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How does StoreFront 6 work?
StoreFront plugs directly into FrontPage or Dreamweaver on your development workstation.
You get new StoreFront menus and tools within these HTML editors that allow you
to quickly and easily design, build, deploy, manage and market web stores.
How does StoreFront 6 compare to other e-commerce solutions?
StoreFront 6 is the sixth generation of StoreFront software built on the industry-leading
StoreFront e-business platform, which powers more than 40,000 web stores worldwide.
It's feature set is second to none, with advanced features for developers, merchants,
and shoppers. StoreFront has an active user community and a network of hosting,
development, and add-on partners that provide extended value to users.
How is the software licensed?
LaGarde's StoreFront 6 software is licensed to you, the developer. When you
purchase the software, you can build and deploy as many web stores as you like
in a local environment and publish one publicly accessible store.
With StoreFront XE, you do not have to re-purchase the StoreFront 6 software to publish a second
store. You can simply pick up an Additional Store License (additional store licenses are limited to
10 per full application license). The Additional Store Licenses are just a one-time fee
of $299 and do not involve any
kind of on-going fees. Additional site licenses are not available for SE or AE
versions.
A detailed copy of the StoreFront 6 End User License Agreement
is available at:
https://secure.storefront.net/ssl/terms_pop.htm
What are the server and system requirements?
| System Requirements |
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System Requirements |
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In order to install and build StoreFront
web
stores, you'll need the following: |
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In order to run an ASP.NET web, the following
are required: |
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Windows 98, 2000, ME, XP Home and Professional,
NT 4.0 or .NET Server |
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Internet Explorer 5.01 or later |
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Microsoft .Net Framework |
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Microsoft FrontPage and later or Dreamweaver MX
and later |
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64MB RAM |
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30MB Hard Disk Space |
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Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
(SP 2 recommended), Microsoft Windows 2000 Server (SP 2 recommended),
Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Microsoft Windows .NET Server Family
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Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01 or
later |
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Microsoft .Net Framework |
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Microsoft SQL Server 6.5 or later is
required for SQL Server database support (optional, only for stores
with SQL Server databases) |
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Microsoft Data Access Components 2.7
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Internet Information Services (IIS)
version 5.0 or later |
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Compatible E-mail Component (CDONTS,
CDOSYS, ASPEMail, ASPMail, ASPQMail, Jmail, SimpleMail, ABMail, or
the Default .NET Mail class (System.Web.Mail.SmtpMail class)) |
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SMTP Service |
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SSL Security |
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You can view details on setting up the .NET framework at
http://support.storefront.net/netready
and review an article on optimizing .NET performance at http://support.storefront.net/NetReady/NetPerformance.htm.
What is .NET and what does it mean to me?
In reality, .NET is not a single thing, but rather a collection of tools that
together comprise the latest programming architecture approach from Microsoft.
According to the Microsoft web site, .NET is a set of Microsoft software technologies
for connecting information, people, systems, and devices. It enables a high level
of software integration through the use of Web services-small, discrete, building-block
applications that connect to each other as well as to other, larger applications
over the Internet.
Specifically, StoreFront takes advantage of the ASP.NET programming language.
The approach to code is more compartmentalized, facilitating customizations. Other
benefits include enhanced security, performance, reliability and scalability.
To learn more about .NET, visit:
http://www.microsoft.com/net/basics
http://www.asp.net/whitepaper/whyaspnet.aspx?tabindex=0&tabid=1
Keep in mind that while .NET serves as the technical foundation
of the StoreFront application, you do not need to interact with the code directly.
StoreFront provides menus and other GUI formats to manipulate your store, so
you there's no need to know ASP.NET to use StoreFront. Just rest assured you
have the most powerful engine running your store.
How long does it take to build a StoreFront 6 store?
It's difficult to predict precisely how long the store creation process will
last, and depends on factors ranging from the site content itself to your web
service provider. Broadly speaking, most developers will have a sample store
put together within a few hours from getting started. You will then spend the
next week or so adding products, tweaking the design and generally perfecting
the site.
Can I use this with an existing site?
Yes, StoreFront can easily be used to add e-commerce functionality to an existing
web site. The web is simply opened, and the StoreFront web store pages are imported
into the site. Then, the developer can either create catalog/product pages or
add purchase functions to existing pages.
Can I use my own design?
Yes, from its origination StoreFront has been designed to give developers as
much flexibility as possible with respect to the look and feel of the web store.
There are essentially two approaches for setting the design of the store. The
first relies on templates and provides lots of pages quickly; the second gives
the developer precise tools that provide a granular control over the design
of the store.
Dynamic Search Output Pages - The StoreFront Page Link Creator
creates predefined links in which you specify the search criteria (for example,
anytime a shopper clicks this particular link, the store will display everything
in the category of "Tee Shirts"). The pages which result from a search
are dynamically created catalog pages, and you can select their layout from
templates. The StoreFront Design Tools allow developers many options for controlling
page layout and design. This method of laying out your web store is the quickest
in terms of design and maintenance time.
Dynamic Product Elements - Developers can use the StoreFront
Product Bot Creator. Developers insert pieces of information about a product
onto a page wherever they prefer. The actual data will not be visible when designing
the page, but the data will load into the page when the page is loaded into
the browser. The use of these dynamic Product Pages means the product data needs
only be updated in the database and still allows for greater control over the
design of the page.
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