Shopping Cart Software Service

Rutabaga

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ANNOUNCING MODULAR MERCHANT VERSION 3
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This month marks two years since Modular Merchant version 2 has been released. Over the course of those two years, the software has seen many improvements and new features. However, in order to take advantage of new technologies and ideas, the time has come to move forward into a new version of the software.

The Modular Merchant development team hereby announces the upcoming release of Modular Merchant version 3 (MMv3), in which the fundamental components have been redesigned.

MMv3's focus is on improvements to the "storefront", or customer shopping area. This new version completely changes the way the storefront can be designed. Every section of your store templates can now be customized, as opposed to just a Skin "header" and "footer". The storefront and template systems have been rewritten from scratch. (This introduces infinite design possibilities including: one page checkout, guest/anonymous checkout, inserting surveys into the checkout process, branching off to different checkout steps depending on what's in the customer's basket, etc...)

The administration area has received some usability improvements, but its functionality remains mostly unchanged in MMv3's initial release.

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TOP TEN IMPROVEMENTS IN MMv3
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* Over 600 new QuickCode Tags to customize your templates.

* Content Management tool to create non-store web pages. Good for FAQs, contact pages, etc.

* "Skins" have been replaced with "Design Packages", which contain their own templates, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript and images.

* Added "Hosting" section to the administration area, with your Plesk and FTP access information.

* New "Cross Sell/Up Sell" module, for listing related products on store pages.

* New "Simple Bulk Emailer" module, for sending an email message to a group of customers.

* New "QuickBooks Export" for exporting order data in QuickBooks-compatible format.

* New "Search Logs" report, which tracks all searches made with the search tool in your store.

* Streamlined System Settings. The new design tools have rendered over 75 System Settings obsolete, and they have been removed.

* The store will now generate SEO-friendly URLs for product, category and manufacturer pages. For example, the old version of the product page's URL was .../product.php?pid=123. The new SEO-friendly version of the URL is .../product/123/name-of-product. (If you're still using the old versions of the links will on your website, don't worry, they will still work too!)

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MM VERSION 2 END-OF-LIFE SCHEDULE
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Technical Support for Modular Merchant version 2 will continue, but there will be no more features added to version 2 after update 2.1.9. Critical security fixes will be released on a case-by-case basis until August 1, 2008. For documentation on migrating from version 2 to 3, refer to the Migration Guide and FAQ below.

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MIGRATION GUIDE
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MMv3 greatly improves your storefront's performance and flexibility. Great care has been taken to retain as much backwards-compatibility with version 2 as possible. Migrating your store from version 2 to 3 should be, for the most part, a seamless process. Most existing custom scripts should remain compatible without changes. However, you should be aware of a few differences should test any custom scripts before switching versions in a production environment.

BACKWARD INCOMPATIBLE CHANGES IN MMv3:
1. Due to the complete overhaul in the way the storefront functions, a new set of templates will need to be created for the store. The existing "Skin" templates are not backwards-compatible.

2. All QuickCode Tags have been replaced with new versions. The library of MMv3 QuickCode Tags is available online at: http://www.modularmerchant.com/quickcode/

3. Any existing .htaccess file the client has uploaded to their website (if any), will need to be updated to ensure compatibility with the store's new .htaccess file.

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FAQ
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Why isn't MMv3 being released like a regular update?
Since version 2's skins are incompatible with MMv3's template system, installing the upgrade to MMv3 the same way as a normal software update would cause your storefront to lose its customization and revert to a "default" template. We want to give clients an opportunity to transfer their existing custom "Skins" over to the new template system.

Can I preview MMv3?
Yes. Existing clients can preview MMv3 by starting a separate "free trial" account. This will allow clients to explore and experiment with MMv3 in a non-production environment. What's more, clients may design new templates in their trial account. Then, when they're ready to go upgrade their live store to MMv3, their new templates can be transferred from the trial account over to the live store. A free trial account can be started from the Modular Merchant websites at: http://www.modularmerchant.com/trial-sign-up.php

Will my current store break if I upgrade to MMv3?
For most clients, if you upgrade your account from version 2 to 3 without doing any prep work, the worst thing that will happen is that your storefront will stop using the "Skin" templates you've designed, and will start using a "default" template instead. For clients that have developed their own custom scripts to interface with the store, updates may need to be made to those scripts.

Are there pre-made MMv3 templates I can use in my store?
Yes. For clients who don't want to design their own MMv3 templates, we've made some pre-made templates available. Several feature-filled template packages are now available. More packages will be added over time. Template packages can be downloaded from the Modular Merchant website at: http://www.modularmerchant.com/templates/

How much does it cost to upgrade to MMv3?
There are no fees associated with upgrading existing hosted clients from version 2 to 3.

Will my monthly fee be the same with MMv3?
For 95% of existing accounts, the monthly price will remain exactly the same (and may even go down a little). For clients hosting their store in an advanced, customized configuration, MMv3 will run under a revised pricing structure.

How can I upgrade to MMv3?
Existing clients should submit a request to upgrade to MMv3 using the Support Ticket system. Modular Merchant technicians will then work with the client to make the upgrade as seamlessly as possible.

How long can I continue using version 2?
Current clients running version 2 may continue running it for at least the rest of 2007. No deadline for upgrading to MMv3 has been set at this time. However, support for version 2 will be phased out over the course of 2008, as the client base and training materials are migrated over to MMv3.

Will you still support version 2?
Technical Support for Modular Merchant version 2 will continue through at least August 1, 2008. Critical security fixes will be released on a case-by-case basis until August 1, 2008. However, the fix for any non-critical security bugs that are discovered after update 2.1.9 may be to upgrade to MMv3.

When will MMv3 be officially released and available?
We are planning on officially releasing MMv3 within 2 weeks of the date of this announcement. However, the official release date will be "when it's ready".

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MOVING FORWARD
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We're excited to unveil MMv3's new features to our clients. The new tools open up a whole new range of possibilities, from product recommendations, to guest checkout, to one-page checkout and more. If you have questions about MMv3, please let us know!
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Rutabaga
Keeper of the Development Schedule
Modular Merchant Shopping Cart Software.