Well its a learning experience ... it gets easier

Will be installing a shop module shortly on one of the CMSMadeSimple sites I'm doing (freebie site unfortunately so could be a week+ before I get around to doing that)

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Forbairt Media | Web Design & Development Galway / Dublin, Ireland - coming soon ... ( vague but descriptive isn't it )
Recent Work: Safari Club African Safari Holidays - South Africa Safaris
Other Stuff: FluffyLinkulator Rapid Inclusion Service Tools

Hi There,

Personally I find Joomla the best CMS. If you have not used it before it will take you some time to get to grips with it. Nevertheless it is very powerfull and there are a great selection of comonents and modules you can install.

One of the longest tasks is customising stuff and you might even have to go into code in some cases and delete or add some lines. It depends on how custom you want the installation.

Its pretty easy to get started just have a clean public html folder, download the installation and upload it to the folder. Once its downloaded just enter the web address and you will start the installation. Make sure you have a free MYSQL data base on your server before you start. It does all the data base work for you so this is good. In some cases however you might have to set up the data base prior to installing.

Check out my site its powered by Joomla. If you need any advise give me a shout.

Regards

James

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CompanyHotSeat.com - The Free Irish Business Directory http://www.companyhotseat.com/

I'm going to disagree with the consensus here and say that I think you could use something as simple as Wordpress to achieve what you are after.

I don't know how good CMSmadesimple is, I just know I haven't used it and it doesn't fit with the requirements of my websites.

Reasons to use Wordpress.

1.) You can install a gallery plugin which is perfect for showcasing bikes.
2.) Wordpress interface is extremely user centric (no Joomla mumbo jumbo lingo).
3.) Wordpress is easier to template than Joomla (personal opinion).
4.) Wordpress is easy to upgrade - unlike Joomla.

Of course if you are willing to buy a commercial CMS I could suggest a much better solution(s).

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Adwords Qualified Individual | Search Engine Marketing Consultant | Web Analytics (Google) Expert | Web Designer (XHTML / CSS)

Datsun 240z 260z Club of Australia
Classic Japanese Cars

open source CMS + pay for hosting + learning curve time = X

commercial product = (CMS - learning curve) + hosting = Y

if X > Y then buy the commercial product!

it will save you loads of time and time = money

For example:
Build a Website - Create a Blog - Squarespace
- the basic package is 8 USD; includes the hosting, the CMS, all the goodies- and that's alot cheaper than many hosting packages.

Look at the demo:
Build a Website - Create a Blog - Squarespace

From a developers and users view you will still have to learn both X and Y's capabilities and how to use them = time.

With X there is likely to be an OPEN forum with thousands of users all supporting one another and providing additional services. = Big X+

Where as Y is as it comes - but full stop!..oh and it just cost you money

While that product (nice sales pitch) initially looks nice, the devil is in the detail.. I was just looking for the forum where its users where talking more.....but didn't find it ;(

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JSWeb - Affordable Friendly eCommerce