Kent, it may well be true that Magento supports real complex rules, and not only for pricing. But the rule you mention is a complete joke. How do you expect users to implement that? How would they even find out that this is possible? Can you give me a link where I can read up about this?
A system that has user bells and whistles that allow users to make such configuration essentially gets polluted to the extent that those people who have an interest in getting a system up and running fast and need only simple pricing models are exposed to hundreds of meaningless parameters.
Like how many f&*%ing tabs do I need to add a product and when I'm done it doesn't show - without giving me a warning when I add it? How about a single page with Name, Description, Images, Price, Stock, SKU and Tags? Then hide the other 15000 configurable attributes behind an ADVANCED button???
So you ask how we would solve that pricing model without spaghetti code? How about simple callback routine system where callbacks are stored in the database and manipulate using the admin module? For example, you could have a module Checkout and one of the callback hooks could be CalculateDiscounts. When I click it, it could take me to a page that explains the purpose of the hook, what it does by default, the input parameter I'm getting and the expected output. I should even be able to test the code right there. If the hooks admin module is clever, it could even deal with product visioning issues.
This way I can cater for the remaining infinite pricing models which the super flexible current pricing module doesn't support. I can get a coder who works for peanuts to do a good job and I have the confidence that if I upgrade the system, it still works as it did before the upgrade. Ah and lets not forget to mention that such scripting support eliminates 95% of the configurable attributes?
You said yourself that a site with a turnover of less than $10K/months shouldn't consider using Magento but then you state that you've been successfully using it for a mum and pop outfit, presumably with smaller turnover. So maybe more accurate would be to say that unless you have few products and few updates to your catalog and you only operate an online business and no brick and mortar shop you might be OK using Magento as long as you're prepared to put substantial time into learning how to use it and have someone helping you with upgrades.
Kent, it may well be true that Magento supports real complex rules, and not only for pricing. But the rule you mention is a complete joke. How do you expect users to implement that? How would they even find out that this is possible? Can you give me a link where I can read up about this?
A system that has user bells and whistles that allow users to make such configuration essentially gets polluted to the extent that those people who have an interest in getting a system up and running fast and need only simple pricing models are exposed to hundreds of meaningless parameters.
Like how many f&*%ing tabs do I need to add a product and when I'm done it doesn't show - without giving me a warning when I add it? How about a single page with Name, Description, Images, Price, Stock, SKU and Tags? Then hide the other 15000 configurable attributes behind an ADVANCED button???
So you ask how we would solve that pricing model without spaghetti code? How about simple callback routine system where callbacks are stored in the database and manipulate using the admin module? For example, you could have a module Checkout and one of the callback hooks could be CalculateDiscounts. When I click it, it could take me to a page that explains the purpose of the hook, what it does by default, the input parameter I'm getting and the expected output. I should even be able to test the code right there. If the hooks admin module is clever, it could even deal with product visioning issues.
This way I can cater for the remaining infinite pricing models which the super flexible current pricing module doesn't support. I can get a coder who works for peanuts to do a good job and I have the confidence that if I upgrade the system, it still works as it did before the upgrade. Ah and lets not forget to mention that such scripting support eliminates 95% of the configurable attributes?
You said yourself that a site with a turnover of less than $10K/months shouldn't consider using Magento but then you state that you've been successfully using it for a mum and pop outfit, presumably with smaller turnover. So maybe more accurate would be to say that unless you have few products and few updates to your catalog and you only operate an online business and no brick and mortar shop you might be OK using Magento as long as you're prepared to put substantial time into learning how to use it and have someone helping you with upgrades.