Off Topic (like much in this thread)…
I held off installing the URI Mapping Addon for a long time as
- It’s unnecessary
- when I saw the immense/bewildering/frightening amount of code it involved mixing into my site I thought “no way”. I never install anything blindly, there are always things I don’t like in the code or stuff not done “as standard”. I thought “this is never going to work first time” like most plugins and I’ll never be able to fix it but that was before I got to know Conor a little and his standards. Obviously it does work first time.
But I wanted nice links to paste into emails and once I started to use it, it became obvious the URI Mappings Manager was essential and the price of $xxx (whatever/irrelevant) was frankly risible for what I considered were TWO plugins (of outstanding quality and functionality) as in effect that is what the cost was for.
I cannot imagine the time that really went into coding, documenting and making these hugely complicated plugins literally plug-in and fault-free…something that most “plugins” certainly are not.
But, as anyone who codes for Zen Cart for money is well aware, the constant fight is that since people can download and use Zen Cart without paying for it, they expect custom-coding by a third party to be also for free, or close to it. Why?
I have very little free time to code mods and fix other peoples mods when I try to use them. My time is very valuable/irreplaceable and I have long ago learnt the value of buying something that works first time and working with people who do what they promise (now, a distant memory). I need fast and I need working, buggering about with code is a waste of my time, I still do it but I shouldn't.
Time is money and I have a business to develop…doesn’t everyone here? I assume everyone who is commenting in this thread has a business and so has costs associated with that business.
I looked at the fee charged by the current suppliers of the URI Mapping Manager and I read the comments about the efforts that various people may make to basically provide that functionality for free and I think “why are you bothering”? Don’t you have something more profitable to do with your time?
That fee doesn’t even equate to my phone bill or four fours of a quality coder.
It’s a paltry business cost…doesn’t everyone have more profitable things to do with their time than reinvent the wheel?
Add more products, improve the content, active marketing….etc. the list is endless as to what you can do to make more money, but trying to save the fee for some software and spending lots of hours in the process strikes me as absurd and unjustifiable.
Put it in your business plan and present it to your bank as an efficient use of your time, see if they agree.
I’m not trying to justify the change in the price, but that is the past and this is the present. Who cares where the money goes? It’s a product for sale like any other. The fact that Conor massively undervalued his efforts has been to the benefit of many people here in the past, but that’s the past.
I’m looking at a Zen Cart connector for the ERP I am using and that is over 400 euros, but I’ll probably buy it. It’s a business cost and if I offset it against me doing it myself over six months between 10pm-1am every night, it’s not up for discussion.
In conclusion, I'm saying if you have a business, be business-like and value your time realistically, look at the big picture.
ps I have no connection to the suppliers of this mod!!
