Despite my meager tenure here at Elastic Path (today is Day 5), there is one even newer employee, Tomas the customer service guy (he’s from Guatemeula). I mention this because, as we are both still finding our way around our new confines, we cannot help but notice the buzz in the air (and hear a few conversations through walls) showing that something is clearly going on around here.

While I am busily attending to trade show prep tasks (more on that later), I noticed this excitement evidenced in rooms of developers busily “clackety-clacking” away on keyboards with noteworthy earnestness and vigor, huddled conferences lasting well-past 6PM fortified with fresh coffee, the sales manager anxiously pacing and waiting to contact customers with update news, and an epic list on each person’s whiteboard (mine included).

The reason for the palatable excitement in the air? Well it turns out that a new release, Elastic Path 4.1.1, is moving from final testing and is due to ’ship’ well, … anydaynow, really. Peter and Dave (#1) said so, … so it must be true, right ;-).

Anyhow here’s what I’ve come to know, Elastic Path 4.0 (released in June 2005) was souped up with additional features (e.g. search engine optimization, upselling module and a recommendation module) and became v.4.1. The new version (4.1.1) isn’t a ground-breaker per se more like a ‘tune-up” (OK, OK call it a bug fix if you prefer) to v.4.1.

But still, for me, seeing the testing and interaction and hearing the developers in furrowed-brow discussion (not that i understand *all* the geek-speak) is quite exciting. Adding to the buzz are the results of an extensive in-house performance testing session in which a stack of computers were called into duty to push the limits of Elastic Path 4.

My hunch is that attempting to duplicate real-world situations in a lab is almost impossible (do you want to add-in a half-million product SKUs with descriptions, photos, prices and the like? didn’t think so), but you can come close by considering elements which may occur in the actual deployment when existing hardware and server software must get along with new application in order to conduct business.

Additionally, since Elastic Path runs on a variety of platforms and is configurable with all sorts of add-ons, tie-ins, custom bits and pieces, each customer’s deployed e-commerce shop is unique and different than any other, thus, results are far from generic.

Regardless, the results will be useful for helping clients and prospects understand the power, as well as the flexibility, of Elastic Path when planning the scalability of their e-commerce application.

Indeed, ’tis the birth of yet another blog! This one offers news and discourse on the e-commerce industry in general, and chronicles scenes of life from (the rather comfy) offices of Elastic Path Software in Vancouver, BC, Canada - near the south end of the Cambie St bridge to you Vancouverites.

As a new employee with a fresh new set of eyes (today is day four for me), I aim to feature everything from astute observations to naive explorations plus various ephemera ‘from the trenches’ of a fast-growing, entrepreneurial endeavour.

In the spirit of disclosure, I am empowered to speak freely and, as such, have charged myself with the pleasant task of not only providing observations on the e-commerce software Elastic Path produces, but also to post audio recordings (call ‘em podcasts if you want), and video clips (v-casts if you prefer) to share information on EP’s shopping system and perhaps allow you to associate some faces with the company.

I share the 3rd floor of the Elastic Path HQ with an international crew of developers, coders, thinkers, planners, marketers and sellers - all working to build innovative software with open source components and custom-crafted code. So far, I’ve learned most of my co-workers names, read the employee manual, watched a Bruce Lee film, ate pizza, built a paper tower (actually it collapsed), and learned to use the coffee machine (tricky). What else is there?! We’re on the road to find out.

Thanks for coming along for the ride! Drop us a note or add a comment if you seek knowledge.