Cost???

[beadgirl]

I'm not sure where I should be posting this, but I'm putting it here.

Is there a cost for Zen Cart, and if so, how much is it?

[Sermonzone]

Desiring not to sound rude, there is always a cost.

In the case of Zen Cart it is voluntary. The software is free to download (see the home page), install and use. If Zen Cart helps your business it makes sense that you would contribute to the project. Your gifts help sustain the total project and provide resources to the Developers so they can improve the cart and give valuable technical support through the forums.

The Open Source format for Zen Cart is a wonderful way for small business owners to 'try it before you buy it.'

Welcome to Zen Cart!

[beadgirl]

How do I download it? I got to a page that had the files to download but then it said that I had to "pick a mirror." What does that mean?

[Ajeh]

More or less it is asking you to pick one of the many sites where you want to download from ...

If in Ohio, it is not always best to download from Germany ... it is a little further away ...

I don't really have problems with any of the sites that are listed ... so just pick one to get the most recent Zen Cart software ... at the moment that is v1.3.0.1 (full release)

[JollyJim]

I'm not sure where I should be posting this, but I'm putting it here.

Is there a cost for Zen Cart, and if so, how much is it?

Judging by your questions about "What is a Mirror" it sounds like you have not got much experiece with computing, web development or e-commerce development. If this is accurate then the answer to your question "Is there a Cost" will fit into a few categories. I have listed them below for your convenience.

Does Zencart Cost Money To Download and Use?
The answer here is no - Zencart is free to download and customise.

Is Zencart free?
This depends on how you look at it. It is free to obtain and use. There are no charges for usage or modifications providing you do them yourself. But Zencart is not free in the sense you do not own the code and it does cost money to develop it. Financial donations are what keep it going and if you benefit from it you should consider making a donation. If you cannot donate financially you can donate knowledge or skills by contributing and helping other users. Given the statement "Time is Money", your time and the time of the development team do take on a financial value. Donating is a way of giving back what you have gained, so in this respect Zencart is not entirely free of "cost".

Do modifications cost money?
There are a lot of contributed modifications which plug into zencart and most are available free of charge. However, if you want something specific and are a non coder, you should be prepared to either spend time learning how to do it or be prepared to pay a developer to do it for you. How much depends on the arrangements you have with the developer and the complexity of the task.

What other things should I expect to Pay for?
Code modifications you cannot do yourself, template modifications and any database abstraction/insertion work should be considered items you will need to pay for if you cannot do them yourself and no suitable alternative is freely available. Also, hosting and domain name as well as any SSL certificates will need to be arranged if you have not already done it. (These are seperate to Zencart).

Do I have to donate?
You do not HAVE to do anything. The real question however is whether you SHOULD. If you are making money using zencart, then donating is a cheap way to get a powerful engine behind your store. Plus it is respectful to the people who make it possible for you to have this engine without being fleeced of all your cash. After all, if time is money and they put all this time into their project, how many hours does this come to and how much is this worth. Donating is worthwhile and a way of giving back what you have gained.

Hope this helps :)

[Sermonzone]

Very well said Jim.