[ic] saving carts poorly documented

[interchange-users@icdevgroup.org (Jeff)]

On Mon, Sep 30, 2002 at 02:35:09PM -0500, TGroup wrote:

> of the "final version".  Otherwise, would you mind asking Nick at CPanel to
> remove Interchange from its offerings, or at least replace the "easy to
> configure" declaration with "Dummies Keep Away!" 


	Why is it the responsibility of any of the IC developers to "ask
	Nick at CPanel" to do anything?

> Observation #1:  Interchange is not user friendly unless the user is a
> programmer proficient in:  ITL, Perl, Linux.

	This is incorrect.  The installation of interchange and the
	development of an alternative set of functionality that deviates
	from the Foundation demo requires the knowledge base you mention
	above.  I am working on a cart for a client right now and when
	I "turn the keys over" the client will have no problem using the
	system.

> Observation #6:  Because Interchange has been widely distributed as an "easy
> to use" shopping cart, free with CPanel hosting providers, it's no fault of
> the developers that this application causes such confusion and frustration
> with "the rest of us".

	Interchange is easy to use.  Customers shopping on an
	interchange-driven site do not have problems locating
	merchandise and purchasing it.  Clients who operate
	interchange-driven sites do not have problems managing their
	sites.

> Observation #7:  In six years using a computer on the internet (Windows),
> using Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash, Fireworks, HTML, PHP, Excel, Office and
> multitudes of other applications, some more powerful than Interchange, some
> equal to Interchange in complexity, and many less impressive than
> Interchange, I have spent more time in the past six months trying to get
> what should be "simple" features of Interchange to work properly than I have
> spent in the past six years with ALL of the applications, programs and
> hardware installations I have worked with combined.

	If I encounter something in interchange that is beyond my
	ability to address, I have one of two choices.  I can either work
	until I am able to properly address the issue (either a fix or
	the development of new functionality) or I can pay one of the IC
	core development group to do it.  It's pretty simple in that
	respect.

	You clearly misunderstand exactly what interchange is.  It's a
	system for developing ecommerce sites.  This system is incredible, 
	in my opinion, in its power and flexibility.  To demonstrate how the
	system can be used to develop ecommerce solutions, Interchange comes 
	with a reasonably crappy sample store called Foundation.  If you have 
	the time and knowledge, you can turn this store into whatever you want 
	or develop your own store.  If you don't have the time or knowledge, 
	obviously you will have to find someone who does and then compensate them.


Jeff