Malcolm Online

When MagentoCommerce was finally released for production use on 31’st March 2008, open source e-commerce has finally evolved. The long wait for a bespoke open source shopping cart software is finally over.

I have installed several preview versions in a few Linux servers which are located mainly in Malaysia or the US. From my experience, installation of Magento version 1.0 is a breeze. Despite being a newly-launched product and written from the ground up, Magento’s features in both control panel and store front are awesome.

Below are the 5 steps as outlined by Magento.

Step 1: Agree to License Agrement
When you have uploaded Magento files to your host, navigate your browser to your store’s site. You will be greeted by the License Agreement. Agree with the License Agreement (after reading?) and click on the “Continue” button.

Step 2: Set Locale Settings
You will be required to set the language, time zone and default currency of your store. Apparently Magento included the time zone of this tiny, red dot call Singapore but not Malaysian time zone.

Step 3: Meet Magento’s Software Requirements
If some of the requirements has not been met, the installation wizard will alert you.

Step 4: Set Database Connection and Enable URL rewriting for SEO purpose
Enter the database username and password and tick “Use Web Server (Apache) Rewrites”. Most Linux hosting with Apache server supports mod_rewrite. By enabling URL rewriting, the URL in the address bar will be friendly not only to search engines like Google but also human readable as well. There is also a special technique for magento and seo, visit this page for details.

Step 5: Create Admin Account and Encrpytion Key
Enter your personal information and login information. These details can be changed later. You can leave the encryption key field empty if you want a randomly generated key. This key is confidential which is used to encrypt passwords and credit card details.

Eureka!
You are done! You can now log into your backend control panel or store front by clicking on the respective buttons.

Need Installation Help?

While Magento is charging USD 149 for professional installation of Magento, you will only need RM 49 for a professional Magento installation in Malaysia provided you have your domain name and existing Linux hosting which meets Magento’s system requirements. Drop us a comment and we shall contact you via email within 1 business day. RM 49 is a one time fee which covers only installation (without hosting and domain name). Should you have extra requirements do let us know.

Tags: Shopping Cart Softwares // 9 Comments »