Microsoft offers Web, content design tool betas

24.01.2006
Microsoft Corp. Tuesday released public beta versions of two of the three applications comprising its upcoming Expression suite of Web and content design software.

The company released a fourth community technical preview (CTP) of Expression Graphic Designer, a painting and illustration tool, and its first CTP version of Expression Interactive Designer, formerly code-named Sparkle, which also helps designers and developers work together to build 3-D animation and graphics.

Along with Expression Web Designer, the Expression suite works natively with eXtensible Application Markup Language (XAML) code. Graphics created with the software can be exported as XAML code that developers can use to build dynamic applications.

That should speed up workflow between designers and developers, said Scott Stanfield, CEO of Vertigo Software Inc., a Richmond, Calif. software developer, and eliminate the need for designers to use separate applications such as Macromedia Fireworks or Adobe Photoshop. 'I'm generally pretty jaded about this stuff, but Microsoft is blazing some new ground here,' said Stanfield.

Expression and its use of XAML code is one aspect of the Windows Presentation Foundation, a new framework for creating user interfaces in desktop and Web applications.

'People tend to confuse this as being just pretty adornment,' said Forest Key, director of product management at Microsoft. 'In fact, this will matter a lot to consumers and business users.'