Zen Cart & Oscommerce - Differences?

Hi there. I am completely neutral on this and very keen for advice (not just 'zen cart is much better', but more details of why it is better or not than oscommerce).

I am having problems with integrating a payment method to a new store I have built on zen cart so have just downloaded oscommerce and am going to start building the store from scratch with that as there is a relevant module to use my required payment option.

I see that the program looks fairly similar and am keen to know more about differences and similarities and so on as I want to build more ecommerce stores in the future but really want to take time to get used to using 1 shopping cart solution and stick with that.

One thing I have noticed so far is that the zen cart forum seems much more used and helpful than oscommerce's forum.

Any feedback appreciated,

Stuart

ZenCart originally based on oscommerce, BUT is updated more frequently, has much better forum support and zencart
devs are approachable from time to time, via forums..
Templates in zencart are also easier to configure..
Started myself with oscommerce 5 years ago...
switched after one year with OSC would I return to it? After 4 years with zencart, not a chance at moment..
Dabbled in avactis...ok, but too expensive and resource hogging.
Above my own opinion..other zenners/forum members may advise differently...

Oscommerce

1. osCommerce was started in March 2000

2. 14,041 registered live shops around the world.

3. Every page i.e. Login page is basically divided into (Example)
   i. login.php (header code + template file)
   ii. includes/languages/english/login.php

4. Latest version of oscommerce (oscommerce-2.2rc2a, Sept, 2008), by default supports 3 different languages translation
   i. english
   ii. espanol
   iii. german

Zencart

1. Zencart is an improved version of oscommerce

2. Every page i.e. Login page is basically divided into (Example)
   i. includes/modules/pages/login (header code)
   ii. login.php (template file)
   iii. includes/languages/english/login.php (language file)
   iv. include/languages/english/html_includes/ (default template files - only for few files not for all files)

3. Admin panel having an "Autoloader" funtionality for include the
   default loading files

4. Latest version of zencart (zen-cart-v1.3.8, Sept, 2008), by default supports only a single language
   i. english

Thanks and Regards,
manoilayans

please note the version listed above

4. Latest version of oscommerce (oscommerce-2.2rc2a, Sept, 2008), by default supports 3 different languages translation

this is a release candidate, other than a few patches it is the same code from 2003.

as to the payment module.....

what mod is it?

there is most likely a version available here or it can be converted easily enough

Thanks for the opinions all. Merlin, it is for hsbc e-secure payments module. I have advertised on the comercial part of the forum to see if anyone can convert it but harven't really had any positive responses yet.

Another thing, if anyone can provide feedback on... is it possible to import the database from the zen cart site to an oscommerce site? And is there any kind of easy way to get the site to look the same or would it be a case of starting from scratch witht he design?

Thanks again.

Stuart

skyegospel:

Thanks for the opinions all. Merlin, it is for hsbc e-secure payments module. I have advertised on the comercial part of the forum to see if anyone can convert it but harven't really had any positive responses yet.

Another thing, if anyone can provide feedback on... is it possible to import the database from the zen cart site to an oscommerce site? And is there any kind of easy way to get the site to look the same or would it be a case of starting from scratch witht he design?

Thanks again.

Stuart
There is a free addon to help with db import.
With template, you start from scratch, but not really. The html is already there, and the structure of zen and oscommerce is very similar. I would say you start at 60-70%

yellow1912:

There is a free addon to help with db import.
With template, you start from scratch, but not really. The html is already there, and the structure of zen and oscommerce is very similar. I would say you start at 60-70%

I wouldn't be too sure about either of those things. The structure has changed in Zen Cart and it's not as close to osC as it once was.

its weird that no one has made the hsbc e secure mod work,
I just looked it over and its not difficult

only one thing I cant figure out in the few mins that I looked at it....

its also surprising that there is no Zen mod for this since the person with their name all over it there is a ZC Certified host...

Have had couple of requests for advice re this mod,
via pm's..
Suggested they post in Commercial forum
as skyegospel has done.
so if anyone can recode, would be very
helpful.

:smile:

I have it allmost redone,
just waiting on confirmation on one piece then will send it to people to test.

Seriously?!?! :D You are awesome!! This has been driving me nuts this last week or 2!

Stuart

It's been a while since I started this thread and I wanted to add a note for anyone who has reached this thread having searched to find the difference themselves between oscommerce and zen cart. I can't honestly give much of an opinion re. the technical side of things as I will be biased having spent the last 2 months working away loads on zen cart and only having spent about 1 and a half days trying some things with oscommerce.

But one thing that really strikes me is the level of support given through the forums. WHen looking for answers in oscommerce I relaly felt as if I was on my own. I struggled to find much info on the forums, and there seemed to be a lot of unanswered threads. This forum has taught me MASSES about Zen Cart - I feel that when I come to making my 2nd site it will be SO much easier with all I have learned from hear whilst building my first.

If you are trying to decide between the 2, and there is a particular technical reason that oscommerce suits you better, I guess it is worth going with them. But if, like me, you are coming at ecommerce for the first time and you feel that you are about to go in way over your head and will need a lot of help along the way... I strongly recommend you try zen cart. I think I'd have given up by this stage without the forum support - it really is that important!

My opinion, for what it's worth,

Stuart