This latest incremental release extends WebBoard's message management feature by giving users the option to mark messages as "read" on a conference-by-conference basis. WebBoard 4.1 further incorporates solutions to various technical issues to meet the needs of the broadly diverse WebBoard user community.

"We introduced a lot of new functionality with the WebBoard 4.0 release. WebBoard 4.1 represents our best efforts to be responsive in as timely a manner as possible to valued feedback from our high-end customer base," says Gina Blaber, Director of O'Reilly's Software Products Division.

First released in 1997, WebBoard facilitates user-friendly Web-based conferencing, chat, and threaded discussions on virtually any Web site to foster increased repeat traffic and community building. WebBoard's scalable architecture and affordability suit a full range of Web enterprises. WebBoard's last major release in July 1999 built extensively upon customizing capabilities, adding support for multiple open scripting tools that enabled Web site administrators to visually and functionally alter their WebBoard discussion areas and operations, as well as NNTP support.

WebBoard leads the Web-based conferencing software market with more than 9,000 installations worldwide.

The WebBoard 4.1 upgrade is available online at webboard.oreilly.com as of November 29, as a free download for registered WebBoard 4.0 users.