Plain Black Corporation: Debuts WebGUI 7.6 featuring improved survey builder, new comparison chart generator

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Bret Coons

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Leading Open Source Web Content Management System (CMS) Now Also Offers Point-of-Sale Cash Register Plus Ability to Upload Photos Using Apple iPhone

MADISON, WI – (February 10th, 2009) – Plain Black Corporation, maker of the open source content management system WebGUI®, today announced the release of WebGUI 7.6, its latest version, featuring a number of improvements that add value and convenience to the task of Web site content maintenance. Leading the list of new capabilities is an improved survey builder that makes it simple to create in-depth, easy to complete user surveys, as well as a new matrix application that helps site managers generate item/topic comparison charts that can be dynamically updated in real time.

Other improvements in WebGUI 7.6 include a new point-of-sale capability in the application’s Shop area that provides cash register functions; a Web photo plug-in that allows users to directly upload photos to their Web site repository from an Apple iPhone; and a new Account Manager that supports the creation of customized social networking applications and Web sites. A number of fixes, usability enhancements and security upgrades have also been added.

“As most everyone knows, richness and interactivity are essential elements of Web site effectiveness,” said Tavis Parker, vice president of marketing for Plain Black Corporation. “WebGUI 7.6 offers a wealth of new capabilities that make it easier to create and maintain exciting, interactive and content-rich Web sites that also meet the sponsor’s programmatic needs. This new version reflects the interests of our worldwide user base and has been carefully evaluated for reliability and ease-of-use.”

WebGUI, introduced in 2001, is one of the most popular open source Web CMS solutions in the world. Freely available for download at http://www.webgui.org, the modular, customizable and highly secure system is in daily use at many Global 1000 companies as well as a number of government and non-profit agencies. WebGUI makes it easy to sell merchandise, offer subscription services, publish articles, conduct surveys, manage events, track projects and much more; it also can be easily installed and learned by non-technical users in minutes.

Dynamic Charts, Surveys

The new features in WebGUI 7.6’s improved survey engine place it at the forefront of commercially-available survey builders. Users can easily create multiple choice, rating scale, and open-response questions, with results quickly tabulated for analysis. To make surveying more enjoyable for respondents, the engine reports progress and time remaining.

Comparison charts, another major new capability, can be designed for competitive product or feature matrixes, service comparisons, issue evaluations and more. The chart generator supports AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript And XML) for faster dynamic loading of chart information, and includes improved search capabilities for quick harvesting of data. The Matrix comparison charts have become famous in the content management world, as they power CMSMatrix.org, the internet’s leading research site for content management products. CMS Matrix will be upgraded with the new Matrix application shortly.

On-Location Advantages

To make it possible to immediately upload photos to a WebGUI-powered site anytime and from anywhere, Version 7.6 offers a plug-in for the Apple iPhone. Administrators no longer need to visit their Web site to add new photos; with a single click, photos can be placed into the Gallery for display on the Web. There is also a plug-in for Apple’s ubiquitous iPhoto application for Mac, which allows uploading of entire albums of photos right from your computer.

The new iPhoto capability also let users rotate photos, add captions, eliminate red eye, and otherwise manipulate the picture before uploading. Plain Black is currently preparing a plug-in for Google Picasa that will give Linux and Windows users the ability to directly upload to a WebGUI Gallery from their PCs.

WebGUI also makes selling merchandise and services more convenient with the enhanced Shop area. A point-of-sale capability has been added that allows authorized users to operate a virtual cash register; the capability is especially handy at on-site events such as concerts and trade shows, where tickets, souvenirs and other goods are sold directly to attendees.

Social Networking

Finally, WebGUI 7.6 includes a new pluggable Account Manager framework for customizing the account system. Via the framework, developers can quickly build social networking applications and Web sites; the interface is tabbed so that users can update profile settings, send and receive messages, manage purchases, view contributions made to the site and more.

Because the framework is pluggable, developers can add new functionality to support custom apps, or turn off components that aren’t appropriate to their site.

Availability

Like all versions of the product, WebGUI 7.6 can be customized to reflect specific operator needs. Plain Black Corporation is available on a contract basis for tailored programming or to host sites and applications. WebGUI user training is also available online or at the user’s location. WebGUI 7.6 is now available to users at no cost. To download the application log on to http://www.getwebgui.com; for more information about Plain Black professional development or services, email sales@plainblack.com or visit http://www.plainblack.com.

About Plain Black Corporation:

Plain Black Corporation develops the open source content management system WebGUI, and provides professional services related to the project. WebGUI is used to power Web sites and intranets for thousands of companies and organizations across the globe. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, Plain Black is privately-owned. Visit http://www.plainblack.com or http://www.webgui.org for more information.

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