Archive for category Reviews
Varieties of WordPress Software Usage for Building Different Types of Websites
WordPress is a perfect blogging script, which has become very popular due to its user-friendliness. Many people, however, do not use it in any other way than for a blog or a newsfeed. We made another research on WP and found out that this software can be used for a number of other purposes. The websites below are built on the WordPress platform and enhanced with customized themes and plugins. This is an independent research, the websites are not strictly classified – we have picked those, which were built using WP in the most unusual way.
Build a Review Site
Let’s say you are interested in cinema, music or videos. You are likely to have your own opinion on all that. And most probably, you are intended to share your views and build a community around it. In this case you might take a look at http://typographica.org/ site owners. They deal with typographic design and make reviews of different fonts and type books. The way the website is built allows everyone to register with the site and gain Author or Contributor privileges for posting.
Build a Personal Website
If you want to have a personal website, but Facebook or Live Journal is not enough for you – build a WordPress-based website to share your ideas, thoughts and latest achievements in a newsfeed way. Such solution would fit those who are connected with art, sports or some social activities. One of the websites to look at is http://www.jefffinley.org – a personal site of a designer and artist, who partially deals with Internet marketing.
Place your Portfolio
If you are a designer or photographer or anyone else, who does their job well and has something to share, you should pick a portfolio to represent your best works. Many people install some gallery script in such cases, but WordPress can cope with this task just as good. If you look at http://lonnroth.info you will understand that a gallery has nothing to do with a well-built portfolio website.
Build a Gallery
When talking about galleries, we can’t neglect the fact that depending on the goal and the way you would like to have your content represented, even an online gallery may be created without using a gallery script. Taking http://cssremix.com as an example we clearly see, that a WordPress-based gallery is ways better, as it allows to lay out more image thumbnails, linked to real websites.
Open an Online Store
If you are running a small online business, a sophisticated and therefore expensive e-commerce software may not be needed for you, at least for now. That is where you can use WordPress to reach your goal. With WordPress enhanced with some of the E-commerce plug-ins you can run a website to sell your goods from. Here is the nice example of such a website: http://www.carmats.com.
Additional information and sources
WordPress community keeps growing. There are more and more plugins, themes and extensions released. Both developers and end users are much interested in making WP a tool, which would become one of the easiest sitebuilders known. The websites reviewed above are not all we found, but they are the ones, which drew our attention most, since we ourselves deal with both WordPress hosting and hosting of E-commerce and Gallery websites. This research lets us understand that a single script, if flavored with enthusiasm can do more, than usually expected. If you are interested in what else WordPress can do, have a look at http://www.webdesignerwall.com/trends/30-untypical-wordpress-sites/ and http://www.ndesign-studio.com/blog/best-wordpress-sites. Additionally, you can always follow updates on official WP site: http://wordpress.org/showcase/.
Comparing Automatic Script Installers: Fantastico DeLuxe vs Installatron
We hope, you remember us posting an article, where two hosting control panels – cPanel and DirectAdmin were brought face to face. Well, if you do, you may find it interesting to learn the peculiarities of automatic script installers provided by those panels – Fantastico DeLuxe and Installatron.
Nowadays there is no need in downloading the source code of the needed software or web application to have it setup on the server. Compilations, failed installations and post-setup debugging are not needed anymore – everyone uses webhosting script installers now, saving time and becoming able to build their sites off-hand.
Needless to say, a professionally coded powerful script can make any website look way more attractive. Additional options and tools, offered by the scripts, help small business websites grow into big projects, and personal websites – grow into a community with a large number of visitors. It is really hard to believe that all this can be done with just a couple of clicks.
Let us take a closer look at both cPanel Fantastico and Installatron tools, provided with DirectAdmin hosting.
Fantastico DeLuxe
Fantastico installer is a really quick tool. It stores only one version of the needed software – the latest; sets up the database and its user on the fly and is fast about the update or removal of scripts. Choosing a cPanel host, you should keep in mind that Fantastico is an addon, which means that not all hosting companies can provide it along with their packages.
Before we proceed with detailed description and comparison of both tools, please check the categories and scripts that are offered by Fantastico DeLuxe on their official website.
Installatron Applications Installer
If you need a detailed description of what and when is happening on your server, Installatron is definitely the right choice for you. This software reports any step it is going to make and although it takes more time for script installation/removal to be carried out, such option may be useful, especially for newbies.
Installatron scripts can be checked out at their developers’ webpage. Meanwhile we will move on and compare both installers in action.
Fantastico vs Installatron
As you might have already noticed, both tools provide almost same scripts. If categorizing, those scripts may be distinguished as blogs, forums, content management systems (CMS), galleries, and e-commerce tools. Such groups are sorted in both installers to the left with right side left for software features description.
Fantastico General View
Installatron General View
As you can see, Installatron provides more details, than Fantastico – not only does it provide technical information about the product, but also shows related links. This love for details can also be seen in group script listing – this is something Fantastico does not have:
Installatron Group Listing Feature
This, of course, doesn’t grant Installatron an “Epic Win”. Sure, it is convenient for comparison of different tools of the same type, but most users already know exactly what they want to install by the time they start installation.
Let’s say we know what we are going to install and passed all the steps using both installers. Installation with Fantastico is a prompt 3-step action.
1 – You make a click to start new installation:
Step 1 of Script Installation Over Fantastico
2 – You choose the directory for the installation; provide access and administrator’s data.
Step 2 of Script Installation Over Fantastico
3 – You finish the installation. Database and user are setup automatically.
Step 3 of Script Installation Over Fantastico
Final installation message – and you can follow the URL to login to your administrative area right from Fantastico:
Fantastico Installation Summary
Installatron seems to be having more questions to ask you.
Starting Script Installation Over Installatron
Beside choosing the installation directory and providing access data in two different steps, you will need to choose the software version (not a bad idea actually, if your server has some restrictions or outdated software), the database creation way (automatic/manual) and… agree with the license.
Installatron: Choosing Installation Directory
Installatron: Choosing Version, Accepting License, Selecting Database Management Type
Installatron: Providing Access Data
Installatron: Finalizing Script Installation
Once the script is setup, Installatron provides installation summary the same way Fantastico does.
Installatron Installation Summary
You can view existing installation in both tools, but Installatron allows you to make it easier than Fantastico, whose developers moved the needed button to the very bottom.
Installatron Existing Installation View
Fantastico Existing Installation View
To Summarize
If you haven’t chosen your control panel yet, this comparative article might help you to make the right choice. It is obvious, that Fantastico is designed for those, who know what to do and how to do it. Such users use installers just to speed up their work – after that they do everything on their own.
Installatron users may feel more comfortable, as there’s more care taken of them both during software setup and after it – more tips, more support options which is very useful. An experienced user, however, may consider it a time waste, especially if administering dozens of account, which require a separate script to be installed under each addon or subdomain.
To make the long story short we may say that both script installers are going to be a perfect addon to your control panel. If you are an administrator of a multi-account (domain) infrastructure – you should definitely consider Fantastico. If you are planning to run your personal website or a small business project – Installatron is more likely to fit your needs.
If you are sure what you are going to host and already know the platform you would like to host it on, you may have a look at our shared hosting plans at SiteValley.com. We offer 4 specialized packages: Blog Hosting with WordPress preinstalled, Forum Hosting with phpBB at your disposal, Gallery Hosting with Coppermine ready for use and E-commerce Hosting with OsCommerce on a board.
Must Have: Top 5 Mozilla FireFox Addons For WebSite Administration
When uploading a personal or a business website via FTP or administering it through server-side software – sitebuilders, scripts, etc. – many people immediately check out the changes on the Web. Those, who are interested not only in the outlook of the web page, but also need some technical details (e.g. page size, page elements source and the time taken for loading), are recommended to tune-up their browsers with a Site Admin Kit from Sitevalley. It is our personal research, ran on the latest version of Mozilla Firefox with useful Firefox add ons, we picked for you.
Why So Slow? Checking Loading Speed With YSlow Firefox Addon
This question is usually asked by the site owners to their webmasters, who in turn ask the same question to their host’s support team. However, it is not always due to a hosting company not taking care of the server load or connectivity, it may also be a local ISP issue or… a resource intensity of the website, which requires more time to get loaded. Such sites usually include blogs and forums with a big number of posts and galleries with pictures. So, if you want to find out which end exactly the slowdown is taking place at, you may want to use the following addon:
YSlow Addon Loading Speed Report
YSlow addon is a small useful tool, which uses Yahoo!’s Smush.it service and is one of the top rated addons. It is installed on the right in the status bar and once being run, traces all the pages you load, providing the page size and telling the time it took to load.
What Is Stuffed There? Discovering Site Objects With AdBlock Plus Addon
The screen shot above shows, that the tested site is rather resource intensive, so no wonder it takes that much time to load. However, who said it cannot be optimized. Read the rest of this entry »
Picking the best FTP-client among FileZilla, FlashFXP and SmartFTP
Website management is mostly connected with content update. If a site was not made through a built-in site builder or by means of some script – the upload of updated content must be performed manually. Of course, control panels have file managers, which let a user upload/download the content through it. However, the speed is significantly lower; the interruptions of transfer are more likely to occur and actions on multiple files and folders are not always easy to carry out. What makes a really good alternative to data transfer over web (http transfer) is the use of FTP.
What is FTP
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) – is a network protocol used for copying data over the Internet. File transfer has a client-server architecture, where the server is a remote machine with FTP-server installed and available on its default port (21). In order to check the availability of FTP at your host, you may use the following command:
telnet %hostname% 21
The hostname may be either your domain name, or the name of your hosting server or its IP. Once you run the command, you will get a response of this kind:
220———- Welcome to Pure-FTPd [TLS] ———-
220-You are user number 2 of 50 allowed.
220-Local time is now 02:35. Server port: 21.
220-This is a private system – No anonymous login
220 You will be disconnected after 15 minutes of inactivity.
This tells you about the name of the FTP server installed and its settings – connection and timeout limits, authentication type. Since anonymous logins are not usually allowed, password authentication should be passed. Credentials for FTP-access are either same as for control panel or those, set during creation of a separate FTP-account under control panel. So, in order to connect to the server via FTP you should have a hostname, a port, a username, a password… and an FTP-client.
How FTP-clients Work
FTP-client is user-end software with interface, similar to the one of a file manager. This interface allows connecting to the server and operating with files with the help of mouse clicks, rather than shell commands. The transfer process is on-screen, so you can trace all the changes. Although the way FTP-clients work is same for all of them, each client has its own peculiarities, which may become decisive when considering the choice of FTP software.
Probably the most popular client in our review is FileZilla – an open source product, easily available for download. Beside this (rather important) benefit, FileZilla client is famous for its multi-platform support, as it can be installed on any OS.
Two other “Filezilla alternatives” – FlashFXP and SmartFTP – can be run on Windows only. Those clients are licensed, but both are available for a 30-days trial period, in full version. Although it may sound unfair to compare open source software to commercial one, this article is to help you choose exactly what you need, and to find out if a product is worth being purchased, before you actually add it to your shopping cart.
WHMAP and WHMCS Billing Software Comparison
Starting Your Own Reseller Business
Hosting reselling is one of the popular ways of running business on the Internet. One does not need to have many administration skills to run it, as the majority of serious tasks can be carried out with several clicks in the control panel. If a reseller sings up for a shared reseller hosting package, there is almost nothing for him to do, but creating his own packages and assigning newly setup resold accounts to them, as all the care of the server is taken by the host’s technical team. If a reseller is more seriously intended and would like to provide hosting for other resellers or hosts over a hundred of accounts or simply feels inconvenient due to the restrictions, set by his hosting provider, a VPS is a recommended platform to use. Although a Virtual Private Server may require more time and experience for administration, use of the control panel means should make it easier. If you are only starting your reselling business, it is essential to make a right choice of the hosting platform.
Billing Software Guarantees Efficient Management
No matter whether it is a simple shared reseller account or a VPS, whether you host ten or hundred accounts – you are to manage your business efficiently. User creation, invoice issuing, notification delivery and performance of other routine tasks should be automated. Otherwise you will spend more time on a drill, than on some creative work, like promotion of your project or development of your business strategy. When talking about automation we actually mean use of a billing software. Such software is installed on the server and gets bound with the server control panel.
Billing Integration Scheme
All actions performed through the billing system take immediate effect on the server. This occurs due to the execution of control panel scripts for account creation, suspension, etc, which are run from the software end.
Let us have a closer look at how it works. Your new client signs up for your services online. All those steps he or she goes through are connected with the database of your billing software, which in turn is connected with your control panel. As the steps are passed, the package is defined and the corresponding invoice is created. The last step is a redirection to the payment gateway to compete the transaction. If the payment is processed successfully, the invoice gets automatically cleared and the account is setup on the server. After that a so-called “Welcome Email” with all account details is sent to the new user. The database, both the user and the administrator share, contains all the account and client’s billing information, which can be modified from both ends. Access to the database is granted through the web-interface – admin and client area.
Bringing WHMAP and WHMCS face to face
Currently there are two most popular billing systems, widely used by resellers: WHM AutoPilot (WHMAP) and WHM Complete Solution (WHMCS). The product names derive from WHM – Web Host Manager – administrative interface of cPanel control panel. While WHMAP is compatible with cPanel only (and Plesk, if you choose the V3 release), WHMCS offers a wider range of supported control panels, namely: cPanel/WHM, DirectAdmin, Plesk, LXAdmin and several more.
WHMAP gained its popularity largely to the widespread use of cPanel. Although it has never been affiliated with cPanel/WHM, the hosting companies, which provide cPanel reseller hosting, usually offer free WHMAP licenses to their clients. AutoPilot product was released in 2002 and keeps being developed.
WHM Complete Solution is a more recent piece of billing software. It was started in 2005 as a narrowly specialized cPanel-oriented project. WHMCS developers soon felt a demand of other webhosts, which provided different control panels and made their software modular.
Regardless of the control panel, both systems get perfectly integrated to the website and completely meet users’ requirements.
Let us compare them to get a full picture of what they are like.
cPanel and DirectAdmin Hosting Control Panels Comparison
Web hosting control panel is a set of tools and interfaces designated to maintain and monitor a hosting account. On shared and reseller hosting plans such panels are installed and configured by a provider company. Depending on the type of VPS and Dedicated server, control panel software can be either pre-installed or be absent at all. The main advantage of using a control panel is the ability to control your account via a comfortable web based graphical user interface, which, in turn, means that you do not need to possess any knowledge of OS specific console commands to maintain your hosting. Control panels features normally include (but are not limited to):
- Viewing server logs
- Monitoring quotas usage (e.g. disc space, bandwidth, mail accounts, ftp accounts etc.)
- Working with e-mails (creation, modification, termination and checking of e-mail accounts, modification of MX records, autoresponders, forwarders and many more)
- Managing FTP accounts
- Managing domains, addon domains, subdomains and parked domains.
- Managing databases
- Collecting and viewing web statistics (e.g. visitors, pageviews etc.)
- Working with files of the hosting account (using a web based file manager)
A fast and feature rich webhosting control panel can significantly increase both productivity and quality of any online business or project. Webmasters obtain impressive management tools for performing most crucial administrative procedures for every day account operations with the help of it. In absence of an efficient hosting control panel every webmaster and user would need an extensive internet and OS administration training in order to effectively use their hosting accounts. There are many control panels these days (you can find a list of 4 famous ones at http://webhostingrating.com/articles/2009/12/4-most-influential-control-panels/ ), but not all of them are as popular and widely used as cPanel and Direct Admin. This is mostly due to the unique set of features and capabilities included in the latter two. Although cPanel has a Windows platform version as of today, both cPanel and DirectAdmin are normally regarded as Unix OS designated. Read the rest of this entry »
Boosting Up Blog Capabilities with Essential WordPress Plugins
In this post I would like to share some of the great WordPress plugins available today free of charge. As you probably know, there are thousands of plugins available today. It can be a tough goal to select the ones that not only perform the required actions, but also are stable and secure. In order to provide you with some kind of a starting point I have conducted a search for essential WordPress plugins. This is a sort of a recommendation review aimed at introducing available capabilities and helping you choose what suits you best.
I tried to introduce some order into the numerous plugins functionality descriptions and came up with the following purpose classification matrix:
Plugin purpose classification matrix
I have been looking for some great plugins for WP lately. In this post I would like to share the results of search for the essential WP plugins available today free of charge. The main idea was to find the most useful plugins using the minimalistic approach. What this means is that as there are literally hundred thousands of tools available nowadays only few of them are stable, efficient, comfortable and productive. So I set off to find the plugins that may be helpful both to me and all of you out there. So below is what I wound up with.
In order to introduce some order into the functionality descriptions of numerous plugins the following purpose classification matrix has been created:
I placed the useful plugins into groups according to this matrix. So let’s take a closer look…
Read the rest of this entry »
Google Wave Opinions and Tips
There is a huge number of articles available these days about Google Wave. Some of them describe various features that are yet to be and already are implemented in this astonishing new technology. What I would like to share in this post is our impressions from using Google Wave. Our Sitevalley team got sweet opportunity to get an invitation to use Wave Preview while it is still not freely available to everyone and for this we would like to thank Google a lot! From very start it was a big load of fun to play with waves and actually most features are still not clear enough for us. Here you will find a few feature reviews, some basics about the conception of Google Wave and several personal impressions we got when using it. I also attached a nice extension list and cool video for those who is starting to use Google Wave or is at least interested in doing so some time soon.
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