I see a lot of bids on Rent A Coder and other sites offering to clone or replicate other sites. Does it really work? I've checked out many sites where it was similar to the original and they did a good job, does it really work? Looks very simple because all the requirements are set and the programmer just need to re-engineer the site backwards. There are several paid sites I use, since it's not open source I can't add to it. Want to clone a site and do upgrades to it. Can programmers really clone the site? And is it really that simple, give them a URL and some money and have the site on my server?
Of course, it's not too hard as the CSS file is posted right on the "view source" page. For instance, the CSS file for Wordpress.org is http://s.wordpress.org/style/wp4.css. From there, they can just look at how each piece was put together, and figure out the rest. It's more difficult for custom pieces that are being called from other files and folders, though.
If one can make it, why not ? From my point of view, you are not a programmer unless you can make what others have made in the past.
Possible? Yes. But if I pay someone $1000 on RAC, can they replicate Facebook and not have it be buggy. Maybe not facebook, something simpler. What are the chances...
Pretty good. Facebook is maybe a bad example since it's so massive, but you could get a simple version of it made. A lot of what programmers do turns out to be cloning functionality. People who hire coders usually say "I want something that does what this program does", not "I want something that does X Y and Z" (unless they're computer savvy).
That's a good question Jinco. The next question I would have if I were you is: What's the safest way to select someone to clone such a platform or build it from scratch? Does anyone have suggestions on how to recruit someone to do this work for you?
I don't see to much difference between both situation. When you clone a website you have access only to its css (unless you clone a simple html website ). As a programmer you can see a feature working (on cloned website) before coding it. This can be an advantage because you can work more quickly.
They offer this option in Rent A Coder, seems to be very normal. One required question in a bid is do you want to clone another site. I think even if you are computer savvy, might be easier to say, copy this function except....
Anyone with experience they want to share here? I have spoken to my programmer about it, he hasn't done it before and was thinking for a minute. But he was working on another project for me so I told him to stop thinking about it... Maybe I'll drop some money and try it. I use services from 37Signals, their online software are made to be simple so those should in theory be the easiest to clone?
Maybe yes or maybe not ! Let's see an example: You can pay for a software x$/year, and for cloning it 100*x$. I don't think it is good idea in this case, unless you have a plan to monetize it too. Edit: i mean is easy to say it can be cloned (it fact, with good programmers it's very simple to do everything), but the big question is if it really worth.
Cost is one thing but another is customization and integration. My business is different and if I change a couple of things it would work many times better. Also I would like to integrate some of their software together. But then it's almost like another way of creating an Enterprise Information System or CRM.
While this can and does work, it puts you in a position where: You have no control over the code design You will always be one step behind the competition Anytime you need to improve the site fundamentally you will need to rewrite a lot of the building blocks While you can copy the front end, the back end is likely going to be very buggy and not scalable at all. It takes a lot of effort to plan a site so that it can handle the big traffic. I believe that you have to carry the vision, clearly see the big picture, as well as do the research and establish that it is in fact possible. And really - you will get out what you put in. If you just aim to copy somebody else because they make money. You won't last very long. Does it work? Yes. But so does begging. Would you go begging on the street, if you knew you could buy a house just doing that?
Technically you can clone a site... But at the same time it won't be an exact copy, and if u use someone elses code dr design or anything your site will most likley be shut down..
cloning can be done for all site. easy for html/css. easy for plugin module that can be get to add like some choppping cart module to add or some database to display for prebuilt store module. more difficult if some backend logic need to be implemented but realtivly easy for relation that are simple and can be found(databse of item to display as random 3x4 list). pretty difficult when the feature is not easy to see like all the email crosslinking of facebook to find your possible friends(someone entered his gamil list and had my business gmail in it when i created a facebook 2 years later it found it). not too difficult to code difficult to know this exists not very possible if the traffic makes the difference not the techno. like facebook without all the person it's not the same!
If you want to create some profitable system you should probably create something unique. Don't just copy other systems. Any copy will pale in comparison to the original.
There are several ideas going around on this thread: 1. You can easily clone the look of a web site. As others have said, you can see it and you can review the html/css that is being used to recreate it in your own environment. Several times I have taken great wordpress (or other system) themes and ported them to my own CMS/ecomm system. This is a no brainer and only gets to be an issue when the site I am porting over doesnt have a look for a part of the system I have. For example, my CMS has forums, but all the wordpress themes I have ported over dont have css/html for forum layout. At that point I am being creative within the boundaries of the given theme. 2. The very hard part to "clone" is the back end. As others have mentioned here, this isnt so easy. Basically, you cannot see what is going on in the web server. Maybe they have a middle tier too (to run their business logic). Are they getting emails when events happen in their system? Recreating functionality of a "web application" is no easy task. For example, a serious forum system like the one Digital Point is using isnt going to be cloned for $1000. The best the dev will do is get another forum like PHP BB and put the theme into that. I've yet to see a site look like one fluid and integrated site that was a cobbling together of several independent products, such as a wordpress site mixed with PHP BB. Basically, it always feels like two different sites, even when they share a common theme and stuff. I believe the OP was talking about #1 above and for basic site functionality, not recreate facebook, twitter or other such technologies.