How We Built It:
A Word from Our Designers…

Built from scratch using PHP5 (the programming language) and MySQL 5 (the database backend). The code is written using object interfaces with an abstraction layer that allows custom code to easily be inserted on a per-site basis. Site pages are generated using a custom template engine to simplify updates, and are completely separate from the actual code.

The engine is built as a hosted application - meaning it sits on up2speed's server and the application as a whole is leased to the site owner - and is fully managed by up2speed.  Software updates, feature enhancements, backups, and server reliability are all handled by up2speed as part of the monthly fee.

The administration is built using AJAX (asynchrony JavaScript and XML), so it is easy to use, interactive, and feature-rich.

The cart’s front end code is built using standards compliant CSS(P) and XHTML.  Using a CSS(p) layout allows for ultimate flexibility with minimal turnaround time. Through CSS(P), presentational markup is separate from content.  This means leaner and cleaner code which loads faster, uses less bandwidth (monthly savings on hosting) and offers maximum design flexibility.