Sandor Czettner Software Engineers

If you happily recommended Magento for clients under the $2M/year revenue mark during the Magento 1 era (2008~2015), you might find that today, Adobe Commerce (Magento 2) would not be the best option for these clients. Don't get me wrong, Magento 2 is a powerful tool for what it is, but I would struggle to find a reasonable excuse to offer it for stores this size. This is unfortunate because this is the size of companies I enjoy working with the most.

I carefully studied multiple alternatives, and I had a really tough time finding an alternative that fits these small companies, and I also don't find it infuriatingly low quality (I'm looking at you, WooCommerce) or just annoying to customize (Hello, OpenCart).

Until last year, when I was approached by a recruiter to maintain a Shopware 5 store until they migrate to Shopify. Shopware slipped under my radar previously because all their documentation forces you to install it through Docker, but I already had good working hosting for local development with Warden, which now has a Shopware configuration as well, but I did not have the time for it at that time. Shopware installs with Composer, it's simple enough for quick changes, and relatively easy to customize. The built-in console commands are somewhat similar to Magento 2, so it does not require extensive and difficult XML configurations like in Magento 1, where a simple typo can lead to hours or days of debugging. And unlike Magento 2, Shopware is blazingly fast. Therefore, it will run on cheaper hosting. Just what smaller companies need.

This is also your weekly reminder to get off from WooCommerce if you are still using it.

Software engineering is not equivalent to development.

The Essence of Software Engineering: Beyond Code In the realm of technology, the term “software engineer” often conjures images of lines of code, intricate algorithms, and complex technical solutions. However, true mastery of software engineering goes beyond mere coding proficiency. It lies in the ability to approach problems holistically, und...

I'm offering the following eCommerce services, and I have free capacity now:
- Migration between Adobe Commerce (Magento) and Shopware
- Theme development, including PWA
- Adobe Commerce (Magento) extension development
- Upgrade and security patches
- Ongoing maintenance and support

An actual playable level of my game. Written in Rust, designed in Blender (including the level). Source code will be opened when I'm satisfied with how it looks.

In the year 2145, Earth stood at the pinnacle of technological achievement. Humanity had harnessed the power of the
stars, and scientific advancements were unlocking the mysteries of the universe. However, an unforeseen catastrophe
struck when an experimental project, codenamed "Project Jumper," aimed at creating a portal to another dimension, went
awry.

As the portal was activated, an otherworldly force surged through, distorting the very fabric of Earth's atmosphere. The
once clear skies were now shrouded in an eerie, luminescent haze. The air became sour, and the sun's rays struggled to
pierce through the alien clouds. The dimension on the other side of the portal had corrupted Earth's environment,
plunging the planet into chaos.

In the midst of this environmental crisis, Dr. Yuri Parker emerged. As a lead scientist on Project Jumper, he felt a
personal responsibility to undo the damage he had unwittingly unleashed upon the world. Dr. Parker discovered that the
only way to restore Earth's atmosphere was to venture through the portal and confront the source of the corruption.

Armed with a prototype ionizing weapon, Dr. Parker embarked on a perilous journey into the unknown dimension. As he will
traverse alien landscapes and face bizarre creatures, he will uncover the dark secrets of the dimension's inhabitants.
They were a once-peaceful civilization driven to madness by the unintended consequences of the portal. Energising the
portal took several hours at Project Jumper's side, but for the dimension's inhabitants, it was a thousand years of
suffering.

Driven by a sense of duty and the desperate need to save her home, Dr. Parker navigated through the dimension's
treacherous terrain, solving puzzles and battling hostile entities.

The age of making money is over. (for the purpose of making money)

You solve problems instead. You fill the needs with people, you stuff a hole in the market. Furthermore, you find the cracks in the shield. Be this your purpose. If you do it right, you will grow and money will come.

I'm currently in the process of relocating to mainland Europe. Having spent around 11 to 12 years in Scotland, I am profoundly appreciative of the personal growth and business knowledge that this wee country has provided me.

Although I wasn't actively seeking new clients in Europe, I was unexpectedly approached by a few from Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands. This is a unique situation for me, as my departure from Scotland was not widely publicized. Is this a mere coincidence, or does it reflect a pattern of achieving goals precisely where I focus my attention? This concept resonates with experiences like being on a firing range, navigating mountain bike trails, and even engaging in paragliding. During my paragliding training, my instructor advised against looking on the lone tree in the landing field. The rationale behind this was that fixating on it might subconsciously lead me in the direction I desperately want to avoid.

(sorry for the Indiana Jones style route map)

If you operate a Magento-based online store, it is essential to have a reliable maintenance service in place. It's quite common to come across stores that were initially constructed but later left unattended by their original developers. In fact, I'm getting most of my business from these stores. The underlying issue is the requirement for a dedicated professional capable of providing sustained upkeep for the store. This encompasses a range of tasks:
- Implementing security upgrades
- Managing server maintenance tasks
- Continuously making customizations as needed
- Adapting to alterations that align with evolving business requirements
- And last, but not least, an emergency readiness from one or more developers in cases when the site goes offline for whatever reason.

$600 for a keyboard? Why not?

Dear Santa...

Flux Keyboard Introducing Flux Keyboard. Any SoftwareAny LanguageAny Style Pre-Order Now Sign up for updates Save time with a fully customisable display and mechanical keys optimised f...

I have always been enthusiastic about new and interesting technologies. Back in 2010, Ruby on Rails emerged as a shiny new thing that sparked my interest and aided me in my journey of learning Ruby, a language I still utilize today, primarily for scripting and accessing APIs. Instead of using Postman, I write Ruby programs. Unfortunately, my Ruby on Rails clients are no longer active, as I chose Magento. However, what truly brings me joy is not just acquiring new toys, but witnessing success stories where I have played a pivotal role as a developer.

One incident that brought an immense smile to my face was when I returned home to Glasgow and spotted a massive billboard for my client on the way from the airport. Interestingly, they had put it up while I was on holiday, which demonstrated the level of trust they had in their eCommerce store.

Providing recommendations on platforms and tools is a significant responsibility because making the wrong decision can leave the client stuck with an unsuitable tool for a considerable amount of time, resulting in wasted money and effort.

The advantage I have is that I have been involved in this field for 20 years. So, if you believe that your business could benefit from my expertise, please get in touch, and I will explore how I can assist you.

🌟 Unlocking the Power of Freelancing: Embrace Independence! 🌟
As a freelancer, I've discovered a whole new realm of professional satisfaction and personal freedom. Here's why I believe freelancing is an absolute game-changer compared to being an employee:

1️⃣ Flexibility at its Finest: Freelancing allows you to craft your own schedule, work from anywhere in the world, and choose projects that align with your passions and expertise. No more clock-watching or being confined to a desk!

In summary, you decide which 18 hours of the day you are working.

2️⃣ The Power of Choice: As a freelancer, you have the autonomy to cherry-pick the projects and clients you want to work with. This level of control empowers you to shape your career path, develop a diverse skill set, and continuously challenge yourself.

A.K.A. your client you fired 2 years ago will phone you at 2am because their site is down.

I'll write up the other points as well, as soon as I'll have the time. For now, my SASS compilation failed.

React is an excellent tool even for small components. Unfortunately, not many people recognize its value as a valuable addition to complex generated HTML structures in eCommerce. Typically, frontends are built entirely using a large library like Angular or React, or a combination of multiple large libraries like in Magento. These setups often involve server-side rendering, with Next.js providing some assistance, but also adding complexity to the project by introducing server-side JavaScript (nodejs).

In one of my recent projects, I took a different approach. I developed a Laravel eCommerce application with standard HTML and SCSS templates and then integrated React specifically for the cart and checkout functionalities. Since these parts don't need to be indexed by search engines, it was a simple and straightforward idea. Additionally, by utilizing React only for the interactive elements, I managed to save significant server resources. I could perform calculations such as currency conversion, row totals, and discounts directly on the frontend. Placing an order became as easy as sending a JSON payload to the "/checkout" endpoint, resulting in a single request and a limited number of potential server responses. No additional JavaScript libraries were necessary, only React. As a result, the homepage loaded rapidly, and the mini-cart was only loaded when there was something in the cart. With this approach, I aimed to challenge Adobe's dominance in the field. 😎

Having been on both ends of the JavaScript problem, I have extensive experience with Magento spanning over 15 years and have also explored PWA Studio for two clients. While Magento is a remarkable eCommerce software, it is quite extensive, and the frontend portion is notably large and slow. On the other hand, PWA Studio serves as a decent frontend solution to some extent but needlessly complicates server-side rendering. In my opinion, the most sensible approach is to utilize standard HTML for the entire site and leverage React exclusively for the checkout and cart functionalities.

// Sandor Czettner, Lead Engineer.

Do you think we could be a help with your eCommerce idea? Don't hesitate to contact us NOW.

My grandma would argue about the 1% talent, but basically it's this.

We are taking new projects on only from August. If you have an eCommerce project in mind, message for a quick call to schedule it.

The big spike for Christmas 2020 was due to the COVID restrictions. But despite economic difficulties, this store also maintained steady growth in 2021/2022. And average sales have tripled since we started our tender loving care after the previous agency. It's incredible how much Magento performance optimization matters in the long run. If you have a Magento store, it may be underperforming. Book a free performance review with us to see where you can improve: https://www.czettner.com/freeperformance/
TLDR: it's often hosting-related and not utilizing the best DevOps practices.

It's not uncommon to see an eCommerce business double its revenue within a year. The past few years disrupted the economy a lot. The initial ramp-up in online sales in 2020 became stagnant last year in 2022. I'm a big believer that anything you do right now in 2023 will decide your business success for the next 5-10 years.

SaaS or self-hosted? The question was simple mere 20 years ago. Today, developing a new eCommerce website is very costly. Software agencies are putting a high price tag on their product unnecessarily. It's not 2000 any more when smaller agencies competed against each other. Everybody wants to sell enterprise-grade software for small corner shops. As a result, Shopify stores are popping into existence like never before. I have nothing against them, but it's not always the best answer. Even with Magento, for the fraction of agency prices, we can achieve a solution for stores selling under the $2 million mark a year. Drop me a line if you are interested in how and double your revenue in 2023! Don't waste your time and money with salespeople, talk to the expert directly.