Clarification please, about a key feature of JA vs JM Commerce templates

The Magento Templates

I will invest too much time on the JM templates when I am more persuaded on its capabilities and features.

Cornelio

Any shopping cart solution allows unlimited subcategories, when you mean that. The menu system of Magento is set up like Joomlas menu system, VirtueMarts Menu system is different than Joomlas and cannot be set easily to the top region like Magento has. However the menu system is working in JM templates, Magento simply offers to work on it without making core changes like you would have to do, in the most cases, when you want the same with a VirtueMart system, so you may be able to make some changes in the template directly or making more easy to be done module replacements, as any core changes would have to be done outside the codes of the template and this is only useful when you know you will never update, make core changes anyway or simply are good with doing the same changes probably again, after you may have overwritten those with the next update of the core ecommerce system or extension.

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First, you will invest too much time in the Magento system and it’s features and capabilities, as Joomlart.com only gives you a theme, a template and some extensions. You have to adress this not really here but against people of http://www.magentocommerce.com. Same when you use VirtueMart, both are either a component for Joomla or stand alone shopping system Joomlart.com only makes Templates and themes for, nothing else. They are not developing those or changing those. Themes, templates and extension of that kind are always based on "no hacking of the core files of the system".

Basically, when you do not spend a lot of extra time into hacking the eCommerce parts like VirtueMart and Magento to apply such changes or spend even more more more time to provide a solution without needing to core hack the system, you have to be good with the basic features those eCommerce parts of any JA Template or TP Template or whatever other clubs templates have and have in any case to address this to the developers of those and not Joomlart.com. More or less extensions exist for both systems, still you would not come around making radical core changes when you want a true state of the art shop later. Both system, but VirtueMart a lot more, are not what you get when you want a shop like "Intershop Enfinity Suite 6", but with some time, work and some money anyone can make a shop like Magento and VirtueMart, act and look like those high rollers. Still you will miss a lot of features outside the area of frontend display those "Super Shopping Systems" offer a seller.

The developers of templates, themes and extensions should not apply any hacks to show different kinds of category display as long it would mean for users, they can’t be assured that those changes will not be deleted as soon they do an update to a newer version of the eCommerce component or system. So, the only way to go would be to pack it all in extensions that will not be overwritten by updates and this would mean to basically write these extensions from scratch and this is not done in a minute.

Hi wooohanetworks,

As I posted perhaps elsewhere, I have no immediate need for any Commerce template yet. I am aware I have to familiarize myself with either VirtueMart or the Magento software eventually — but those softwares, are akin to the iJoomla News module and Magazine module, they may be useful in integrating more features but both iJoomla modulles still require a template .made by other companies, like Joomlart.

Any shopping cart solution allows unlimited subcategories, when you mean that. The menu system of Magento is set up like Joomlas menu system, VirtueMarts Menu system is different than Joomlas and cannot be set easily to the top region like Magento has. However the menu system is working in JM templates, Magento simply offers to work on it without making core changes like you would have to do, in the most cases, when you want the same with a VirtueMart system, so you may be able to make some changes in the template directly or making more easy to be done module replacements, as any core changes would have to be done outside the codes of the template and this is only useful when you know you will never update, make core changes anyway or simply are good with doing the same changes probably again, after you may have overwritten those with the next update of the core ecommerce systemf or extension.
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It is true that either software potentially offer unlimited categories, what will matter is how those categories are presented so that it is easier for a customer to navigate — that is where the template makes a difference. I discussed my understanding in the matter in another response to a thread::

Upgrading from Teline to Teline II a good idea?
http://www.joomlart.com/forums/showthread.php?t=29850

Such a difference in level of ease of presentation exist also between the comparable JA and JM templates. From a cursory examination, the ease of customization would be much easier for me, if I use the JM over JA. Remember that the amount of time spent customising a page is a lot more than the actual price of each template, even the JM template. However, since I really won’t a chance to try the JM counterpart until I buy it, then I better learn as much about it before I even consider.

For example, to repeat myself, both the original Teline and Teline II have sections and categories, and even articles grouped under each subgrouping.

Frankly, if Joomlart rleases JM templates that are as unpolished as the original version of JA Teline II, then I will not buy it and may even look at other Magento template makers. More so if Hung or Joomlart staff won’t respond to my questions.

I have sent two tickets to Joomlart in relation to Teline II, for example. The answer I got was even much better in the Forum that from the staff who should know their templates scripts.

The other question I asked should even be more simple: Where is the script that defines the paenavcounter? Maybe it is my eyes but I just cannot find it in the file where it should be located, but that is not too surprising since a complete file requires consolidation of multiple files found in different f directories sometimes.

Until now, I have not gotten a satisfactory answer.

Cornelio

Until now, I have not gotten a satisfactory answer.

Cornelio

satisfactory by whose standards?

satisfactory by whose standards?

Simple, when it is not resolved, it is not answered. To use the old terminology here. Solved is not the same as Answered.

You will find that quite a few threads are marked Answered. Should the poster be satisfied with any answer? Now it is a different matter altogether, if the motto has become: We are not in the business of giving satisfaction.

But, anyway, I have no interest in dealing with the nuance of the term, satisfactory here. So, this will be my first and last response to your interest on the word. Maybe it will not meet your satisfaction. But you and I are not in a customer-seller kind of interaction, so we do not really have to satisfy each other. So many nuances in that last statement.

If I chose and attempt to satisfy other members here, it is because I want to. But, I am not obliged to do anything myself.

Cornelio

First of all, I would like to affirm my first impression that the general design is good. It is clean.

Having said this, there is a lot of room for improvement and a need to make each feature work. At the price being charged per template

Maybe the it is powerful but I do not see that from the Demo page, like I have seen with Teline II, even if there were immediate problems I noticed with Teline II, I could see immediately how much more powerful it is for information rich websites. I tried to understand one possible difference between the JA vs JM Commerce templates:

Clarification please, about a key feature of JA vs JM Commerce templates
http://www.joomlart.com/forums/showthread.php?p=118746

but got no official response from Hung or any staff. Maybe there is really not much difference, except perhaps the vendor software use? If that is the case, can you give an existing Joomlart Customer why I should pay for a higher price for the JM series, and get only one template? Note that it will not be an issue for me, especially if I am allowed to use my points.

The reason why detractors used the image for the computers section is that it is the least thought of the three categories given. We should remember that not everyone is into the Joomlart community. If my first exposure is the capture image shown and the comments, I would think twice especially because of the extremes in reviews.

I have stated this numerous times: No template must be put out, if it is not ready for use. Customers must not be made to struggle how to make them work, if they will ever work at all.

Hung, and those who find fault whenever someone is critical of Joomlart, I will be more blunt in my observations. My hope is that you will address them. I will detail my concerns in separate threads, and I hope we stay in focus.

Cornelio

Hi Cornelio,
I don’t see much Magento related issues here but I would like to try to answer your concerns as best as I can.

To Hung or whoever have tested the JM templates,

I am surprised sometimes that many members still do not appreciate that there is a very great difference between the original Teline (as well as most of the JA templates) in comparison to JA Teline II. They are oceans apart. If I am not mistaken, one of the newer JA templates share a similar "magazine" type menu??? I forgot the name of the template.

Different people with different websites will have different favorite templates. As the day we started to introduce the club membership model, this was also one of our ground "food for thought"

While there are still a lot of room for more radical improvements (as I suggested in other threads), the Sections and the categories, in the news-magazine templates are almost true "sub-home pages" with their own articles. What needs to be improved by Joomlart would layouting scripts, so that the Ja News FrontPage and JA News maybe used in a similar manner, in each section or category.

This is more about extension rather than templates issues. JA News modules are our efforts to re-arrange the homepage in a better (in our opinion) layout for a news template like JA Teline I & II. Again, it may be lack of the features you are looking for but please understand we can not do much within a scope of a Joomla modules. Furthermore, standing from point of view of a standard user, with all features available in a CMS like Joomla and a module like JA news, all the magazine features brought by Teline II are totally satisfied . Joomla CMS is not a news-magazine publishing platform anyways

I had high hopes that the JA News component (a similar one should be created for the JA News Frontpage), but I was disappointed with the "online manual" for the JA News Component was not as clear. [I went on hiatus while the JA News Components, so I wonder if there more improvements since Septe,ber 2008?]

Thank you. I will have a more throughout check on the manual to see if there is any improment I can make

The Magento Templates

I am not sure if others noticed this also, but such a difference also exist between the commerce templates created under the JA brand, and those grouped under the Magento group. I see a similar dichotomy. The JA Comerce templates, like JA Mesolite, share the same limitation of as the standard JA templates. In the Demo shown, the level of merchandize detail in JA commerce template, is only at the category level. Is it possible to have multiple sections???

In contrast, the JM templates have more similarity in terms of level of sophistication to the JA news-magazine templates — merchandize are presented at the sections and category levels.

Is it correct to assume that the JM templates have a menu similar to the news-magazine?

I will invest too much time on the JM templates when I am more persuaded on its capabilities and features.

Again, we are providing template solutions, not a turn-key solution and as the signature of tcraw1010 "templates are starting points"; we may fail in your "capabilities and features" expectation. The "presented at the sections and category levels" you mentioned are features of Magento, not JA Mesolite. The menu is also the core menu of Magento, what we can do to the menu is the colors, the animation or UI effects of the menu.

Furthermore, I do not see many points in comparing a shopping cart template to a features of a magazine/news templates

Maybe I did not explain myself well enough and used the incorrect analogy. So, what makes JM different from JA Commerce templates? If it is If it is just the difference in Vendor software, I am not sure that it would be enough for me to try either JM templates. The Demo pages do not shed any compelling reason to favor JM over the JA Commerce templates..

Going back to the Teline II, are you saying you have done your best with Teline II and that is it? Should I then look to other softwares, like iJoomla to create a true magazine website?

Merav is of the opinion that Joomla can be a CMS platform to create a true news-magazine.

Let me know if you have exhausted all that your company can do when it comes to the features of a true news-magazine. Frankly, I can modify the layout of Teline II, so I would not be interested with simply other future versions of Teline II with the features moved around.

What I am not capable of doing is to write the scripts to add useful features, like corss linking of articles in multiple sections or categories. better administration of related articles and stuff like that.

What I found in the JM Mesolite is that there is a script that allows cross linking of products in different categories or evaluation — price, brand, etc. This means that there is no inherent limitation of Joomla itself to allow such features.

If this is something beyond the skills of your staff, I believe in my first post, I suggested that there should be more close collaboration with iJoomla and Joomlart because they may have some ideas in creating a news-magazine but their implementation of a template is too cumbersome.

Cornelio