Hi CS-Cart folks,
Today we would like to share some important news with you.
Together with the CS-Cart 4.1.1 release (expected in the next several months), some built-in add-ons will be published under a free license (probably, MIT) and their source code will be available for the general public on GitHub. Here are the add-ons namely:
[list]
[]Affiliate
[]Gift Registry
[]Product Configurator
[]Recurring Billing
[*]Statistics
[/list]Interested developers are encouraged to take over these add-ons and continue developing them. The license will allow both commercial and non-commercial use of the source code.
Important! The listed add-ons will be excluded from the default CS-Cart 4.1.1 distribution package. The CS-Cart team will no longer develop these add-ons and they will not be adapted to CS-Cart 4.1.1+. Also, during a software upgrade to CS-Cart 4.1.1, all the mentioned add-ons will be disabled.
CS-Cart 4.0.3 (the nearest release) will still include all these add-ons, marked as “Deprecated” in the add-on list.
Each of the mentioned add-ons has its own strong reason to be excluded. For example, the Recurring Billing add-on is both rarely used and very complicated, and Gift Registry is only reasonable for really big-scale stores, which are by far a minority.
All these add-ons require time and constant developer attention to maintain, yet their usefulness for a CS-Cart store owner is questionable. By excluding those add-ons from the default CS-Cart distribution package we save the resources to spend on the core features. Releasing the add-ons under a free license will give them a chance to survive in the hands of third-party developers.
To make the transition easier for a CS-Cart store owner, we will suggest a third-party alternative for the Affiliate add-on, right here in the thread. Also, we have plans to embed some of the most important Google Analytics stats directly to CS-Cart to replace the Statistics add-on.
We believe that this change will make for better stability of the core CS-Cart functionality and overall quality improvement.
Thanks!
I am not sure if this is good or bad news. I have been complaining that the product configurator needs a major overhaul for years now. Well it seems cscart is giving up on this important feature and instead pushing it to third parties to fix and then charge for. Seems like cscart is not focusing on features thar are important to a modern shopping cart system if they give up on this.
Hope related hooks will be remained.
Interesting way…
Till now we saw that the third party add-ons/ideas were implemented, now the problematic add-ons will be pushed to us…
[quote]…[color=#282828][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif][size=4]now the problematic add-ons will be pushed to us… [/size][/font][/color][size=4][/quote][/size]
[size=4]I whole heartily agree. Some of these features have been around since cs-cart v1.3 and are used as selling point by cs-cart when comparing other shopping carts to theirs. [/size]Unfortunately[size=4] once you buy the product you [/size]realize[size=4] some of the features don't work as advertised (i.e. product configurator). There are hundreds of posts in these forums and hundreds of votes in the uservoice asking cs-cart to fix these features. Well, now we know they do not plan on doing this and are passing it to 3rd party developers to fix their bugs and then charge us for it. I am getting frustrated at the [/size]decisions[size=4] cs-cart has recently made. It looks like they prefer to focus on their SaaS cart rather than fix [/size]inherent[size=4] problems and features in their downloadable cart that have been around for years.[/size]
[size=4]David[/size]
We use the Gift Registry addon in combination with the RMA addon.
It will be a pity if we lose this addon.
I hope there is a possibility to keep this addon standing within the CS-Cart community.
Cs-cart 4 is a very cool, modern and fast product!
But please don’t forget the bigger store owners and their needs 
Me thinks that the above list represent a variety of problems/issues that would relate to a SaaS environment or simply (like statistics) have been brought into the core.[list]
[]Statistics is heavy cpu user and uses a LOT of memory to digest/present the statistical info. Google does a better job anyway. But you can see that if you paying for your own server(s) that you want to reduce the hardware resources, so might as well get rid of it. Looks like the important things are done in the core now (search terms, visits).
[]Affiliate, Product Configurator, and Recurring Billing were ill conceived. My guess is merchants weren't consulted and hence the result wasn't very useful to merchants.
[*]Gift Registry is a niche area that is used by only a very few and should probably have been left to 3rd parties. But if there's not enough demand, it will remain go dormant.
[/list]
Not all bad to get rid of dead wood periodically. A good percentage of my addons will not be brought into V4 because they don't generate enough demand. This is normal business process when you do things on speculation.
I don't think this is any indicator of the future.
For anyone interested in Affiliate Mangement software… We've run JROX.JAM for many years now… You cannot beat their system for the price point. That is also if your wanting your own private hosted managment software.
Just an option…
WHAT!!!
[list]
[]Affiliate
[]Gift Registry
[]Product Configurator
[]Recurring Billing
[*]Statistics
[/list]
Its going to end? am I dreaming
Affiliate:
Nearly all my clients use this addon. Why why? its backbone for any shopping cart to turn over sales.
Gift Registry:
Sure big store only, But what big store are going to do now. I Am upgrading there system every time when you guys launch new version. (this what they get for paying you guys upgrade fee for past years a)
[color=#282828][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]Product Configurator:[/font][/color]
[font=“arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif”][color=“#282828”]Have two clients who selles system. Dam!! time to jump to another script.[/color][/font]
[color=#282828][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]Statistics:[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font=arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif]Well its cool with it. We use google for it.[/font][/color]
[font=“arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif”][color=“#282828”]​Guys any suggestion for any alternative charts pls. I have many clients for whom i bought cs cart, I just need a alternative option to save myself from this spinning deep hole.[/color][/font]
This is the only wrong choise: Product Configurator
It is part of the main shop. In my opinion is a common used function.
If customer feel they have to buy an additional addon in order to have a “normal” shop, they will feel cheated.
kind regards
[quote name='ravt' timestamp='1383026353' post='170547']
WHAT!!![list]
[*]
[/list]
[/quote]
Ðlso use the Affiliate. Lack of Affiliate in buduyuschih versions depressing.
Ðpparently remains stable v4 wait and stop
Definitely don't agree with the removal of Product Configurator and hope it is replaced with something suitable for creating bundle products. As for the rest…agreed with Tony, Statistics breaks more often than not, uses far too many resources and Analytics does just as good a job.
Can't think of many people who would sign up to a retailers affiliate scheme which is 100% controlled by the retailer anyway. Nothing stopping the retailer cheating the affiliates so can't say I'm sad to see that go.
Gift Registry…caused huge problems in V2 and CS finally took the heads up and applied the SEO fixes in V3. Don't think I've ever seen a customer actually use it for its intended purpose so adios.
Recurring Billing…has its place, but only for stores selling services (monthly contracts, license renewals, etc) which are few and far between.
I hope CS are removing these for the benefit of the downloadable product and not just the SAAS product. Also hope to see more of the User Voice suggestions being integrated.
cs-cart gradually getting rid of the things that attract new and novice users. gets rid of what influences the buying decision. First it was the templates are now addons.
[font=“arial, verdana, tahoma, sans-serif”][color=“#282828”]WTF CS-CART ! I have bouth cs-cart for this add-ons !!![/color][/font][list]
[]Affiliate
[]Gift Registry
[*]Product Configurator
[/list]
If we need a simple cart we can use opencart (IT`S FREE).
Hi,
[quote name=‘Triplets’ timestamp=‘1382954961’ post=‘170474’]
Well it seems cscart is giving up on this important feature and instead pushing it to third parties to fix and then charge for.
[/quote]
The add-ons will be published under a free license; there’s no charge involved. Of course, if some developer decides to use our code to create their own add-on and charge for it, we cannot restrict their right to do so. But the excluded add-ons are free per se.
I assure you that the decision to exclude some add-ons was not an easy one and is well reasoned. It’s a matter of prioritization really. We’ve realized that further support of these add-ons can be harmful to the core development and for the CS-Cart development in general.
We believe in the CS-Cart community (thus the Marketplace) and hope that the excluded add-ons will find their maintainers.
[quote name=‘Triplets’ timestamp=‘1382954961’ post=‘170474’]
I am not sure if this is good or bad news[/quote]
For CS-Cart as a whole product, it definitely is good news 
[quote name=‘cscartrocks’ timestamp=‘1382966132’ post=‘170479’] Hope related hooks will be remained. [/quote]
Hi,
Could you please clarify what you mean by that? No core hooks are removed together with these add-ons anyway.
[quote name='Triplets' timestamp='1382995616' post='170506'] [/size] [size=4]It looks like they prefer to focus on their SaaS cart rather than fix [/size]inherent[size=4] problems and features in their downloadable cart that have been around for years.[/size] [size=4]David[/size] [/quote]
Dear David,
It just so happened that the CS-Cart SaaS announcement came not very long before this announcement here. Really, these two points are not connected. As stated in the announcement, we are not going to focus entirely on CS-Cart SaaS in favor of the downloadable CS-Cart. Both products will be developed and maintained.
[quote name='dennis' timestamp='1382996727' post='170510'] I hope there is a possibility to keep this addon standing within the CS-Cart community. [/quote]
Hi,
Sure, that's the whole point here: we are giving these add-ons (including Gift Registry) to the community under a license that will allow any developer to use our code in their work.
[quote name='ravt' timestamp='1383026353' post='170547']Affiliate: Nearly all my clients use this addon. Why why? its backbone for any shopping cart to turn over sales.[/quote]
Hi,
CarStickersDecals has provided quite a good replacement suggestion for it: Some Add-ons to Be Excluded from CS-Cart 4.1.1 - News and Announcements - CS-Cart Community Forums
There are other alternatives as well, like Affiliate Tracking Software with Built-In Integration Wizard or Integrations - Post Affiliate Pro
[quote name='ravt' timestamp='1383026353' post='170547']Gift Registry:
Sure big store only, But what big store are going to do now. I Am upgrading there system every time when you guys launch new version. (this what they get for paying you guys upgrade fee for past years a)
Product Configurator:
Have two clients who selles system. Dam!! time to jump to another script.[/quote]
These add-ons will not necessarily die out. Since the code will be publicly available, there's a good chance they will be developed further.
[quote name='lesan' timestamp='1383053338' post='170563']
This is the only wrong choise: Product Configurator
[/quote]
Hi,
The point here is that if our developers continue maintaining this add-on, other features will lack their attention. And the Product Configurator is really attention-consuming. I mean, this single add-on can slow down the CS-Cart development as a whole.
Anyway, the add-on will be available for free and for any developer to pick up and improve. Since a third-party developer doesn't have to worry about the core CS-Cart development while working on an add-on, there's pretty good chance the Product Configurator add-on not only will not die out, but will evolve further.
[quote name='StellarBytes' timestamp='1383072494' post='170584']
I hope CS are removing these for the benefit of the downloadable product and not just the SAAS product. Also hope to see more of the User Voice suggestions being integrated.
[/quote]
Hi,
Both CS-Cart SaaS and downloadable CS-Cart will remain maintained and developed. And we believe that excluding some add-ons now will be beneficial for the both products.