I'm starting a build of a Drupal based online store, using Ubercart etc. It is likely my client will turn over a lot of sales on the site, so it must be secure.
Of course I will want to create a unique theme for this, so is Zen a good place to start or should I avoid it and start from scratch?
Quote:
Zen is the ultimate starting theme for Drupal. If you are building your own standards-compliant theme, you will find it much easier to start with Zen than to start with Garland or Bluemarine
In my experience yes, it's easier to start with some basic template that has all required stuff in place (rather than starting from scratch). Zen is as simple as it gets with Drupal.
I found framework theme much better and simpler . Zen theme is more like library for developing theme.
The Zen theme is designed to do some of the basic setup for you, in terms of creating a content-first layout, and building some commonly needed variables for you. If you're starting with an existing XHTML design and want to convert it to Drupal, you may be better off skipping zen and building a theme from scratch.
Zen is idiosyncratic and has its own pros and cons, a bit like using a CSS framework. Security is less of a concern than the additional conceptual complexity that it adds to Drupal theming. It's a useful power tool if you're used to it and are cranking out themes, otherwise it can add confusion. Security, though, isn't a concern: it's good on that front.
This is the most complete/brilliant review of the starter themes to date:
http://www.chapterthree.com/blog/squiggy_rubio/reviewing_drupal_starter_themes
It came into existence before http://drupal.org/project/studio so consider studio in addition to those.
That said, whenever I have a choice I choose Zen.