We have been hard at work for many months now on our upcoming ECF 4.0 product. 

 

Much like our ECF 3.0 released product was architected directly to the .NET 1.1 framework, the ECF 4.0 product is targeted directly for the .NET 2.0 framework.

 

We will release a technology preview release next week for those of you who are interested of ECF 4.0.  Keep reading to learn more about this and if you are interested send an e-mail to sales@mediachase.com and we will put you on the notification list to receive the preview package.

 

If you follow .NET, then you know that there are MAJOR differences between .NET 1.1 and .NET 2.0.  These differences are not only in the framework and architecture, but also in the tools such as VS Studio that you need to use to exploit it.  Because of this, in January of this year, we began the process of completely architecting and specifically designing ECF 4.0 for the .NET 2.0 framework, and to take advantage of many of the new exciting features it brings to .NET developers.

 

As opposed to getting our product to ”run” on the .NET framework or to be “compatible” with the .Net framework like many of our competitors, we have always taken the approach of being tuned to take advantage of what the core framework offers and to extend commerce capabilities on top of this.  This is true with our ECF 3.0 .NET 1.1 product that is on the market, and it is certainly true about the ECF 4.0 which will be in the market soon.

 

There are many reasons why architecting to the .NET framework is important, but it in the end we believe that the architecture of a product is key to its longevity, reliability, and extensibility and that it makes it easier to do things the way you need to do them.   It also helps because any type of application development being done on .NET can be leveraged in meaningful ways because if you understand .NET architecture, then you can more easily understand applications like ECF that match that architecture.

 

What’s different about ECF 4.0 versus our current production ECF 3.0 platform?

 

First, our ECF 3.0 Product line will continue to expand and focus on the .NET 1.1 framework.  This will allow our .NET developer customers who are currently working on .NET 1.1 to continue to deliver incredible commerce solutions for their customers and merchants.  We will continue to enhance and expand features and capabilities on this platform.

 

Second, the new ECF 4.0 Product line will be focused on .NET developers and their customers who are either migrating towards .NET 2.0 or building new commerce solutions on .NET 2.0.

 

The differences in these product lines start with the differences between .NET 1.1 and .NET 2.0 frameworks themselves.

 

As you know, there are many new changes and Microsoft has been working for quite some time on this new framework.  Visit www.microsoft.com or Google out some info on these core differences because how well you understand this will be how well you understand the new ECF 4.0 architecture.  

 

You should also understand that the new Visual Studio and SQL 2005 tools are also different and that even the way products are packaged such as the ECF will be slightly different

 

What does ECF 4.0 Bring to Developers looking to build commerce solutions on the .NET 2.0 Framework?

 

  • ASP.NET 2.0 Menu controls, native breadcrumb controls and sitemap provider implementations

 

  • All of the components are now designed using the provider model for easier configuration, design and enhancements

 

  • Our new web services based service oriented architecture (SOA) enables powerful capabilities including:

 

    • Multiple storefronts connecting to the same backend.
    • Leveraging alternative technologies like Macromedia Flash to interface and create interactive storefronts (or for that matter ANY type of technology from PHP to JSP)
    • Faster and easier integration of our ECF technology into existing applications you already have

 

  • Our new business facade interfaces provide for easier development and future upgrades with less impact

 

  • The new event based extensibility engine of ECF enables you to write your own event handlers that plug-in directly into ECF engine

 

  • New ECF provider based security model supports resource based access for the backend administration.

 

    • Keep accounts in SQL database, active directory, access database or any other storage.
    • Integrate easily with existing systems or application security models
    • Define your own roles and permissions.

 

  • Designed to take a full advantage of Master Pages and Themes in ASP.NET 2.0
    • We already do this in our ECF 3.0 product even though it is .NET 1.1, but Now we have completely adapted to the master pages and themes architecture of .NET 2.0

 

  • New support for PayPal Pro and PayPal Express as well as more than 50 other gateways
  • A lot more that you will learn about in the coming weeks…

 

What’s Next?

 

In the coming weeks and during the ECF 4.0 rollout process we will continue to provide preview and final beta releases, new documentation, and a variety of information both technical and business on why the ECF make sense for you…

 

Feel free to contact us if you want more information now…