mexique1 Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Hello, You may have noticed it on Twitter, there has been several departures in the PrestaShop team during the last months. It started with the lead, and then several developers have followed. It's been only a year since I'm in the PrestaShop community, but I'm feeling key people have left, I mean developers who have been there for a long time, who know the software. In a software engineering team, developers are not replaceable at will. Okay, you can hire as many people as you want, but it will take time for them to learn the software, and become the experts we expect them to be. This situation is really frightening me... How is PrestaShop going to manage the effort needed to release the long awaited 1.5, while losing more and more people ? What do you think ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjamin utterback Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 Don't be too frightened! We'll leave the lights on for you. We always strive to have the best people. Although some have unfortunately left, others have fortunately come! We will manage and excel as we always have. Thanks for choosing PrestaShop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phrasespot Posted August 16, 2012 Share Posted August 16, 2012 You may have noticed it on Twitter I don't Twitt but one can tell from commits. Left, asked to leave... whatever... change is good sometime. In a software engineering team, developers are not replaceable at will. IMO, not really. No one is irreplaceable. For the size of PrestaShop code base, any developer worth his/her salt should become familiar with it in two weeks. It is not rocket science, it is a shopping cart package. This situation is really frightening me... I am not worried. Someone is there at it feverishly. I see better, long awaited commits in the last 2-3 weeks than I have seen in a long time, obviously by people who understand the entire codebase and not just the parts of it. How is PrestaShop going to manage the effort needed to release the long awaited 1.5, while losing more and more people ? I don't know but...maybe it is better to go slow. It took almost to 1.4.9 to stabilize 1.4 so I am not mad about newer and newer features all the time. Some shops have inventories at 5-6 digits and don't want to version hop every 9 months or so but looking for something that works and supported for a long time. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mexique1 Posted August 16, 2012 Author Share Posted August 16, 2012 @Benjamin > in any case don't worry like you said I've chosen PrestaShop @phrasespot Okay, your arguments make sense. But I can't completely agree. For the size of PrestaShop code base, any developer worth his/her salt should become familiar with it in two weeks. It is not rocket science, it is a shopping cart package. Yes, it's easy to understand how it works, but some things are really really difficult to understand in the way they are made, and really difficult to change without side effects. The codebase needs lots of more refactoring. Refactoring IS a science I am not mad about newer and newer features all the time. Some shops have inventories at 5-6 digits and don't want to version hop every 9 months or so but looking for something that works and supported for a long time. This is exactly the same point : supported for a long time = robust codebase I'm waiting the 1.5 because of the new features, but also because the way it is made is better to make more robust & powerful modules, more complicated themes, it is more extensible. I think the 1.5 is really needed for everybody. No one is irreplaceable. At the company where I work we have a... proprietary webserver written in Java. Almost all the guys who have written it a long time ago are gone, but we have to maintain it because whole parts of the business relies on it. It's a mess... There are some parts that are just impossible to understand. --- Okay, we'll see. Been time since I didn't make an SVN up, let's see Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperCharlie Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 I don't know but...maybe it is better to go slow. It took almost to 1.4.9 to stabilize 1.4 so I am not mad about newer and newer features all the time. Some shops have inventories at 5-6 digits and don't want to version hop every 9 months or so but looking for something that works and supported for a long time. This.. omg this.. I will admit there was a time when I looked forward to updates and new versions, new features and the next big thing.. then I started a real job working support at a University while at the same time creating web software for businesses and supporting all that mess. All I ever want now is something that works, and doesnt require 10 tons of hell in upgrades once a month. Make it stable, make it work, make it secure and leave it alone until one of the previous fails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mexique1 Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 Make it stable To make it stable, it needs to be unit tested. To be unit tested, it needs to be refactored. I'm not looking for new features all the time or the next big thing... I wouldn't call a decent MVC architecture a feature Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phrasespot Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 At the company where I work we have a... proprietary webserver written in Java.Almost all the guys who have written it a long time ago are gone, but we have to maintain it because whole parts of the business relies on it. When I look at the oldest commits available I see names who are currently commiting, so the original guys are still around I wouldn't call a decent MVC architecture a feature True, true. I did not say there are no problems. The wheel is re-invented over and over again...I agree that there are a lot that could (should) be improved. An effort similar to your effort with the frameworks in your signature is what every developer who works with a PrestaShop day-in day-out would love to see. And making life easy for developers will automatically make the life easy for merchants. My reply was in direct response to the current staffing concern raised in your post Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mexique1 Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 Hey, thanks for the comments I know that we have more or less the same opinions, I'm just a little more pessimistic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nommam Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 When I look at the oldest commits available I see names who are currently commiting, so the original guys are still around Who ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asenar Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 (edited) Hi, I feel concerned as one of the "several departures in the PrestaShop team during the last months", as I m one of the first. The main developer in charge of the 1.5 (multishop, ...) has been fired without any reason (and I hope he will fight for that), and a lot of other have resigned because of that so bad consideration Now, there is only 2-3 developer left working on the 1.5 bugfix (and that includes the heads). About the "original guys are still around" : are you sure to want more of that "original code" ? Edited August 21, 2012 by Desproges (see edit history) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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