Microsoft Expression Web Tutorial
For those users who have just started this Microsoft Expression Web Tutorial is an ideal way to master this application in it’s entirety, from installation to working with CSS styles this training covers it all in great depth. Using narrated QuickTime videos the tutorial covers each topic step-by-step, working files are also included on the tutorial so users can follow along with the author and work in Microsoft Expression Web at the same time. Check out the free demos, these will also give you an excellent insight into how the program works. Microsoft Expression Web Tutorial

My 2 cents on the application, slightly biased, but my view.
Microsoft Expression web started life under the code name of “Quartz”, it was built as a replacement / upgrade (depending on your view) to Microsoft FrontPage. FrontPage reached it’s sell by date long ago and it was clear that Microsoft would have to raise the bar if they where to be taken seriously by the professional web community.

Will the price difference swing it
Unfortunately  for Microsoft the market for web development applications is dominated by Dreamweaver, an application which as stood the test of time and seen off all serious contenders without even trying, so can Microsoft find a market place for this product? I think so, and here’s why, price, Dreamweaver is expensive, not every web programmer needs all the functions that Dreamweaver bring to the table, in fact in the 9 years I have just Dreamweaver I guess I use about 20% of them, so the $299 price tag for the full version will be enough to convince some users to go the Microsoft route, since this is $100 less then Dreamweaver.

Microsoft say it’s good
Microsoft claim that Expression Web can write robust ASP.NET code with the click of a button and work with CSS, XSLT, XML and XHTML, they also make the claim that the new Trident Engine ( which is part of IE ) provides the most accurate standards compliant rendering on the market, this again depends on which side of the fence you sit on CSS compliancy issues, I’m not convinced totally, and nor do I have the time to find out.

The real problem that Microsoft face.
The program may indeed be all the things Microsoft claim, it may be more but that means nothing, zip, zero, most of the professional web community cut their teeth using Dreamweaver, and like me they have an untold number of extensions they have collected over the years, they know how it works, all the shortcuts and basically how to use the program in a commercial environment, web developers are creatures of habit we find a program and use it, it becomes part of us and nothing will convince us to switch. Microsoft would have to pull rabbets out of hats to get the die hard designers to jump ship this late in the game, but I may be wrong.

I do have to admit that I have only seen the application working in the Expression Web Tutorial so maybe I am being to harsh, let me know your comments.

Check out the program in action, view the free training videos and see if it’s for you.