too complicated?

Hi all,

I'm curious - how many people think Zen Cart is too complex? Don't get me wrong, i think it is a great and powerful application, but at times, i just want to run my shop, and spend all my time tweaking and configuring the software.

Basically i want the software to work for me - i don't want to work for the software. So does it take too much time, and much needed time away from our shops.

what do you all think?

Thanks

g

Interesting to see that you've been on the forum list for so many years...

One of ZC's most endearing qualities is its versatility, coupled with the huge number of features.

Add to this the immense support for the system (via the devs as well as forum members) and you have a system that is hugely successful.

Of course, the trade-off for this versatility is user skill level. It's possible to have a functioning webshop on ZC within a matter of hours - install, apply custom header and logos, load products, install payment and shipping - and you're off!

But everyone needs something unique - from functionality to appearance and style.

This is where ZC excells... Many carts (even commercial ones) are not as uniquely adaptable as ZC - you're often stuck with a generic look and functionality.

When I set up my first ZC in May 2005, I knew nothing about dbase content carts. Now I build sites as part of my profession.

This forum contributed about 95% to what I now know - and I continue to learn more as time goes on!

I think it depends on your situation.

You can just install Zencart, install products. set up shipping and payment options and start doing business. Of course, you won't get much business without content and meta stuff for Google to find, unless you have another way to drive traffic to your site.

Most of the complexity of Zencart is in changing the appearance and in making it do things that aren't built into the core code. That's going to be true with any cart software.

There are carts that are, for example, a lot easier to template than Zencart, but they don't have the power or features of Zencart. If a simple appearance and lots of operating features works for you, Zencart is a good choice. If you're in a competitive situation where the appearance of your site is most important (rarer than most people think, in my opinion) Zencart will still work fine, but you'll spend more time setting things up.

Another thing to consider is the fact that Zencart will become easier to use with each new version.