[Zope-dev] the birth of ZCommerce

[Josh Zeidner]

>Accounting packages are just wierd. How companies use them are even
>wierder. Getting a compnay (or their accoutants) to change accounting
>systems (le alone learn any new software) is a lesson in futilalty.
>Probally the best thing you can do is provide ways to export data, and 
>pray.
>In other words this shouldn't be made a priority, although it would be a
>nice sell.

  Thats is why we should offer an API and let the developers "hook" in 
whatever accounting software they want.

> > > 3) many of the features in packages such as Intershop
> >
>
>If you want to have some fun start the debate in the office wether you
>should store your inventory in Zope or a SQL database. Clearly both
>approaches have their merits but it all depends on the situation.
>I have yet to see an off the shelf integrated e-commerece solution that
>makes anyone happy yet.

  Possibly NEITHER! (put that in your pipe and smoke it).  Maybe the 
inventory info can come from our accounting system?  That would be a feature 
not really offered by any existing commerce package- what most ecommerce 
packages attempt to do is EVERYTHING.  What the aim of this project should 
be is to offer a way to sell products that live in an existing system( such 
as Quicken or SAP ) and allow the process of marketing/retail to be 
automated through the net.  *Anything* that has to do with accounting should 
be the domain of the accounting system.

>
>My current line of thingking on e-commerece in Zope would be to provide a
>series of components, not necesaryily an integradted store.

   This seems like the natural OpenSource/Zope way to do stuff.


>* Some form of shopping cart object

   - you are correct sir

>* Inventory control objects that can categorize items for sale but can
>   come from different datasources ZODB, SQL, etc...

   - you forgot the exterior accounting system.

>* Credit Card Processor object *cough Wampum Generator cough cough*
>* And a way to do reporting (This makes my head hurt)

   - this could be taken care of by the accounting software.

>Let the developers glue it all together.

   - thats what were here for.

  -Josh Zeidner
   Phylogenic Inc.



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