There was actually a good post on whether or not you should use Magento for your project that I wanted to post previously but couldn't find it... anyway found it now, and since I still can't post urls (as I'm a new user of IWF) I've copied and pasted the contents of this "Should I use Magento" post below. Hope it helps you decide.
Source: magento-blog.net/should-i-use-magento
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Sat, 05/31/2008 - 23:14 — me
Whether you should use Magento or not depends on your programming skills. I wish that I could tell everyone to use it right now, it is really superior in a lot of ways. But, it is just not that simple. So, should you use Magento?
I will try to walk you through my thoughts on the issue.
Are you a store owner (not a developer/programmer) who does not want to make any customisations (except changing the header and other minor graphics) to the stock package?
Yes, you should use it.
Are you a store owner (not a developer/programmer) who needs to make functional customisations or major graphic changes to the stock package?
No, you should not. There is not enough qualified free support in the forum to help you make major functional changes to the stock code. And don't think you can take advantage of Varien's advertised custom programming services. Many people are having problems getting responses from Varien when submitting quote requests. Varien's support for Magento right now is ridiculously horrible. That said, if you can afford to hire a developer when you get stuck and you are not on a deadline than I feel fine recommending that you give Magento the good old college try.
Are you a developer/programmer who kinda knows PHP, does not know what EAV database architecture means and has limited knowledge of the Zend Framework?
Are you on a strict deadline and does your client want for you to make major functional changes?
If you answered yes to both, then my advice to you is to chose another cart. There is too much in Magento for you to learn and not enough support. If you answered no to one of the questions, then think about using Magento very carefully. I still am not sure I would recommend it.
Are you on a flexible deadline and does your client want for you to make major functional changes?
This one is still tough. Unless you are very very confident in your PHP skills AND you are somewhat familiar with Zend AND you are not on a quick deadline then MAYBE. But figure out how much time you think it will take you and then increase that by a third. Base your quote on that time frame. The support in the forums is mediocre at best, you will be figuring a lot of things out on your own.
Are you a developer/programmer PHP expert with a working knowledge of the Zend framework and EAV database architecture with a client who wants major functional changes to the stock system.
Yes, but be aware - again - that there is very little free support available for the really tough questions. In fact, in many cases, I have found that there is no free support available for the hard questions. And hiring someone to do it for you is painfully difficult. We are all in the same boat. Quote accordingly.
