Server-based product

[eighteentee]

Actinic,

I've been developing with Actinic since v3. Up until v6 I was using a PC but got fed up with constant Windows problems so migrated onto a Mac and never looked back since. The problem is I have to run Actinic either on a separate PC (real pain as I develop *everything else* on the Mac) or run in Parallels (still not ideal).

Why not go down the route of making the thing server-based like pretty much any other shopping cart software out there, i.e. TradingEye, , OS-Commerce et al.

I'm sure you'd open up your user-base and even keep Linux users happy!

Just my 2p.

[los_design]

Actinic,

I've been developing with Actinic since v3. Up until v6 I was using a PC but got fed up with constant Windows problems so migrated onto a Mac and never looked back since. The problem is I have to run Actinic either on a separate PC (real pain as I develop *everything else* on the Mac) or run in Parallels (still not ideal).

Why not go down the route of making the thing server-based like pretty much any other shopping cart software out there, i.e. TradingEye, , OS-Commerce et al.

I'm sure you'd open up your user-base and even keep Linux users happy!

Just my 2p.

This is something that we have wished for (and many others) so I am pretty certain that as v9 hits the shelves later this year, maybe v10 will start the move towards this.

But it is a massive development task and could well take Actinic resource to the limit to acheive so we best see what opens on the horizon.

[RuralWeb]

Why not go down the route of making the thing server-based like pretty much any other shopping cart software out there

WE have discussed this at length in the past several times - my only big plus with Actinic over the others is that Actinic performs much better on the SEs than the others. Its ok having a great site but you need to get people to it in the first place.

[Stereo Steve]

Agreed, V8 seems very SE friendly. A huge benefit.

[dave_finlayson]

I think it has been mentioned before that in an ideal world a plugin system could be used so that the main Actinic program can still be PC based (big plus for me) but should you wish you can plug in additional server based options, i.e mailing lists, also boughts, etc etc

For me, that would be a leading package and far more beneficial than an entirely server based product. I would be very sad if Actinic went down the full server route. Although I'm fairly sure at some point they have stated that no matter what route they take in the future there will always be a desktop version.

[cbarling]

That's our thinking too.

Although we haven’t shouted it from the rooftops, Actinic has started migrating its products towards a more server-centric architecture. Right now I can't give the specific version when this will happen, and it's going to take a few releases, but the work is already underway and we expect the first deliverables after v9 is out of the way. As everyone knows, v9 will feature tax-inclusive pricing, which needs to be sorted before we can start to implement the new approach.

I must add that we do expect to retain a desktop option, for all of the good reasons that have been outlined in the past. For us (and many of our customers), independence is important; we never want to put anyone totally at the mercy of their host or SaaS provider.

Chris

[los_design]

I must add that we do expect to retain a desktop option, for all of the good reasons that have been outlined in the past. For us (and many of our customers), independence is important; we never want to put anyone totally at the mercy of their host or SaaS provider.

Chris

So what you saying Chris....us hosts are neigh good man?

(only kidding)

Glad to hear confirmation of the 'whispers' I had heard

[justinhill]

I'd just like to mention that I'm here today getting started with Actinic because I've been having so many problems with 'personalisation', search engine friendliness and server down-time with my existing server-based system.

If Actinic was server-based today I wouldn't be looking at it. In any case, surely the two are totally different concepts?

[RuralWeb]

Actinic has started migrating its products towards a more server-centric architecture

INteresting - then I will be leaving Actinic and looking for an HTML based system unless the new version still uses static pages.

[eighteentee]

I would probably say that Actinic could easily become two different products - one for the desktop and one server-based for people wishing server-based flexibility. I for one would have no problem with this.

As for being search engine friendly, v8 and it's later incarnations will no-doubt be very friendly, however, don't write-off an online version on the basis that it won't be - Google et al are changing the way they index sites all the time... Sure, good old xHTML is nice and 'pure' but remember a few years ago, people said PDF's weren't indexable? now they are... I'm pretty sure the major engine developers out there are figuring a way to index dynamic sites. In fact I'm sure Actinic could conjure up a way of delivering static HTML from a server-based product... At the moment I think Actinic pretty much stands alone (maybe plus a handful of others) in delivering HTML from a desktop application - the other stores out there that are dynamic-server-based don't do so badly in terms of business, do they? Maybe I'm wrong.

I would add that this is my own personal opinion as I'm sick of using a PC!

[cbarling]

I think that there are lots of pros and cons of each approach. What we want to achieve eventually is the best of both worlds. i.e. all of the benefits of the server approach while retaining a desktop option. That way the disadvantages of a server only system are covered.

When it comes to search engine rankings, we do research this pretty carefully before making any changes. After all, we have a good reputation to keep in this area.

The way our products work is driven by our own marketing team. They run the Actinic online marketing course and also do the SEO optimisation on the Actinic site. This comes top in the world on Google for "ecommerce software" (our top phrase) so hopefully they know what they are doing.

Chris

[RuralWeb]

et al are changing the way they index sites all the time

I know this only too well and as a result databse driven sites are becoming very SE friendly infact I know of one that IMO is actually better than Actinic. What I am saying is that if Actinic goes the way of the others then there is no reason to stay with them and there are some very good systems out there at the moment so V9/10 will need to be very good indead to compete.

[RuralWeb]

This comes top in the world on Google for "ecommerce software" (our top phrase) so hopefully they know what they are doing

Its No7 on my PC - it would be more impressive if Actinic used V8 for its own website. This has always puzzled me - why not use your own software for your own site. I promote Actinic so I use it for my site

[eighteentee]

I think that there are lots of pros and cons of each approach. What we want to achieve eventually is the best of both worlds. i.e. all of the benefits of the server approach while retaining a desktop option. That way the disadvantages of a server only system are covered.

I fully agree. A best-of-both-worlds, "half-white, half-brown bread" solution is the best if it's achievable. Are you saying both would be inter-operable or both be unique products? What about a Java, platform independent version of Actinic (runs for cover...)

I guess my point was to see the product 'mature' into a cross-platform application capable of running on all-sorts of hardware, servers included. But I guess that's a really Grand Plan and should be somewhere about v14?

Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed (and at times not-so-enjoyed) working with Actinic along the years but I can't help feeling that something has got 'lost' along the versions.

[eighteentee]

Its No7 on my PC - it would be more impressive if Actinic used V8 for its own website. This has always puzzled me - why not use your own software for your own site. I promote Actinic so I use it for my site

Thats actually a very good point and one that I have also wondered about in the past.