Disclaimer:
- If you are a newbie, a first time Osclass user, or a non-technical and inexperienced individual, please skip this topic and just go for OsclassPoint.
Trust me, that is the best possible Osclass version for you, and you'll thank me later.
- If you are a long time Osclass user, developer or code enthusiast, read ahead!
What is it?
Osclass Enterprise is the culmination of two and a half years of on and off work, as a personal project, in an attempt to create a perfect, bug-free Vanilla Osclass 3.8.0 experience. It contains fixes and code from all legit sources like MindStellar and OsclassPoint.
Also, I can proudly say that it's the first and only Osclass version that can become a dedicated eCommerce platform.
Just by changing a setting in the admin area and by installing 2 plugins (Pay Plugin and Virtual Products), you can say by-bye to OpenCart, PrestaShop etc.
Only you (the admin) and your employees will be able to post listings, not the normal users. For them, the "Publish Ad" button and option will be unavailable.
Today, 302 commits later, I believe it's finally done, or better said I got too burned out from all the tinkering that this platform needed...
I must confess that if I knew how much work in testing and development, Osclass actually needed, I doubt I would have started on this journey. 🤕
What I did?
- I forked the official Osclass 3.8.0 repository, and tried to fix 99% of all bugs found by me or reported everywhere (groups, forums, repositories etc.).
- I improved the basic security.
- I improved the admin-backend workflow for faster and more efficient system management.
- I added some new and exciting features.
- I added some essential plugins to the core.
- I made a ton of work on the translation part of Osclass, and after thousands of corrected lines, I can proudly say that Osclass Enterprise has 99% English translation coverage.
What I didn't do?
- No major code refactoring.
- No changes to the file structure.
- No added incompatibilities vs the standard v3.8.0
For more information about the development, you can check the CHANGELOG.
Also, don't forget to check the README also, as it contains important information.
Future and what's with this version number?
I'm considering Osclass Enterprise as a finalized project, so from now on I'll accept only bug fixes, security fixes and MINOR performance fixes.
So please do not start with "can you please add this, can you please change that?"
Now, regarding the versioning, the answer is: security through obscurity. 😉
Why now, why here?
Hoping that you don't mind, I've chosen your community to share this project, as I myself are like you guys: a webmaster and a user.
Using Osclass I always felt like it was built by developers for other developers, with little regard to the actual users, and I know you guys feel the same way. So I wanted to change that.
Having said this, considering that a ton of crap is happening around the world right now, I decided to do my part in making things a little better and easier, at least for my fellow Osclass users. 😀
Finally, I've added some screenshots for you guys:
Special thanks to: Navjot Tomer, OsclassPoint, Darko, CodexiLab and all the other Osclass users and contributors. I salute you guys!
PS: If you care to thank me, or buy me a beer (or ten, as I sure need them), you can do so here. 🍻
- DOWNLOAD -
Enjoy!
= Setup and Hosting Advice =
Setup
As you've probably read in the documentation, the minimum PHP version required is now PHP 7.1. Versions lower than that won't work.
Most of the development and testing was done on PHP 7.4.x, so we're considering this to be the maximum supported version.
I didn't try PHP 8, so use it at your own risk.
Also, although at first I tried to document all the code changes and make it easy for all to update from v3.8.0, it got to a point where it was too much to handle for a simple update, so I decided to abandon this idea.
That's why, I recommend that everyone that wants to use Osclass Enterprise, to do a FRESH INSTALL.
Please don't ask about upgrades/downgrades from other versions.
Hosting
This is a pretty straightforward one: if your hosting is from a shady company that offers everything unlimited for a price that is below $10/month, then it's CRAP.
What to look for in a web host, in order to have the best possible performance: LiteSpeed Web Server and MadriaDB 10.3+/MySQL 5.7+.
As for the PHP version, during all my tests I found that the best compromise between performance, security and compatibility is on PHP 7.3.33.
Some great hosting services I tried are: Hostinger and A2 Hosting (their TURBO packages).
Both are expensive but very powerful and fast.
Plugins & Themes
The only 2 sources I would recommend for extending the functionality of Osclass Enterprise are: OsclassPoint and C Osclass Market.
Both of them offer really high quality products, which should work perfectly on Osclass Enterprise.
Best of luck!
Why now, why here?
Hoping that you don't mind, I've chosen your community to share this project, as I myself are like you guys: a webmaster and a user.
Using Osclass I always felt like it was built by developers for other developers, with little regard to the actual users, and I know you guys feel the same way. So I wanted to change that.
Hello, Thank You and good luck with your project.
Feel free to post whatever you want/need for all that.
What worries me a little bit is the .htaccess firewalll stuff. Many of people already use some scripts in there, using PHP PREPEND, like Ninja Firewall or/and CIDRAM or others.
Also this 7G Firewall script you mention, slows down the whole script. Been there, done that.
What worries me a little bit is the .htaccess firewalll stuff. Many of people already use some scripts in there, using PHP PREPEND, like Ninja Firewall or/and CIDRAM or others.
Also this 7G Firewall script you mention, slows down the whole script. Been there, done that.
On the contrary, the 7G firewall doesn't slow down the script as it's based on .htaccess rules, so there's no other script (PHP/JS) that runs and does checks in the background.
It runs on the server (Apache/LiteSpeed) not on the script itself.
Actually, by using it you'll get better performance on Osclass, as the server will block most of the bad requests (bots) that hit your website.
The blocking is done at the server level, not on PHP.
Also, there's no PHP PREPEND, like Ninja Firewall or/and CIDRAM or others, as it doesn't run on PHP code. 😜
Basically, it saves you from using different hacks to keep your setup protected.
It's just plug and play and gets activated when you enable the Osclass Permalinks.
A question: who is gonna take care of the GEO data (updates/new/etc) ?
A question: who is gonna take care of the GEO data (updates/new/etc) ?
The GEO data was pulled in August 2021, and covers 99% of the entire planet (including islands and North Korea😀).
It's not like cities, countries and territories pop-up every few months.
Most locations in the developed world are here to stay, like forever.
Also, after importing a country, you can edit its locations in the Osclass backend (change names, add new etc.)