding POS orders to Magento. Let the ERP system be the system of record for inventory, and just update Magento w/ the new accurate inventory quantities periodically.
Hope that helps.
Thanks,
Joe
EDIT:
Magento has not stated any plans to change the database that I am aware of, but it has happened several times in the past without warning, and it would be risky to assume that nothing will change. Varien does not make any guarantees about the database format, or whether it will be changed significantly.
When such a change happens, the APIs and objects in the platform are adjusted accordingly, so keeping it above the database level will keep you insulated from those changes, and make the job of evaluating new releases for compatibility that much easier.
The Magento orders/sales database structure was changed in latest release from EAV to flat structure (huge performance boost) and I don't foresee much changes in the near future, however it is highly discouraged to play with DB at the lowest level - try to integrate on Models level.
As for ERP integrations - there are couple options - BridgeConnect offers part of the functionality, webservices too (but there is no order creation in Magento via webservice for example) and you will need middleware or call API from 3rd party system. If you need speed, your best bet is to write a custom integration piece as a Magento extension. If you need flexibility and quick solution - use Webservice (you can extend them too with extensions).
As stated in your accepted answer your best bet is to use the API (either web service or XMLRPC). I used the API to build interfaces into and out of our ERP system using Mule ESB as the event/transfer layer.
If you can't find an API method you need and/or the methods don't work out for you, you can extend the API very easily.
Unfortunately, it looks like as August 2010 Magento does not support BridgeConnect any longer. There are some third party vendors who seem to filling the void for at least a couple ERM solutions.
Unfortunately, after much searching, I still haven't been able to find an integration solution for NetSuite.
Yes, API and XMLRPC/Web Services is the way to go. Another option is to look for pre-existing Magento Extensions that already do what you are looking for. The Bridge Connet is certainly an option and we considered it for our customers, however we ended up developing our own Magento POS Extension for RunIt POS.
The Magento Extension is now for sale on our website at https://www.activo.com/runway-magento-integration-with-runit-pos/ Check this link if you need more info, we also included an overview video and we have setup a demo for you to try if needed.
This is definitely a growing need as I see more and more web stores need to integrate with back end services due to the growing demand of online commerce. We will be rolling out new features and other extensions that enable online merchants do more with their existing Magento stores.
I think you should take a look on Quick Books POS integration with Magento also see ecc extension for sync srevice btw both systems.
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Closed 10 years ago.
What project collaboration tools do you recommend for maintaining tasks, bugs, collaborating, messaging, storing files, wiki, etc?
I had a look at Remember The Milk, but not sure if it's ideal! Backpack looks good and reasonably priced; has anyone used it?
I find it nice to have one web based project management tool in which I can get an overview of everything related to the project(s). This includes user (developer) administration, wiki, repository and most importantly time tracking with road mapping.
Redmine does the job for me.
And I normally use a git repository with it. It can be a wee bit difficult to set up on your web server but I found that it was worth the effort.
There's also related questions on stackoverflow like Project tracking/management tool.
Good luck.
I've used unfuddle which is quite good. It has a ticket based workflow along with git and subversion hosting.
A single project account is free, with payed accounts being charged by number of projects and amount of storage space used.
The Atlassian products are great but not cheap.
Jira for bug tracking
Confluence for wiki/collaboration
Pair this with Google App
Email
Chat
And you're rolling.
I would personally look into Mindtouch's products. There are even extensions/plugins that are suited to software development teams.
I'd recommend giving TeamLab a try. Maintaining tasks, collaborating, messaging, storing and editing files and wiki are featured. The only thing they lack is bug tracking.
Perhaps, if you can wait, Google Wave might be a good fit.
Depending on the size of you team (and other factors) a combination of Subversion & BugZilla might suffice.
Of course, Microsoft swears by it's VS Team Systems (haven't used it as the price tag is prohibitive)
TortoiseSVN is comfortable.
I would seriously look into Code Collaborator
Lighthouse is awesome if you want a hosted solution. It's basically the same as Basecamp, except with a software development focus.
The best I've used so far is SmartSheet (www.smartsheet.com) - I feel like one of those TV salesmen...spreadsheet like interface, stores all size files (and file versions), allows for discussions, alerts and reminders. Very flexible and easy to use.
I've heard of a few teams that use Basecamp, but I've always just used Trac. Trac is opensource and has a decent API for extensions.