We are pleased to announce that we are offering Graffiti CMS as a part of an easy to install Application Pack available to all of our shared customers. Customers who install the a CMS on their site will be able to take advantage of Graffiti’s simplified content management system that brings together the best of proven CMS platforms and the convenience of modern publishing systems, like those found in blogs.

Here are some of the advantages of Graffiti:

     No need for a database! Well, that’s not entirely true, but Graffiti does implement VistaDB, which eliminates the need for a SQL server and connection information.

·         Easy Customization with the use of pre-existing themes or by creating your own theme using Chalk (http://graffiticms.com/support/advanced-options/)

·         Search engine friendly URL’s, Smart redirects, and structured content that will help take your sites rankings to the next level.

·         Graffiti CMS is built by Telligent (http://telligent.com/) the same people who developed Community Server (http://communityserver.com/) community platform used by companies like Microsoft and MySpace.com

Installation takes just a few clicks of the mouse using the application pack feature on your control panel’s domain menu.

Interview with the Developers (Windows Media Format)

Customers who sign up for any of our shared hosting plans will be able to immediately take advantage of Graffiti’s features.  Although Graffiti will execute under the Value Plus plan, we recommend you run it under a VS-1 if you are looking to use this application in a production environment. Click here to see some of our Knowledge Base articles on how to get started. It’s literally installed in about 3 clicks.

In the near future we plan on offering this as part of a “Software as a Service” (SaaS) hosting solution so be on the lookout for that.

Over the years, we often been coined as leading innovators in Windows Web Hosting and (my favorite): The Windows Hosting Experts. Our work with Windows Server 2008 is an example of just why we are considered as leaders. We started working with IIS7 in 2006 with the earliest betas of Longhorn (later to be called Windows Server 2008) and first introduced our customers to a beta version of IIS7 hosting on ‘LongHorn’ at the start of February last year.  Then we released Windows 2008 Dedicated Server Hosting back in November of last year and earlier this month we got the go-ahead to start offering Windows 2008 dedicated hosting using the RTM build and have quietly been promoting and deploying dedicated servers running the production version of Windows Server 2008 ever since. Today is the official launch of Windows Serer 2008 and soon the rest of the world will join in and follow suit but as leading innovators in the hosting Industry and the Windows Hosting Experts we are proud to be able to state we brought Windows 2008 Hosting to you, our E-Business Partners, in such a way that you had the opportunity to be among the first exposed to Windows Server 2008.

Today in Los Angeles, Steve Ballmer will keynote the global launch of Windows Server 2008. This event will be followed over the coming months with launch events all over the globe as well as a virtual launch experience.  You can learn more about the Launch events as well as register for a launch in your area at the heroes happen here website. 

With all the fanfare there are of course a few questions that have come up regarding Windows Server 2008 in a hosting environment and I thought I’d spend a little time discussing the most common questions here.

What are the different flavors of Windows Server 2008 and will you offer them?

There are currently five versions of Windows Server 2008 in the family: Enterprise, Datacenter, Standard, Web and Itanium. Each version except Itanium can support Server Core which is a reduced footprint installation of the OS.  Each version except Itanium and Web can support Hyper-V, Microsoft’s new Virtualization platform. 

Of course, each version is also available as a 64bit and 32bit operating system. It’s rumored that Windows Server 2008 will be the last Server OS to support 32bit

We currently support all versions of Windows Server 2008, except Itanium. All of our dedicated servers deployed today with Windows Server 2008 can support either the 32bit or 64bit version (available upon request).  Here’s an overview image of the different versions and the full details are available from the Microsoft website.

What’s new or updated in Windows Server 2008?

Microsoft has available a table detailing the different versions and what’s new or updated in each on available on their website. Below is a screen shot of this table.

How do the different versions of Windows Server 2008 Compare?

Below is a table outlining the different technical features and specifications of each version this is available from the Microsoft website.

Below is also a table showing the different server roles available in each version, also available from the Microsoft website.

Lastly, the image below shows the differentiated features in each version of Windows Server 2008, also available from the Microsoft website.

What’s this Hyper-V and why is there a with and a without version of Windows Server 2008?

Hyper-V is the new Virtualization technology from Microsoft, it’s currently in BETA and will not be fully released until mid-year 2008. We can install it upon request but the default install is without Hyper-V.

How much is each Windows Server 2008 license on a Dedicated Server?

This is the big question, just how much money is it going to cost! The good news is during the initial launch period we’re installing Windows Server 2008 Web Edition, FOR FREE!.  Afterwards current monthly pricing (which could change) is as follows:

• Windows Server 2008 Web Edition: $25
• Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition: $50
• Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition: $150
• Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition: $250

The recommended setup would be Web Edition for front-end servers (web servers) with Datacenter Edition for back-end servers (database servers, application servers). You’ll notice that pricing from 2003 to 2008 has changed considerably, in the past you were able to license a dedicated server with standard for about $25/month per CPU and now it’s $150/month per CPU and this change is hosting industry wide. The reason for the change is that the previous licenses were “un-authenticated” licenses and Microsoft has discontinued “un-authenticated” licenses. Because of this change all licenses are now licensed as “authenticated” and thus the higher price. It should be pointed out that authenticated licenses were always this much.  Because of this change in pricing we except to see more licenses of Web and Datacenter editions going forward.

What kind of promotions are you running?

With the launch of Windows Server 2008 we’ve created a very appealing bundle:

• A Dual Core Xeon based Dell Server with 1GB of memory and 2 160GB drives
• A Free SmarterTools Bundle ($500 Value)
• A Free license of Sharepoint Designer to all Windows Server 2008 Dedicated Server Customers
• Free Licensing of Windows Server 2008 Web Edition
• and A Free Month of hosting!

This package is priced at just $190/month.

Where can I learn more about Windows 2008 Dedicated Hosting?

You can learn more about our Windows Server 2008 Dedicated Hosting offering by going to our Windows Server 2008 Dedicated Server page. If you’re a developer and considering a new dedicated server, we recommend you review our Windows 2008 Developer Dedicated Hosting page. Finally, if you attend any of the launch events, you’ll receive a flyer in your bag of goodies with a link to our developer ready Windows Server 2008 dedicated hosting landing page.

When will we see Windows 2008 Shared hosting available?

We’re currently working on our roll out of production Windows Server 2008 shared hosting as we have been for the past year. Because Windows Server 2008 offers so many new features and capabilities we feel it would be an injustice to not offer as much of these features as possible with the initial launch and this has been the delay. Expect to see an announcement of Windows Server 2008 shared hosting in the coming days.

When will we see Windows 2008 VPS Hosting?

Unfortunately, this will most likely be a few months away, but should happen before the middle of the year. Since Hyper-V is still in beta and Windows Server 2008 is still relatively new there’s still a fair bit of work to be done.

What’s next?

This year is going to be a very exciting year for not only Applied Innovations but the entire web community. The release of Windows Server 2008 is bringing so much change to the hosting industry that we’re all extremely excited. Whether, you’re an ASP.NET developer, a PHP developer or just a web designer, 2008 is going to be a year dedicated to you and one you should be equally excited about.  My advice, stay tuned and as the technology evolves and is ready for production you can rest assured that Applied Innovations will be among the first to bring it to you.

The social software experts from Telligent released a new CMS officially yesterday, Graffiti CMS version 1.0. As a Telligent Partner, we’re pleased to be among the first hosts to announce support for Graffiti Hosting. All of our shared hosting plans are compatible with Graffiti CMS and provide all the features you should need to get up and running with a new Graffiti CMS based website.

Not Just Another Blog Engine!

When you first look at Graffiti you’re probably going to think “oh great, another blog engine… Just what we needed … NOT!”. However, truth be told, Graffiti is a great blogging engine, if that’s what you need. But Graffiti offers so much more than just a blogging engine.  Graffiti was actually developed to be a full content management system with even support for workflows, search engine optimized urls and content and built-in versioning (surprisingly, something many CMS’s lack today). In fact, the Graffiti website is built using Graffiti (dogfooding at it’s finest).

The image above is that of a test blog I was working on to make sure Windows Live Writer was fully supported (and it is) and to see just how easy it is to setup a new graffiti based site.

Getting Started with Graffiti at AppliedI.net

If you’re ready to take the plunge into Graffiti and test it out for your own website or blog here’s what you’ll need to make sure you have enabled on your site:

1. Support for ASP.NET 2.0 or later (remember, if your current website runs in ASP.NET 1.1, you’ll need to create a new website to run ASP.NET 2.0 you can only run one or the other on a particular site).

2. Virtual Directory Settings - If you plan to run Graffiti on a subfolder (perhaps for a blog) then you’ll want to set the folder it’s running in as an application using the virtual directory tool in the control panel. If you get stuck just email support and they’ll help you out.

That’s it! Graffiti doesn’t need any more than that to get up and running immediately, but as always if you get stuck, email our support team and they’re familiar with the application already and should be able to help you out of a jam pretty quickly.

Great Features in Graffiti

1. Optional support for MS SQL2005 or MySQL - By default Graffiti uses the VistaDB engine which a lightweight alternative to SQL server 2005 that you can just upload and run.  If you prefer to use MSSQL or MySQL though it’s fully supported and you can easily update your web.config to support either.

2. Search Engine URLS built-in - If you’re going to build a website today or write a blog you have to have search engine ready URLs. Graffiti makes it easy to enable this right from the start.

3. Ability to support 3rd party templates & plug-ins - Today applications need to be extendable, Graffiti is! There’s already a Graffiti Marketplace and it won’t be long before we start seeing more 3rd party plugins. I can’t wait to see some of my favorite wordpress themes migrated over (like Cutline, nudge, nudge)

4. Support for Windows Live Writer - Yes I love WLW, it’s the best blog editor I’ve used to date and it’s supported in Graffiti

5. Support for BlogML - All the top blog engines today are supporting BlogML either built-in or through 3rd party plugins. BlogML provides an XML markup for Blogs. This allows you to easily backup and restore your blog but even better it allows you an easy way to export and import your blog between different blog engines! Looking to switch from Wordpress to Graffiti? No Problem, use BlogML. Looking to go from BlogEngine.Net to Graffiti, Not a problem, BlogML!

6. It’s made by Telligent - These guys are simply awesome. Community server (their flagship product) powers some of the most popular and busy sites on the Internet, MySpace, Xbox.com, asp.net to name a few.  They understand social media, ASP.NET and Web 2.0 and know how to code for it.

7. There’s a free version! - Everyone wants to test the waters so Telligent is providing an Express version of Graffiti CMS for you to experiment with or run on your personal site. If you run a commercial site then they ask you to license it and licenses start at just $399 and comes with support from Telligent.

8. Block spam with Akismet - Today comment spam runs rampant on the Internet and all the best engines support Akismet. On our own blog it’s blocked over 20,000 spam messages since we launched the blog just a few months ago.

9. It’s not just for blogs.  With the proper templates it can be used for any type of site and there’s rumors of some e-commerce support? Very exciting stuff.

10. It can be hosted at AppliedI.net - Not only do we support it but to celebrate the launch, we’re offer 25% off your initial term with any shared hosting account. Just use the coupon code: graffiti and get 25% off your initial hosting term (sign up for a month get 25% off that first month, signup for a year get 25% off that first year!). I’d recommend starting with the VS-1 small business hosting plan but the ValuePlus Personal Hosting Plan works just as well when you’re just getting started.

Where to go next?

Sound good? Ready to kick the tires? Head over to www.graffiticms.com and download the express version of Graffiti. All of our plans support multiple websites so you can create a new site for it and publish it there or you can publish it to a subweb of your existing site. If you’re hosted somewhere else or want to start a new account, use the coupon code: graffiti and signup for new hosting here at www.appliedi.net. As I mentioned, if you get stuck getting started with Graffiti, just email support and we’ll help you get it running.

Oh, and we’d love to hear your feedback on this application.

Andre recently blogged about how many people are using wordpress as more than just a blog engine, they’re using it as a full blown content management system (CMS). I’m pretty well versed in Wordpress and what’s available for it and today I was looking around today for new themes and plug-ins we could integrate with the AppliedI One-Click Wordpress installer and came across a couple items that caught my attention, Mimbo an online magazine theme by Darren Hoyt and WP e-Commerce, an e-commerce solution for wordpress by Instinct Entertainment.

Creating your online magazine with Wordpress

Mimbo is a magazine-style Wordpress theme that makes use of the WP template tag system to create a very non-traditional layout. You can see a live demo of mimbo here to get a feel for just what it does out of the box.

On Darren’s blog you’ll see many posts of sites that are based on the Mimbo design. Here’s a few links to some of the sites that are mimbo powered:

• http://idahoforronpaul.com/
• http://tricvoice.medianewsonline.com/
• http://www.sakejournal.com/
• http://www.douglasturner.com/

So with wordpress, a theme like mimbo and a little creativity you should be able to launch a pretty impressive online magazine yourself.  Mimbo isn’t the only magazine style wordpress theme out there as there are a number of commercial solutions available too:

• http://www.wpremix.com ($$$)
• http://hyalineskies.com/wordpress/gridlock/ (FREE)
• http://sandbox.limpag.com/ (FREE)
• http://news.revolutiontheme.com/ ($$$)
• http://www.wp-magazine.com/ ($$$)

And that’s just a sampling of the vast number of magazine style themes out there for wordpress. Not to mention the thousands of other themes available.

Creating your Wordpress powered online store with WP e-Commerce

Let’s face it, the Internet has completely changed the way today’s consumer shops and has made virtually every brick and mortar store with an online store an International business.  E-Commerce is here to stay and as technology changes and evolves so does E-Commerce.  Enter, the Web 2.0 era of E-Commerce, blogs/CMS applications merging with shopping carts.

WP e-Commerce is a new plugin for wordpress that allows you to e-commerce enable your wordpress powered website.  WP e-Commerce is available as both a free version (for personal use), an upgraded version (GOLD version, $15) and a business class solution ($250).  For the features you get, even at $250, it’s a reasonably priced product.

Here’s a quick run down of the features:

• New - Search Engine Friendly URLs / Permalinks (latest RC)
• New - Marketing options under shop options (latest RC)
• New - Members Only Module
• Customizable pagination for product listing
• Unlimited products & categories
• AJAX powered Sliding Shopping Cart
• Shop front highlighting for newly added products
• AJAX powered Web 2.0 DropShop - additional gold module
• Grid View - additional gold module
• Fancy AJAX Alerts on Add to Cart
• Purchase history for logged in users
• New and improved Audio Player Module for selling MP3 files
• Chinese Language file
• Share this / Digg Product social networking promo tools
• Downloadable CSV files
• Detailed Purchase Log & Filters
• Configurable Tax settings including USA & Canada
• PayPal IPN
• URL linking to products and images
• – Next version
• RSS product feed widget
• Google Cart

Best of all, WP e-Commerce can integrate into your wordpress based site as either separate pages or widgets and the available widgets currently include:

• AJAX Shopping Cart Widget
• Categories & Brands Widget
• Donations Widget
• Product Specials Widget

A few sites based off of WP e-Commerce include (this list was taken from their website and may change at any time):

• www.orangutan-appeal.org.uk
• www.tabletalk.com
• www.imagecubes.com
• www.koloroo.com
• Eden Ripley
• Ochblog
• Crafty Designs
• Standard Electronics

Best of all, the installation of WP e-Commerce couldn’t be easier, upload the plug-in, enable it and configure it. That’s it.

I can see WP e-Commerce being used by people selling online e-books or audio files, subscription based services, donations, merchandise (it includes the ability to assign attributes like size, color, etc to products) and any number of simple e-commerce needs. So if you’re looking for a low cost, easy to use e-commerce solution and already have a wordpress enabled site or plan to use wordpress, give WP e-Commerce a peek. It may not have the features and functionality of the larger, more expensive solutions but for the price, it packs a pretty nice punch.

I encourage you to visit the WP e-Commerce site and experiment with it today.

It was previously mentioned that I was attending the ASP.NET connections / DotNetNuke OpenForce conference in Las Vegas last week, I returned this week and must say I am extremely excited about everything I saw and all the people I spoke with while in Las Vegas and this blog post is an overview of what I saw or experienced out there.

A little about DotNetNuke

If you’re not familiar with DotNetNuke, it’s an open-source content management system (CMS) that is extremely popular. In fact, at the conference Shaun Walker (father to DotNetNuke) stated that the dotnetnuke.com community has reached over 500,000 users and I forget the exact number but it was something like 4,000,000+ downloads. Also announced OpenForce was the availability of DotNetNuke 4.7 (and if you’re planning hosting dotnetnuke at appliedi.net, don’t worry our one-click installer was already upgraded to 4.7).

Today website builders like our own free sitebuilder are commonly used by novice internet users that want to build a website without learning HTML. A CMS like DotNetNuke evolves the sitebuilder and I suppose would be the Web 2.0 equivalent of yesterday’s website builder. With DotNetNuke (or almost any other CMS) you’re able to assign multiple users roles to your site and allow them control over specific areas of the site so that they can edit or maintain the content in that one area.  You add to that the extensibility of hundreds of free and paid templates/skins for dotnetnuke and hundreds of modules for everything ranging from a guestbook to a full blown e-commerce application (like aspdotnetstorefront) that are just simple click and deploy applications and you start to see the power of DotNetNuke. Want to change your site’s look and feel? Just change the template. All the content remains the same but the look is completely different.  Want to add a forum to your site? Just enable the built in forums or purchase one of the 3rd party forum modules and all your users are already enabled and can begin posting immediately.

DotNetNuke is definitely an exciting application and one we’re proud to have hosted and supported on our platform since it’s inception.

A little about the DotNetNuke OpenForce 2007

Tom from seablickconsulting has a pretty good day by day review of all three days at DNN OpenForce and they can be viewed here:

• DNN OpenForce 07 Day 1
• DNN OpenForce 07 Day 2
• DNN OpenForce 07 Day 3

In fact, Tom’s blog is really chock full of DNN information so I highly recommend subscribing to it.

Expect many more DNN related blog articles to come from us in the coming weeks and a few very exciting DNN related announcements.