Early look at Microsoft Web design tool

Microsoft released on Monday a free early version, or "community technology preview," of its Microsoft Expression Web Designer, used for building Web sites. It released early editions of the other two products in the Expression suite earlier this year. All three are expected to be completed early in 2007.

Microsoft is in the process of moving from one Web design tool, FrontPage, to two programs based on that technology--Expression Web Designer and Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer 2007. With the Expression line, it hopes to appeal to designers and illustrators with tools meant to make it easier for them to work with developers of back-end applications. Expression Web Designer will allow developers to build standards-based Web sites, and it will have close integration with Microsoft's ASP.NET 2.0 server software, Microsoft said.

[Jim Hubbard]

Late to the party again?

From what I've seen of it, it looks like a really killer suite (after some of the bugs get worked out - of course).

But, why so late? Developers (especially artistic developers) have been criticizing the pathetic web interfaces available with Frontpage, Visual Interdev and ASP for years.

They have a LONG way to go to catch up to Dreamweaver and Flash in terms of great web UIs.

Let's hope this Vista thing doesn;t delay this project even more.

[rmiecznik]

sharepoint

I've used sharepoint, and it is a waste of time from what I seen. my local college was given this software for free to test it by Microsoft, and none of the students use it, they laughted it off. Can't say anything about this other software, never seen it.