arstechnica - Microsoft killing off Expression suite of Web and design tools
"Microsoft has quietly announced that its Expression suite of Web and design-oriented tools is being killed off and phased out.
Vector graphics drawing tool Expression Design 4 has been end-of-lifed. No new versions will be developed, and it's no longer for sale. You can now download it for free, and it'll continue to receive security patches as necessary until at least 2015. Microsoft is offering no replacement or alternative to users of the product.
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- Blend will be fully integrated with Visual Studio 2012. Blend for Visual Studio 2012 provides a rich design-centric environment for building Windows Store apps and Windows Phone apps. In addition, WPF, Silverlight and SketchFlow support is available today as a preview and will be released in Visual Studio 2012 Update 2.
- Expression Studio 4 Ultimate and Expression Studio 4 Web Professional are no longer available for sale. For customers who previously purchased these products, all components within Ultimate and Web Professional will be supported through their support lifecycle.
- Expression Design 4 and Expression Web 4 are now available for download at no charge. Technical support will not be available for these free versions.
- Expression Encoder 4 Pro will be available for purchase through 2013. Expression Encoder 4 remains available for download at no charge.
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Microsoft Downloads - Microsoft Expression Web 4 (Free Version)
Expression Web is a full-featured professional tool for designing, developing, and publishing compelling, feature-rich websites that conform to web standards.
Version: 4.0.1460.0
Date published: 12/20/2012Language: English
Web_Trial_en.exe, 98.7 MB
Web standards, sophisticated CSS design capabilities, and visual diagnostic tools. Whether you work with PHP, HTML/XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, ASP.NET or ASP.NET AJAX, Expression Web makes it faster and easier to create and maintain exceptional web sites.
Please note: This free version of Expression Web is not eligible for Microsoft technical support and is community support. For more information, visit the Expression Community site.
For additional language downloads for Expression Web, please select one of the following:..."
Microsoft Downloads - Microsoft Expression Design 4 (Free Version)
Expression Design is a tool for creative professionals and developers who want to build graphics for application user interfaces, the web, or any other medium.
Version: 8.0.31217.1
Date published: 12/20/2012Language: English
Design_Trial_en.exe, 47.0 MB
Please note: Uninstall any preview or trial versions of Expression Design before installing this free version. If you have already purchased a full version of Expression Design 4, you do not need to install this free version.
The convenience and ease of editing vector graphics in Expression Design can be a cornerstone of your Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), Microsoft Silverlight, and web images. Whether you're a veteran professional illustrator, a designer building a dazzling website, or a budding artist eagerly experimenting with various styles and techniques, you will find Expression Design an indispensable tool for your creative tasks.
Please note: This free version of Expression Design is not eligible for Microsoft technical support and is community support. For more information, visit the Expression Community site.
For additional language downloads for Expression Design, please select one of the following:..."
So long Expression, it was an interesting time. Now I wonder if this means Microsoft is better positioned to buy Adobe? Hmm...
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