Hello Kurt:

Could you please elaborate more on what you'd like to upgrade specifically? There are certain updates that are found in the other CMS that we wouldn't want to necessarily have in this one. It's also not as trivial as you might think, because there's a completely different UX in the other version you mention that's completely incompatible with Hotcakes Commerce. That UX would need to be completely re-done as well.

Will,

Well, I have some ideas. You could group them in 3 categories:
1. Focus. I think you, and team/partners/community, have to focus. What are the goals? I think it's, from a software engineering perspective, wise to build and market this product as E-Commerce and NOT CMS (I think that would be very wrong, probably there are legal issues (but we don't know, and everything is MIT (?))).
2. Community. A community is important. You'll have to convince these stakeholders to further build the product and at the end your own business. Using the already D.N.N. community is the way to go.
3. Don't reinvent the wheel again and again. Because of the new way of developing (Web Api and JS (React or NG) components) it is simple to incorporate your code within the great part. So, let use 9.1.1. as the startpoint and further develop Hotcakes.

i agree with Kurt, Thank you
most of people like me prefer to extend their own DNN portal with new capability for example HotCake as Module, and Use Latest Version of DNN (9.1) within other modules ( Blog , Gallery , Forum , Powerful Roles and User Management and ... ) , And don`t like to force in using older version of DNN Or just E-Commerce !

The Way that HCC Choosed seems wrong and may be so many users leave HCC Community Like Me.

I disagree and would like to support HCC in their choice. I believe that the community has much to benefit from maintaing a fork as well as the flexibility to provide an enhanced experience for the masses revolving around ecommerce, not a cms. Especially for those that are not familiar with coding or advanced techniques.

Let's face it wordspress/woo commerce has a big share, its time to blow it out of the water and have a great contender for those that endear the MS stack.

Dont get me wrong, I very much like dnn platform, in fact I am a subscribed Evoq user as well. And do like some of the 9+ changes.

Without diving into any details, those customization's are still available. In fact for those that may have the know how, have even better chances now with opensource! I am certain we can fork off dnn platform 9+ and get hotcakes working on it just fine. You just wont get the end to end experience that the HCC Team has built up until now.

For those adventurous, you can do it, but that leaves all testing with newer schema/technologies to ourselves and the community. I'm ready to take a stab at it for anyone willing to lead.