Hi Steve,
Anything worthwhile gets like that! And here is as good a place as any to air your views.
The big question you need to ask yourself is:
What are you selling and what do you want the 'software' to do for you?
The next questions should be:
Who are my competitors and what are they doing?
Zen Cart is a shopping cart programme for almost any eventuality. The fact that it is Open Source means you have the right to change or modify the core code if you want to.
The core developers maintain the 'working bits' and they are always trying to improve its handling.
They can't do everything and other talented people hack the code or write bolt ons to make the whole thing easier to use or give it more functionality.
The time it take to write and maintain a bolt on is considerable. And yes there are modules that were written for earlier releases of Zen Cart that have not been updated for various reasons. And yes ... in some cases they were very useful mods to have.
The file structure is important, it allows for growth and bolt ons to be added using 'common' practice. It doesn't always make sense until you've made a few cock-ups.
This is why I always say Backup - Back up - and Back-up again ... BEFORE you make any changes.
And then before I make any changes I always say - re-install the backup you just made to make sure it works 
Just imagine if you'd just spent a week adding products ....... at that point you really do consider trying something else.
A Few Facts About Ecommerce Software
The internet changes.
The software that runs the internet changes.
The bigger the internet gets and the more it gets used, holes will appear and need to be patched.
What ever programme you use You will end up having problems or being forced to upgrade. Business can be inconvenient sometimes.
Sometimes some tools are sledge hammers and all you really need is a nut cracker.
If you want a quick chat to see how you can pull all of the bits together, feel free to give me a call.
Kev
