Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Microsoft Drops Another Freebie - WebMatrix (Beta)

Microsoft has unleashed yet another public beta (and yet another new product name).

WebMatrix arrived late yesterday as part of Microsoft's Web Platform delivery system but also as a direct download via it's own new webpage.

WebMatrix is a suite of products for web development that combines a new easy-to-use interface with other products already available in the web platform including Visual Studio 2010 Express and SQL Server 2008 R2.

The program is a combination of existing blogging platforms, templates, WYSIWG web editing tools and  more than a few nifty scripts.  The WebMatrix front end makes it easier for non-coders.

Two caveats before heading for this Free checkout counter .....

1) It is still a Beta (IE: If you're nervous about this kind of stuff, don't do it ?)
2) On a system with fairly decent resources, it could take up to a half hour to install, as the ASP .Net 4 Framework and other necessary files are needed before use.

You can read (lots more) about Microsoft WebMatrix here before you decide if you want to try it.  The Microsoft Web Platform site (if you haven't used it previously) can be found here.

Important: If this is your first install of Web Platform 3.0, you should log on occasionally using the Web Platform Installer (IE: not Windows Update) for the latest performance enhancements, product additions and fixes, after installation and occasionally thereafter.