so what's the plan
scruffydoo
2011-08-01 22:40:26
Given that there's no support and the product is now retired what are you guys going to do next, stick with the cart or move on. Personally I still like it but with limited php skills I don't see how we can carry on with it for too much longer. If we got a showstopper we'd be sunk.
novista
2011-08-02 00:41:59
2 weeks ago I had to do an emergency upgrade of an ISC site from 5x to 6x. This was because his host did a PHP upgrade which was not supported by ISC 5x. If ISC is truly dead, you will have to migrate to another cart at some point. I'm not saying you should do it tomorrow, but it would be best if you did it when you are ready vs. when you have to.
Gareth
2011-08-02 12:54:05
What is the general consensus about how long it will take before v6.1.1 starts falling apart? I really want to try to recoup our ISC "investment" but am in two minds as what to do. I just wish we weren't being stonewalled by Interspire. Bad news is better than no news!
CharlieFoxtrot
2011-08-02 15:38:39
My old ISC 4.07 is working well enough. Duct-tape, bubblegum and bailing wire.
I expect that it will continue to work as well as I need it to. My cc gateway appears to be stable and in the 2 years I've had them, they've made NO changes to the API structure. (No guarantee that it won't happen, but at least they don't have a history of continual tweaks and updates.)
I don't use any real-time UPS, Fedex or USPS rates... I just keep a table updated with estimated shipping charges. Sometimes it's a little low, sometimes it's a little high... but it all works out. --- So, having a shipping module that can be updated isn't a concern of mine.
NEVERTHELESS... I do realize that a day may come that ISC isn't meeting my needs any more. So... I'll be on the prowl for something that will work. It will be a slow and relaxed and methodical search. ~ I don't want to find myself in a "must-have-it-yesterday" situation and being pressured to act quickly.
Tony Barnes
2011-08-02 15:42:35
We've got our support contract due for renewal later this month, I am having a good old think about it this time...
CharlieFoxtrot
2011-08-02 18:54:39
It's been so long since I bothered to check prices... how much are they charging now? (And what does it get you?) Has it been worthwhile for you to have it?
scruffydoo
2011-08-03 00:44:58
We're really busy right now but I think I'll make plans to start developing an alternative later this year and have it waiting in the wings 'so to speak' just in case the wheel comes off, CS seems an obvious choice although a lot of the templates and live sites look shocking.
Tony Barnes
2011-08-03 08:18:10
Charlie - to renew on the Professional version its $497.50 for 12 months. Funnily, I've just been back to check how much we've spent on maintenance since we started with ISC... erm, not a penny :lol: :lol:
Remember when all the shit hit the fan about what the maintenance contracts actually involved? We got a load of free time, can't recall why. Anyway, long and short of it is we paid out $1343 on 26/11/2008 - buying our original license, and haven't had to pay anything since...
Now looking at $374 for IEM as well as the $497 - my thoughts are to not bother, but I might get over-ruled as the support is the important bit to some people here.
Martin
2011-08-03 10:49:31
To be frank, if you renew your maintenance you're a bloody fool!
My honest opinion is that you'd be far better to accept that the product is dead and just rip out all the protective code so you can develop it for your own personal/professional use. Note, I am not saying anyone should redistribute it in that form, but as you paid for the product, you need to maintain it while the developers leave us in peace.
For myself, the plan is pretty simple...
- Continue to tweak the modules already developed so they at least keep the site afloat for another 6 - 9 months
- Start working on the CS-Cart system and see what it can/can't do
- Develop and/or collaborate on the modules I'll need to mirror (or improve) my current ISC store (eg: Royalmail module, PayPoint, etc..)
- Switch everything over when I have a spare week to troubleshoot and answer the phone without disturbance.
As for Interspire/BigCommerce... I'll be maintaining the old store as something else along with the modules I have or will have released by then, but there will come a point in the next 12 to 18 months when it's just too broken and I'll roll up the mod'/hack/module mat and just get very drunk to celebrate the end of a very painful era.
Tony Barnes
2011-08-03 11:16:35
babyREFLUX
2011-08-03 11:29:35
The only important thing from a store managers perspective is whether using ISC will maintain profitability. Currently, if nothing breaks and you are happy with the functionality then stick. However, many of your competitors are improving their store by the day - so it is only a matter of time before you fall behind and profitability starts to become a significant issue. No one using ISC can become complacent...
scruffydoo
2011-08-03 13:47:47
It's certainly still profitable and despite all the aggravations has been worth it weight for me, but without any support unless you know a lot about code or have in house developers to fix and mod it then really its a no brainer ... you've simply got to move on.
babyREFLUX
2011-08-03 14:05:53
It's certainly still profitable and despite all the aggravations has been worth it weight for me, but without any support unless you know a lot about code or have in house developers to fix and mod it then really its a no brainer ... you've simply got to move on.
That is exactly my point. For most of us the store is fine and working - thus business is fine...but what if something mission critical changes or goes wrong. Not only do you have the pain of having to build a new store but the income lost is potentially crippling.
A scary prospect...
Martin
2011-08-03 14:35:23
A scary prospect...
To be honest... even with the necessary PHP skills, I'm well aware that it could all come crashing down thanks to an undisclosed exploit (case in point the Paypal express module) or just the usual timing a la Murphys Law that would mean focusing resources and time on fixing code rather than running the store and putting orders out.
That said, I am pretty confident that I now know the system well enough that I can resolve most issues for my specific modules, given that I've had to write or rewrite them to make things happen.
scruffydoo
2011-08-03 22:22:26
I guess I should start having a look at what's out there, CS & Magento are the only two I know much about, any ideas for others that are worth a look? May need to start a new category for migrations Martin ...looks like it'll get some use :roll:
davebeck
2011-08-04 10:47:38
The last thing you want is a problem with no backup support heading into a busy period (like Christmas).
Personally, I'm about to start evaluating a few different alternative products with the aim of changing sooner rather than later. If Christmas is a busy period to your store you want to get moving soon so that Google can pick up your new URLs and redistribute your link value.
Tony Barnes
2011-08-04 10:51:25
For those of you with simpler needs, Open Cart is worth checking out - did an install the other month, went smoothly, and seemed feature rich for a free product
babyREFLUX
2011-08-04 11:02:03
Martin do we need an 'official' thread where everyone can contribute to their findings with other carts?
Would be sensible to collate the collective knowledge...
Martin
2011-08-04 11:07:28
Would be sensible to collate the collective knowledge...
Already ahead of you... I've added a new forum space for alternatives and moved this thread in...
babyREFLUX
2011-08-04 11:33:40
I
Martin
2011-08-04 11:45:35
My ESP is good but forcing it to look for brain cells to read is just cruel...
Mind you, at least you're easier to read than management at Interspire... That's like trying to read a vacuum... :twisted:
decoramould
2011-09-14 16:17:24
Glad I found this forum before selecting interspire... wow. Sounds like a nightmare.
CharlieFoxtrot
2011-09-14 16:51:09
Even *if* Interspire had any plans to continue to support and develop ISC (and that's an unrealistic "if" anyway)... but even if... the self-inflicted damage to their reputation would prevent them from ever making a comeback.
Products are discontinued all the time. Companies change direction and focus continually. That's just the nature of business. Interspire certainly has the right to change their direction and focus and products... but they would have been much better served if they had simply been up-front and honest about their plans. Their reputation would not have been so sullied if they had simply made a contrite public announcement about ISC's end-of-life status... along with a promise to offer continued support for at least a year... and another promise to offer free security/exploit fixes for 2-3 years longer.
Instead, they behave like petulant children... ignoring our pleas for help... abandoning us when seeing information and solutions. We are the reason for their initial success, yet we have been forgotten. None of us deserve the way that we have been treated by Interspire. ~ On the other hand, Interspire certainly deserves the scorn that is continually aimed in their direction.
Once promising. Now a huge disappointment. ~ I can't believe they're still offering ISC for sale.
Martin
2011-09-23 09:24:42
Nah... the single big problem is that they simply stopped talking to us...
It's like going to work and finding your desk at work has a new person sitting at it and all your stuff has just gone... Nobody remembers you, acknowledges you and you're wondering if you've lost the plot... yes you've been fired but nobody has actually told you. P*ss poor attitude to take to customers, business or basically any kind of relationship frankly.