Last week, the osCommerce development team announced the release of osCommerce 3.0 alpha 4, or "Lebkuchen" as it's named. This marks a major milestone in the overall progress of MS3. Of course, this announcement really doesn't mean much to the average store owner currently using MS2.2, but it will definitely impact them in the future. Right now, only developers anxiously await these releases, so we can start getting the feel for how the new platform is structured. We're also very interested in preparing our clients to the impending conversion to MS3. We want to insure the transition is easy, and if problems do arise, we can help. No matter your intentions for MS3, as a current store owner, you should get used to the idea of upgrading your store at some point.
Upgrading a stock osCommerce store (one that has minor, if any, modifications) is not that big of a deal. The core development team has planned the integration of an upgrade utility specifically targeted to those currently using osC as their shopping cart solution. This is not slated to be put in place until the final Alpha 5 version is released. I'm sure it will be as painless of a procedure as the current utility used in MS2.2. However, if you have a heavily modified cart with more than a few contributions installed, this could be quite a challenge.
If you have several contributions or customized features integrated into your current shopping cart, you may want to delay the switch until modules compatible with MS3 are released. Administrators could also have their developers customize the new platform to include the same features as the old. This could get pricey, but it's worth it to high volume shops. Why? I'll explain.
If you run an osCommerce site with a lot of customizations and don't make the switch, you'll run into problems down the road with adding new contributions or modules. Once the final release of MS3 is made public, it's almost certain that any new contributions, as well as shipping and payment modules, will favor heavily MS3. MS3 is a much more object oriented platform, and it's fair to assume most scripting written for it will not be entirely compatible with MS2.2. So, right off the bat, you're going to have trouble finding support for your current store. To make an analogy, it will be like trying to find parts for an antique car.
All in all, the release carries with it many improvements upon Alpha 3.0. This version incorperates a template-based catalog, as well as payment and shipping module enhancements. The Alpha 5.0 will integrate quantity tracking for attributes and attribute combinations and a WYSIWYG editor for product descriptions. These are normally features reserved for the community, but they will be better supported and stabilized by the core development team.
That being said, MS3 is coming, but not tomorrow. We all have plenty of time to plan for the transition. In fact we've been testing the new system for a few months now, and find it's modular nature much easier to build and customize upon. The current road map shows a few more arduous tasks ahead of the core osCommerce development team, so my guess is that a "stable" release would happen before year's end. Until then, if you have any questions about the impact this may have on your store, don't hesitate to contact us.
Cordially,
David |
