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Ask HN: CMS or Framework for a new project?

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I'm looking to build a online store. However, the first question, past the idea of the store, is the platform. I've previously worked with Java and PHP and am quite comfortable with PHP. So my first considerations were Drupal or maybe CodeIgniter (which I have heard lots of good things about)

On discussions with friends, they suggested Django. But I have no experience with Python or Django.

So my question is, is CI better or Drupal? And further, if not either of them, is Django better in terms of ease of development and extensibility?

Request you to not make this a php vs python battle as I'm looking for advice here. Thanks

PS. Cross-Posted to SO so apologies in advance to those who are there as well

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I would use what you know unless what you know is going to cause problems for you. Building a store is unlikely to cause you problems.

Take a look at the PHP based cart options available and see if they will fit your needs. If they don't then look to see how much work they will require in custom development. If you can easily do something with existing scripts then I would think the savings in time and getting to selling as fast as possible would be best.

If you start to outgrow your first CMS based solution then you could always build something totally custom with something like CodeIgniter while your store is still making sales. You might even be able to take the time to learn Python and Django in exploring other options.

If nothing you find will work, then go with CodeIgniter (though Drupal is also somewhat of a framework and you could build a cart as a custom add-on) so that you can get to sales as fast as possible.

Stick with PHP since you are already comfortable with it.

I've tried using Drupal but it's too damn complicated to get going. CodeIgniter is still based on PHP4. If you think that's a good idea, I guess CI is an option. There's also Kohana which started as a PHP5 fork of CI. I've used it a little bit and while I don't love it, it's not awful either.

Wordpress has plenty of flaws but it's probably the best option if you want to get your store up and running soon. There is a plugin for anything you might want to do. Specifically there is the WP eCommerce plugin which has grown a lot and there's plenty of people to provide paid support when needed.

Link: http://getshopped.org/

Besides making a completely WP-based store, you can run it on Magento, osCommerce, hosted solutions, etc and you can bet there's a plugin or a guide to help you integrate those with WP.

So, should you use a framework or a CMS? It comes down to whether you want to implement everything yourself, or use an already proven eCommerce platform.

If no platforms fulfill your requirements, it's a choice between hacking other people's code or building it mostly from scratch. Sometimes it's just as hard to do the latter as it is to figure out how someone else's tangled spaghetti code works.

In conclusion, go RTFM and see if there's something that will do the job out of the box.

I agree. I have come to the same conclusion that going with a PHP based solutions is the best option. In fact, right now, I don't have the time to learn a new platform as well.

That said, I've started thinking on a different line since I posted this question. Instead of going with a CMS or a framework, I think it will be much easier and quicker to go with a dedicated E-Commerce application like Opencart, ZenCart etc.

If your main focus will be the online store, I'd definitely suggest going with an e-commerce app to keep things simple, but did you look into Drupal + Ubercart (http://drupal.org/project/ubercart)? If your needs extend beyond just the online store, that may be a good solution.

Also, Magento (http://www.magentocommerce.com) has a free community edition and may also work - just adding it to your list of possibilities! :)

I did consider Ubercart but found it quite lacking in features. It is more of a ... addon... than a dedicated E-Commerce app.

I've been reading up on Magento and found quite a bit of negative issues about it - regarding speed, support and documentation. Also, it is supposed to be a pain to extend or modify.

I don't have much experience with PHP or anything related, but when I was in similar shoes (coming from perl, though), I tried Django, and it was very very easy.

From basically zero Django knowledge, and only very little python, I had a usable application up and running within a weekend.

I can only recommend it, it's a pleasure to work with it, and has very good documentation too.

The most complete open source PHP e-commerce out there is MagentoCommerce, but it's very hard to customize.

wordpress + wp-commerce is VERY easy.

magento, oscommerce are full featured PHP carts

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