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webpixie
10-22-2007, 10:31 AM
Hello,

I had this post in the HTML section but someone recommended that I might get better responses if I post in the Business section.

I am working on a website for a company that sells retail music products. This website will be a business to business site. There will not be any eCommerce. It will be used as just an informational website to show other businesses what new music products have been released and are available to them.

There will be approximately 100 products. This includes the product images and then each image will have a description. The products will be categorized into various genre's such as Country, Rock, Soul, etc.

A colleague of mine told me an easy way to categorize these products is to use osCommerce but just turn off the commerce functionality. I want to make it wasy for the client to update as-needed.

I am not a database programmer so the osCommerce options appeals to me. Plus, if the client ever decides that they want to add the eCommerce it would be already there.

However, I would like to know what other developers recommend? In other words, I know that I can sit here and insert each product image, the name, and description into tables. I am just trying to figure out the best solution for the client because they will be maintaining the website. They did not feel the need to put the entire site into a CMS.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

P.S. I have had a web and graphic design business for 6 years. One of the things I love besides doing the actual work is that each day brings new experiences and challenges. I always thrive on a good challenge and researching the best way to assist a client.

KDLA
10-22-2007, 02:45 PM
I've heard of other people using the OSCommerce method as a catalog. You might search this forum for comments upon it. ;)

KDLA

Reli4nt
10-23-2007, 12:18 AM
If it is just a showcase, you may also want to take a look at the various content management systems out there. osCommerce will carry a lot of functionality you don't require while a program like Drupal would give you a more streamlined program and possibly be easier for you to customize if you aren't familiar with code.

osCommmerce have many solid contributions available but most require you to edit code in order to install. This can be cumbersome and messy especially when you use several. Drupal's module system is more of a user interface installation.

It really depends on your actual needs for the layout and the entirety of the website.

Other products to consider are zen cart, and joomla.