Author Archives: Clive Sweeting

Exporting data from Magento

Posted on August 9, 2010

Often when using web applications it’s quicker to export any required data directly from the database using SQL queries. Magento e-Commerce is a very different beast, due to the fact that much of the important data is stored using the … Continue reading →

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iPhone 4? Get your free bumper here…

Posted on August 8, 2010

Apple have finally announced how iPhone 4 owners can go about claiming their free ‘bumper’ to help solve those pesky reception problems. Just install an app and say “yes please!” http://www.apple.com/uk/iphone/case-program/ Continue reading →

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Finally – the death of PHP4…

Posted on August 6, 2010

Wordpress 3.2 will only be supported on servers running PHP 5.2 What does this mean for the evolution of PHP as a language? Continue reading →

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What is the keychain?

Posted on July 30, 2010

I’ve lost count of the number of times Mac technical support customers have asked me what the keychain is. It’s a very simple concept. Fundamentally it’s a place for you to store passwords so that applications, such as your email … Continue reading →

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SEO basics – choosing good urls for higher Google position

Posted on July 27, 2010

Search engines use incredibly complex algorithms to calculate what pages should be returned when you search for a given term. The exact algorithms are closing guarded secrets, but search engine optimisation experts have been able to infer some basics rules … Continue reading →

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How to avoid ruining your MacBook, iPhone, iPod or iPad batteries

Posted on July 23, 2010

I frequently get asked “how long can expect my MacBook/iPhone/iPod battery will last for before I need to buy a new one?” And I helpfully reply depends on how you care for it. Lithium batteries are used in almost all … Continue reading →

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10 essential and free Mac applications…

Posted on July 22, 2010

Everyone likes lists. So I thought I would create my own list of the 10 free or ‘donationware’ Mac applications that I would miss badly if I lost them. So here we go, in no particular order… ClamAV – Free … Continue reading →

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The Apple cash juggernaut continues…

Posted on July 21, 2010

Despite the backlash publicity that seems to be following the iPhone 4 signal strength scare, Apple keeps piling on the record quarters of growth. This is mostly down to the massive growth in sales of iOS devices like the iPhone, … Continue reading →

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Using code hints in Magento e-Commerce templates…

Posted on July 21, 2010

When you’re using a complex web application like Magento or WordPress it’s a real struggle to remember all the functions, classes and methods that are available to you in the template files. And this means endless trips back to the … Continue reading →

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Enforced discipline when creating Magento Themes

Posted on July 20, 2010

Magento is a beast of an eCommerce platform. It has a rigid set of conventions for the location and name of your theme files. And your theme should never overwrite any of the base installation that Magento creates. So how … Continue reading →

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