Expression Web 3.0 and why you should upgrade now to Expression Web 2.0
These are the three known links about Expression Web 3.0
- Somasegar’s Blog post on Expression Web 3.0
- Expression Web 3.0 tools simplify debugging and silverlight video encoding
- MSDN Code
One of the comments from somasegar’s blog asked if there was a plan going forward to unify them into a consistent UI framework/experience/codebase.
Steve Guttman replies (Steve manages the Expression Web product team)
“With respect to the interface of Expression Web and the Expression products–our objective is to unify the Expression applications under a single UI framework. As you can imagine, with a program having a lot of native, Win32 code, it’s a challenge to port that code base to a new UI paragidm. Expression Web 3 is our first, significant step in that direction. As folks have noted, SuperPreview (as it was written from scratch), uses the Blend UI framework. The Expression Web 3 UI uses significant parts of this framework to achieve it’s look and feel. All the new features (Insert Silverlight, Silverlight Video, Deep Zoom) are built with the Blend framework (you can tell by the dialogs). However, there are still quite a few remaining Win32 dialogs. These will be ported in future versions of the application until Expression Web is fully integrated into the framework.”
This means that a lot of things that worked before won’t work under the new unified UI framework, this can affect quite a few things when the coding of the program itself has to be changed. As Steve states at the end of his comment not everything will be ported into Expression Web 3.0 for this version. It also certainly means that none of the current Expression Web addons will work in EW 3.0 either.
So to my mind, if you like the CURRENT features of Expression Web 2.0 you should upgrade NOW. Since the SuperPreview will also be available as a standalone FREE version, you won’t be missing out on that particular new feature.
You can obtain a 30-day trial of Expression Web 2.0 to try it out.
When it comes to upgrading you can upgrade not only from Expression Web 1.0 or 2.0 but you may also be eligible to do so if you have a registered version of any of the following products:-
- Adobe Creative Suite – any version
- Adobe/Macromedia Flash or Director – any version
- Adobe/Macromedia Dreamweaver – any version
- Adobe GoLive – any version
- Microsoft Office – any version
- Microsoft FrontPage® – any version
- Quark QuarkXPress – any version
According to somasegar’s blog Expression Web 3.0 will be out this Summer, which means about the next eight weeks or so, so don’t wait too long.
Tags: Expression Web 3.0
Hey this is good stuff. So glad you posted this. I enjoy reading blogs like this.
All your readers must appreciate this information. I know I do.
[...] So to my mind, if you like the CURRENT features of Expression Web 2.0 you should upgrade NOW. Since the SuperPreview will also be available as a standalone FREE version, you won’t be missing out on that particular new feature. http://www.expression-web.net/expression-web-3-insights/ [...]
Excellent observations and you have a great way of expressing things. Thanks for this.
I am a total newby about this. Appreciate getting some important details I was missing.
Hi Tina –
I’d like to clarify a few statements that you have made in this blog post.
1.
“It also certainly means that none of the current Expression Web addons will work in EW 3.0 either.”
Add-ins have never worked between Expression Web versions (Macros are a different story). This means that if you purchased an add-in for Expression Web 1, it didn’t work in 2. Likewise, any Expression Web 2 add-ins will not work in Expression Web 3. It’s up to the add-in author to release an update to their add-ins for Expression Web 3. This has always been the case.
2.
“Since the SuperPreview will also be available as a standalone FREE version, you won’t be missing out on that particular new feature.”
There are two versions of SuperPreview. One is included in Expression Web 3, and includes support for browsers other than Internet Explorer (such as Firefox).
The other is “SuperPreview for Internet Explorer” – and it only includes support for Internet Explorer. This version will be released for free.
If you want to test web pages against Firefox in SuperPreview, you’ll have to use SuperPreview in Expression Web 3, which is not free.
Hi Justin
thanks for commenting.
1. It’s a given that there will be changes of course as regards addons… but in light of Steve’s comment, I was indicating or highlighting that it will be much more of a radical change than usual. Mine was a subtle comment, but now its rather more forcefully underlined I think?
2. Thanks for clarifying that point.
You know, you might have changed my mind. Not from what you said, but you have given me an idea. If one does not have EW 1.0 or 2.0, then to obtain those features that are currently available since SharePoint Designer 2007 is now free, it might be a good idea to get that as well as Expression Web 3.0. That way you get the best of both worlds don’t you think? The only features of EW 2.0 over 1.0 that make 2.0 a must is the ftp retained passwords and the php features (if you use them). However, EW 3.0 will no doubt have better php features than 2.0 and of course passwords will be retained. Plus as you say there is the new feature of the SuperPreview which is much more indepth ( something I’d not realised – obviously) and no doubt other new features that will be good to use.
So yes on conclusion, obtaining the free SharePoint Designer 2007 (the only difference – as far as I am aware – there being – is that it has some fp bots and of course SharePoint features which in our EW world we can safely igore) and the upcoming Expression Web 3.0 is the better way to go. So unless I’ve missed some vital point, I now think that’s the best scenerio and I’ll make posts to that effect.
Thanks for triggering these thoughts. Nice write up on your bio in Inside Expression btw;)
Tina
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[...] to Justin Harrison a program manager at Microsoft for Expression Web in response to a post on Expression Web 3.0 insights Add-ins have never worked between Expression Web versions (Macros are a different story). This [...]
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I use EW 1, I will now upgrade thanks to you. Thanks