Miva Merchant, Miva Empresa and Miva Script Compiler

[Back to FAQ Table of Contents]

			What is Miva Merchant, Miva Empresa and Miva Script Compiler?
	Miva Merchant Miva Merchant is a dynamic browser based storefront development and management system that allows merchants to create multiple online stores from anywhere in the world where there is internet access. Miva Merchant has a complete set of wizards to simplify the process of building your store. The browser based administration interface provides access to an array of more sophisticated tools to maintain your catalog. Upsell merchandising and order fulfillment are included. And Miva's modular architecture enables you with deep-down customization for your storefront. Miva Empresa Miva Empresa installs on most Unix and Windows web servers and enables the server with XML based Miva Script, commerce processing and database. Miva Script applications running under Miva Empresa execute in a sandboxed data and runtime environment. Special virtual domain and shared server features let busy site administrators create per user and per domain runtime environments. Miva Script Compiler Miva Script runs more efficiently in a compiled environment. Code running on the virtual machine does not need to be parsed each and every time the application is executed - it is already in a format that the machine can understand, resulting in enormous performance gains. Compiling does much more than tokenization or other minor speed improvement techniques. Additionally, because each and every line of code is parsed in advance by the compiler, you will eliminate the possibility of syntax errors at runtime.

			Do you still offer Miva Order?
	Yes, conditionally! CybrHost discontinued offering Miva Order in November 2002. However we still have several unused Miva Order Licenses. So we will offer Miva Order until we run out of licenses. If you wish to use Miva Order, select our SSL-Enabled Professional Hosting Plan. When you order, write in the Notes section of the order form, to install Miva Order.

			Why do I get a, "File is either corrupt or..." error when uploading a, unzipped, merchant.mvc file?
	Whilst uploading a, previously unzipped, compiled file (e.g. oui.mvc, displaywizpro.mvc, etc.), and you receive an error similar to: "Runtime error in 4.16/admin.mvc @ [0000000a:000000d2]: Line 2134: MvDO: Unable to open '/Merchant2/4.16/MIVA_FUP00000001': File is either corrupt or not a valid compiled Miva Script file" "I'll bet you are using a Mac!", recently stated Darren Ehlers. He was so right! Stuffit corrupts zip files when unzipped on a Mac OSX-v10.2.2 (Jaguar) system. And, when purchasing third-party modules they are typically provided via a zip file! For those Mac users, we can think of three ways to get unzipped files for upload: You can upload the zip file to your CybrHost server and run the TELNET/SSH command: unzip some_filename.zip Once the file is unzipped, download all of the unzipped files to your Mac. Use a PC to unzip the file, or find a friend who can unzip the file on a PC for you. Contact the module designer and ask them to send you the unzipped files. Once you have good, unzipped, files you can proceed to upload those files through your Merchant Administration upload facility.

			Were there any problems building the CybrHost Compiled Store?
	Creating an all new store was the final phase of our web site redesign which began on November 1, 2002. We began the store design on Dec 21, 2002. It was a quiet period and when we began we had no idea if we would encounter any major obstacles. Miva's, Merchant email list, which is an excellent resource for Merchant information, allowed us to monitor the overall progress of the module developers and bug issues. A significant portion of the 3rd party modules had been converted to run under the compiler and, with release of the Virtual Machine 4.06, the compiler had finally reached a stability. We brought up a new temporary site on our Athlon XP2400 2GHz dedicated server and loaded a fresh copy of Merchant 4.16. We did not want to attempt an upgrade from 4.12 due to the number of reported problems on the Merchant email list. The first module installed was OUI ($20 from MvCool.) We had found with our 4.12 store that OUI was an essential must have. The next module installed was the Display Wizard Pro by Luray Williams ($44.95.) Since we had no desire to re-enter all of our basic store data (products, attributes , and categories) we installed two additional Design Extend modules including the attribute and category import/export modules ($35.00) which allowed us to export the data from the old store and import that data into the new store. Since we have several products that are no charge additions and changes, we added Luray Williams' Price Wizard Pro ($44.95), and Crosstown Traffic's no weight display and IP address reporting modules ($12.00). And, we wish to thank Darren Ehlers who wrote a custom OUI module to remove display page hard breaks. The total time required to bring up the store such that it matched the design of our HTML-based web site took three weeks. We are pleased with the look and feel of our new store and, more importantly the speed! The compiled Merchant runs at least 2-1/2 times faster that our earlier store. Compiled Merchant is superior to earlier versions and is certainly ready for Prime Time!