Web Log

Laposa is delighted to announce its latest Onxshop release, providing major updates to the Onxshop framework. Version 1.5 of this release provides many new features, new backoffice theme "Lion", improved stability and better performance.

To download source code or packages to install, go to the Onxshop download page. The Changelog lists more detail about the changes. Note that this changelog is incomplete. For a complete list of changes please browse the Git logs.

We are proud to highlight, that Onxshop CSS/HTML framework is now so stable, that it was simply extended by built-in four, five and six columns layout. Your old website projects require no reviews of your CSS code before upgrading. However, the changes to database and configuration files require minor upgrading. For instructions follow the upgrade notes.

This release comes with a brand new APT repository for Debian Squeeze and Ubuntu Lucid Lynx. To quickly review of this new version, test drive the Onxshop Cloud (β).

Belfast - London - Paris - Ballyclare - Prague - Holice - New York

A Belfast web development firm is celebrating after one of its websites received a top award from Google.

Laposa Ltd, based in Howard Street, created the JING Tea website, which recently won Google’s Best of British Web competition.

The website is designed and managed on the Onxshop content management and eCommerce system, which was created in-house by Laposa.

The competition was judged by a panel of experts based on several criteria, including web design, usability and content.

The company’s Czech-born lead developer Norbert Laposa said: “It is a great honour that one of our websites has been recognised by Google.

“We always aim to create sites that our clients are happy with, but for it also to be recognised by industry experts as best practice in the sector is particularly pleasing.”

Onxshop does have Northern Irish clients, but the majority of its users are based in England. The system is already in use on around 40 business websites, and other sites - including the Waitrose website - were built using Onxshop.

Norbert is hoping that the emergence of a local e-commerce platform will encourage more local businesses to expand their business online.

He added: “Northern Ireland businesses have been a bit slower to recognise the potential of selling online. With Onxshop, Northern Ireland can take the lead in e-commerce software development not only in the UK, but also worldwide.

“It is a relatively low cost way for retailers to expand their business and a great way for new businesses to enter the market.”

Onxshop’s combined CMS and e-commerce package provides one of the simplest options currently available on the web for combining traditional website content management and selling online.

Editor’s notes

Onxshop is an e-commerce content management system, which is free for web developers to download and use in their own projects and is also available in hosted packages from Laposa Ltd.

The Onxshop platform has been operating since 2002. In that time it has processed more than 50,000 e-commerce transactions worth more than £1.5 million.

Google’s Best of British Web competition was launched in May this year. A judging panel selected the UK’s best small business websites from seven industry sectors: travel, transport, professional services and B2B, health and beauty, hospitality, retail, and trade and manufacturing. JING Tea’s website won in the retail category.

Onxshop, a CMS and e-commerce package created for web developers, is now available for free download following its open source launch.

The newly released system from Belfast-based Laposa Ltd provides one of the simplest options currently available on the web for combining traditional content management and an eCommerce store.

It was made available for free download last month after almost a decade of use on the web projects of its creator Norbert Laposa.

The platform has been operating since 2002. In that time it has processed more than 50,000 e-commerce transactions worth £1.5 million.

Norbert explained: “The product is stable and has been functioning successfully for several years. It continues to be in active development and I will be providing regular updates.

“Onxshop uses state of the art web design principles, such as Fibonacci based layout, semantic HTML and CSS, and progressive enhancement.”

The platform aims to provide a framework that web professionals can put their own design stamp upon, but also a common-sense system for end users.

While experts can easily alter the CSS to create their own designs, at its simplest level the system offers a series of professional multi-column layouts and content building blocks for easy insertion of rich text, photo galleries, HTML and much more.

The Onxshop system is already in use on around 40 business websites and other sites, including the Waitrose HTML and CSS templates, were built using Onxshop.

Norbert is now eager for other developers who find Onxshop useful to contribute to the source code.

He added: “We are a small company, so it’s a very good opportunity for others to jump on the wagon. We’re not a big corporation. People can deal directly with me, the main developer, and get support from me.

“We want to listen to what people think about the system and make any changes that are going to improve Onxshop as an open source CMS.”

Try Onxshop for yourself by downloading it from http://onxshop.com/download or try the online demo at http://onxshop.com/demo.