Microsoft Expression Web

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CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
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Product summary

The good: Microsoft Expression Web design software supports XHTML, XML, CSS, and W3C accessibility standards; integrates with Expression Studio and Visual Studio.

The bad The bad: Microsoft Expression Web lacks FrontPage's help for design beginners; is expensive; offers limited tech support; supports Windows only.

The bottom line: Microsoft Expression Web is a solid Web site layout program that replaces FrontPage and offers tools for dynamic designs, although we'd like more help for newbies.

Specifications: License type: License; Min Operating system: Microsoft Windows Server 2003 SP1 or later, Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista; Min processor type: Intel Pentium 700, 700 MHz; See full specs

Price range: $299.99

CNET editors' review

Reviewed by: Elsa Wenzel
Reviewed on: 05/21/2007

Microsoft may not be the first name that comes to mind when it comes to digital design. With its rollout of Expression software, however, the company is vying to win over users of Adobe Dreamweaver and other tools such as Namo WebEditor. The $299 Expression Web, which replaces FrontPage, is the Web design application in Microsoft's new lineup.

To run Expression Web, you should have Windows XP SP2 or Windows Server 2003 SP1 or newer, or the new Windows Vista. Make sure to check the ReadMe section of Microsoft's Web site before installation, as you may have to add Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and uninstall any beta versions of Microsoft Office 2007. A trial download of Expression Web is available at CNET Download.com.

We spent about 15 minutes installing Expression Web. Once you have the program running, you can choose from a variety of templates to get started with a personal or professional Web site. We like that Expression Web includes templates for CSS designs as well as ASP.NET forms. Expression Web will also open an existing Web site or import one via FrontPage extensions, FTP, HTTP, or WebDAV. However, Dreamweaver CS3 does offer more template choices.

Expression Web looks a lot like Dreamweaver. When you insert an image, Expression Web prompts you to add "alt" tags to ensure that your page meets the latest accessibility standards.

The interface of Expression Web looks significantly similar to that of Dreamweaver. You can view code or design, or both. Page views, folders, tools and other elements are divided into panes that you can dock and drag and drop nearly anywhere on the screen.

Anyone migrating from Dreamweaver should be able to jump right in and use Expression Web without much effort. If you breathe dynamic Web design, then Expression Web offers solid features for managing XHTML, Cascading Style Sheets, and XML. Expression Web is even less cluttered than Dreamweaver in this regard. We found it easy to move the same Web pages between both programs without causing problems in the code. Plus, Expression Web supports W3C accessibility standards for designing pages for people with disabilities--a must-have for those creating business Web sites.

See more CNET content tagged:: Macromedia Dreamweaver,; Microsoft FrontPage,; CSS,; Adobe Systems Inc.,; template

User reviews

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4.5 stars

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

"Easy to use, Simple Sensible Design"

by whanbury on October 1, 2007

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3.0 stars

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

"A step forward for Microsoft, but still has issues."

by ted23 on January 12, 2008

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0.5 stars

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

"ONE OF THE WORST!!"

by BRR on September 3, 2008

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Microsoft Expression Web

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