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Open Source apps on Windows - made easy!

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Today we launched the new Microsoft.com/Web website for web developers and web professionals. This new site not only aggregates the latest news and advances in the web development community, but it also provides a home for the new Microsoft Web Platform Installer Beta (Web PI) and the Microsoft Web Application Installer Beta (Web AI).

The Web PI aims to replace the days of tedious searches for product installs and updates. Now, in one quick install, users will be able to download all the tools they need to get a Windows server box ready for hosting or get the software they need to start building web apps. Currently, the Web PI installs the .NET Framework 3.5 SP1, IIS7.0 and Extensions, IIS FastCGI, Visual Web Developer 2008, SQL Server 2008 Express, SQL Server Management Studio, ASP.NET MVC and Silverlight Tools. We are also working on making it easier to get up and running with some of the web’s most popular open-source and .NET community applications through The Web Application Installer. The beta release will include DotNetNuke, Drupal, Gallery, Graffiti, osCommerce, PHPBB, and Wordpress. New applications will be evaluated and added to the Web AI Gallery regularly. Together, Web PI and Web AI give users the tools they need to build and run web solutions on the Microsoft Web Platform.

We've gotten a lot of feedback about the challenges involved with getting the platform, the perplexity of knowing which products are needed and the general interoperability with web technologies. We are trying to clear up that confusion and to improve how the Platform works with the languages and applications and that power the Web today. The launch of /Web and the Web PI and Web AI is a step in the right direction. The Microsoft Web Platform is a comprehensive, powerful and flexible set of tools and technologies for web professionals. We’re making it easier to get started working with the Web and that’s a good thing.

Visit the new Microsoft.com/Web to learn more about our Web platform and download both the Web PI and Web AI. Get it, use it and tell us what you think. We’d love to hear feedback on how we can make the Microsoft Web Platform better.