mikehenson Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 Hello I am brand new to PHP and MySQL but I see pages of problems that people seem to be having. Would a non-techie tell me if I've bitten off more than I can chew? I've printed the manual and I intend to work through it, but are there any pitfalls that I should be aware of?
Jack_mcs Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 Oscommerce has a steep learning curve. The basic package installs rather easily but, after that, there is a lot to be done. You should plan on 1-3 months of playing around with it. At that point, you will probably be at the point of feling like you are starting to understand it. Everyone starts off in the same place and most make it through. You just have to stick with it. There are a lot of posted questions but when you consider there are over 91,000 members, the number of posts in a day are not really that high. Reading the posts regularly will help you. Most questions have already been asked, many times, so searching for an answer will usually provide results quickly. The manual is not all that helpful, in my opinion. You should install the package and start working with it. When you get stuck, which you will, search for an answer and then ask on the forums if you can't find one. Jack Support Links: For Hire: Contact me for anything you need help with for your shop: upgrading, hosting, repairs, code written, etc. All of My Addons Get the latest versions of my addons Recommended SEO Addons
mikehenson Posted March 23, 2006 Author Posted March 23, 2006 Jack, I'm grateful for the response but not for the content :D 1-3 months :rolleyes: Is that 1 or 7 hours a day? I'm going to be selling video clips, in your experience is this likely to present any unique problems. For example, there will be five images displayed to demonstrate the timeline of the clip and then the clip itself which potential customers will want to preview from the site. I do not intend to deliver by download because the buyers parameters will be too diverse, but I shall want them to complete an order form containing some technical information about how they wish to take the clip and complete the payment online. Is osCommerce right for this task? Your advice is appreciated.
Guest Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 I have to agree on the steep learning curve, but remember oscommerce is basically free. I constantly upgrade and add contributions. My new task is to alter the style to my liking. All in all it is a great program even for the non programer. Wolfgang
mikehenson Posted March 23, 2006 Author Posted March 23, 2006 Hello Wolfgang I have used OS software, I have an ASP Forum located on a clients' site. OS software tends to carry a techie health warning so I'm a bit hesitant about jumping in with both feet. Regards Mike
Jack_mcs Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 Jack, I'm grateful for the response but not for the content :D 1-3 months :rolleyes: Is that 1 or 7 hours a day? I'm going to be selling video clips, in your experience is this likely to present any unique problems. For example, there will be five images displayed to demonstrate the timeline of the clip and then the clip itself which potential customers will want to preview from the site. I do not intend to deliver by download because the buyers parameters will be too diverse, but I shall want them to complete an order form containing some technical information about how they wish to take the clip and complete the payment online. Is osCommerce right for this task? Your advice is appreciated. No one has times this, as far as I know. The 1-3 months is based on what I have seen posted in the forums. There are a number of threads regarding this. The more effort you put into it, the sooner you will come to understand the package. The package will do what you are wanting but not without some code changes. How quickly you can make those changes depends upon your level of experience with php. Some people start using oscommerce that have no idea what an ftp program is, much less how to use one, while others are accomplished programers. Obviously, where you fall in that range will determine how long it takes. But I doubt, even if you are experienced and work full time at it, that you would have a working shop to do what you want in under a month. But that is only a guess. Jack Support Links: For Hire: Contact me for anything you need help with for your shop: upgrading, hosting, repairs, code written, etc. All of My Addons Get the latest versions of my addons Recommended SEO Addons
mikehenson Posted March 23, 2006 Author Posted March 23, 2006 From what you're saying Jack it would seem like I will probably need some help in getting the store up and running. Whilst I've been building sites for some time and even got an ASP Forum up and running, I have no knowledge of PHP/MySQL. So if anyone reading this, who (preferably) lives in the UK, would like help me get started, please send me a PM.
timbuck2 Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 From what you're saying Jack it would seem like I will probably need some help in getting the store up and running. Whilst I've been building sites for some time and even got an ASP Forum up and running, I have no knowledge of PHP/MySQL. So if anyone reading this, who (preferably) lives in the UK, would like help me get started, please send me a PM. Hello Mike, I just sent you a personal message. I'm located in the USA but just did a bunch of oscommerce work for a UK member on the forums today that can vouch for me. I can get started on your store right away. I Look forward to hearing from you. - Sam
spax Posted March 23, 2006 Posted March 23, 2006 For my part, I have good HTML and CSS knowledge. Some JavaScript, PHP and ASP. I have had OSC installed locally for about a month now, but I have only just, seriously, started to dive in and build it to how I want it. I have spent the last month, looking around the forum, reading peoples problems and trying to figure them out. Others, I have followed how their problems were resolved. Basically, I have been copying certain files, and just getting stuck into them. If I messed up, no worries, I just reinstate the copy. If you understand ASP/SQL Server, I don't think you will have too much trouble with this. Just back-up and steam in!
mikehenson Posted March 24, 2006 Author Posted March 24, 2006 Thanks Peter but my knowledge, little as it may be, is in ASP/Access But I'll steam in anyway and see how it goes. Regards Mike
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