ECF G5: An Introduction

A Quick History

For the last 20 months, we have been working on the fifth generation of our ecommerce framework.  This will be referred to as ECF G5 in our various communication outlets as we move to releasing it into the wild.

If you have been with us or followed our work over the last few years you know that we target our architecture, and therefore, our features are based on the core .NET architecture.  So historically Version 1, 2, and 3 of ECF were targeted at .NET 1.1 and ECF version 4 was re-architected to target .NET 2.0 since at the time that was a major shift in the core .NET framework architecture itself.

So now we have .NET 3.0/3.5 on the market and a whole slew of new capabilities along with it.  As is tradition here, we have again taken the best of what we have done in the past and re-architected our new platform to leverage these new technologies in the smartest way possible.  The net effect of these new core technologies from Microsoft, such as AJAX and Windows Workflow Foundation, has influenced us to take new and innovative approaches to the very core of our commerce offering.

And so here we--excited to start the process of letting you know what’s coming.

A Whole New Commerce Framework from Mediachase 

ECF G5 is in fact a whole new animal and, in essence, is a combination of taking the best of what we have done in the previous four generations of our framework and re-architecting things to match the power and capabilities offered by the latest in .NET technologies.  Everything has been rethought from the front-end, to the back-end, and to the core subsystems that drive the framework.  We have also added a whole bunch of new capabilities as well.

So What’s New? 

Well, everything is new if you consider that the very nature of the framework has been reworked to take advantage of the latest .NET technologies.  For example, the back-end now offers well-orchestrated AJAX interfaces to speed up user interactions.  All core logic for dealing with orders, carts, and other processes can be easily segmented using workflow activities.  Unlike many other solutions where each subsystem is tightly coupled with other subsystems, all of the core subsystems of the ECF are replaceable.  We designed things so that you can fundamentally remove a subsystem and replace it with your own, a modified version of our code base, or even a third-party product if you wish.  And that goes for everything in our system. 

·         All New Content Management System with Application Framework/Portal Structuring

·         All New Asset Management System

·         Native Multi-Site Support, Multi-Language, Multi-Currency Support

·         Dynamic Marketing Policies & Expressions

·         Extended Security Models and Customer Segmentation

Since this is just an intro, we will stop there as we will be providing more information now on a regular basis.

Our Goals Were Simple 

Our ECF framework is an accelerator.  For professional .NET developers, IT Organizations, and Systems Integrators, it is one of the best platforms to inherit hundreds of thousands of lines of well-designed code you can use as a starting point to do things your way.  We make no suppositions as to how you want to conduct business which is why we tend to focus on putting the correct plumbing in place so you can move smartly and more efficiently.  For example, we could tell people that our framework has a wish list feature and that’s cool, but we choose to say we have a list management engine and you can make any kind of list you want or need.

Everyone who has done business with us demands and requires three simple things:  choice, flexibility, and control.  We took this to heart and really made this a foundational part of our thinking on ECF G5.

You can choose any path you want to take with the ECF.  It’s that well-structured.  If you need to take a third-party CMS and existing ERP product to leverage a scalable commerce infrastructure, there’s no problem. 

If you want to extend or enhance the baseline, no worries.

If you need to integrate Community or Content Systems, no worries.

If you need to integrate ERP or CRM Systems, no worries.

In fact, your choice of best of breed or “Frankenstein” solution are all possible with the ECF due to its flexibility and architecture.

And because you can license the full source code, the good news is that you have absolute control.

Our Message and Positioning Going Forward 

There are a lot of choices in the ecommerce world and our belief is that ecommerce (by default) is all about speed, innovation, and integration.  Empowering business to leverage their investments in platforms like the ECF to do more than just be a “shopping cart” is what makes the difference.  The way we see it is that we have simply become the # 1 alternative to Microsoft Commerce Server in the .NET commerce world.  There are many reasons why this is true, and over time, we will provide you with a lot of the background on why this is so.  In the short term, it provides a baseline mental comparison as to the nature of our framework.

You might be surprised to find out that ECF G5 is already running in some production sites and is already actively being used to launch more sites prior to the product’s final release.  If your company is looking strategically at the next generation platform for commerce, you might want to give us a shout and ask us about our “Early Adopter” program to see if you qualify.  If not,  we have a lot to tell everyone about, so stay tuned to this blog for ongoing discussions and information as we move towards publicly releasing ECF G5.