Do you see a link between Magento and a fantasy tabletop role-playing game “Dungeon & Dragons”? Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? Nevertheless, they are connected. Today we are going to relax, so that’s why we’ve prepared a list of unusual facts about Magento that Wikipedia won’t show you.
Fact #1
Magento = eCommerce and eCommerce = Magento. People search the word “Magento” more frequently than the word “Ecommerce”. It’s not a surprise because of its world recognition. Magento has accredited developers from 73 different nations. We should note, that only 11 of those have more than 100 certified developers. Still not convinced of its popularity? Let’s move to the next point!
Fact #2
Do you know how many sites operate on Magento? Currently, there are more than 200.000 of active websites operating on Magento. According to Alexa.com, Magento holds a market share of 19.64% in the highest ranking 1 million websites. It means Magento platform is recognized by some of the most profitable websites such as Nike, Ford, Coca-Cola and Samsung.
Fact #3
The most expensive Magento extension is SAP ERP integration. It costs 25.000 €. This extension allows to synchronize all the transaction data between SAP and Magento. SAP ERP is an enterprise resource planning software developed by the German company SAP SE.
Fact #4
Despite being a U.S. private company, 99.9% of Magento was developed in Ukraine. Can you believe it?
Let’s delve into the history for a bit. Varien, Inc was owning Magento in 2007. Yoav Kuttner, the former Varien chief technology officer, wanted to establish an LA-based inhouse team instead of searching for remote developers. His plan didn’t come true because of an aspiring letter from Ukraine.
A young programmer was willing to work for them. The Ukrainian coder impressed Kuttner so much, that he wanted to meet him in Kiev. In Kiev, the coder introduced other PHP developers and the decision was made. Varien Inc. established the first Magento development office in Ukraine.
Fact #5
It’s time to answer the question “What connects Magento and D&D?”. During 2007 the platform was called Bento. In the same year a legal conflict over this name arose. So, Varien Inc. had to change it.
People think it got its name after the color magenta. It sounds convincing because it was a brand color for some time. Another common theory is that Magento is named after Magneto. Magneto is a small electric generator or – for some – an X-Men character. We think, it is the least likely version of its name.
So, why is Magento called Magento? We want to believe that the answer is magic! The developers of the platform were inspired by tabletop RPG “Dungeon and Dragons”, especially by mages. Mage is a wizard from the fantasy roleplaying games. The developers simply blended the words “Mage” and “Bento” forming Magento. Of course, it may be just another legend, but this version sounds awesome.
We hope you’ve never heard about these facts. If you can add more interesting facts ─ leave a comment. If you want to find out more Magento articles, coding and eCommerce tips, visit our eCommerce blog.
