Software
Windows Internet Explorer Platform Preview (IE9)
The Windows Internet Explorer Platform Preview is a Microsoft application which allows developers to test websites in the next version of Microsoft’s browser – Internet Explorer 9. The download is free and available from ie.microsoft.com/testdrive
The website itself outlines some of the improvements to the rendering engine which is designed to deliver better comptability with excisting and newer web technologies. There are speed and graphic demos explaining some of the improved features. The HTML 5 demos explain some of the newer HTML+CSS feature of IE9 which are commonplace in most modern browsers but general lacking in IE.
The Platform Preview only works on Windows 7 and Vista (SP2) and will not overwrite the excising current version of Internet Explorer. It’s important to note that the application is not designed to be a complete browser. It simply renders pages as IE9 will, as such there are no browser basics like favourites, back/forward, address bar etc. This is strictly for testing purposes, and helps ensure sites are ready for the big IE update later this year.
IETester: All in one Internet Explorer debugging
IE Tester is a relatively new tool to run multiple versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer for testing purposes. IETester includes all versions from Internet Explorer 5.5 to the latest version IE8. This application saves the bother which comes with trying to install (and run) multiple versions of Microsoft’s odd browser on your PC. Of course, it really goes without saying, if you are an end-user and still browsing with IE6 it’s really time to upgrade, you’re the cause of all this bother.
Instillation
IETester can be downloaded freely from the MyDebugBar.com here. The current version is still the alpha release. Sorry Mac/Linux/Win9X-users it’s currently only available on Windows 7, Vista and XP.
Paint.NET: Free Image Editing Software
Paint.NET is free image and photo editing software for Windows.
When you require a quick retouch Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro can be overkill. Paint.NET is the answer. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface, supports layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools. Paint.NET is backed-up by an active community which provides help, tutorials, and a growing range of plugins.
The latest versions (since 3.5) have really addresses many performance quibbles and offers some interface tweaks for the Aero-theme users, but fans of the “dancing ants” may not like the gray-overlay changes made to the selection tools. Paint.NET is far more advanced than Microsoft Paint, and given its free price, it’s a great solution for those requiring simple image editing software.
Download & Install
You can get the free download from download.com – Paint.NET 3.5.4 but you’ll also need Microsoft’s .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 installed on your machine.
Photoshop PSD Plugin
As the name suggests the Photoshop PSD plugin allow gives Paint.NET the ability to open any .psd file. Saving isn’t quite so simple, for that you’re best to stick with the native .pdn format. Lee Matthews has more – click here.
No Windows, No Problem
If you’re not a windows user and want to jump on the Paint.NET bandwagon there’s the Pinta Project. Written in C# Pinta uses GTK+ toolkit, Cairo library and some code from the original Paint.NET.
Introducing Microsoft Expression Web 3
Expression Web 3 is the latest version of Microsoft’s web development application.
Writing code in Expression Web 3 is a pleasure weather it’s XHTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP or any of the other built in web development languages. Intelligence effectively checks your code on the fly like a spell checker (which is also included) underlining code or sections which have been entered incorrectly. You can also save a list of commonly used snippets which can be inserted by perssing CTRL+Enter, or if you’re looking for PHP/CSS press CTRL+L for all the various functions and properties.
And don’t worry about the rendering engine, it doesn’t use Trident. The smart people in the Expression Web development team have used a completely different, and standard complient. But just to be safe the SuperPreview is included to allow you to check rendering on IE6, IE7, IE8 and Firefox. The application looks good, is really easy to use, even if like me you get rid of most of the toolbars. The application loads much faster you’d expect from a Microsoft Application.
Like many other people have said, even if Adobe DreamWeaver didn’t cost like a million pounds, Expression Web (£6o-£70) is most certainly the one for me.
PS if you’re looking for a replacement for Microsoft Frontpage, you might be better looking at Office SharePoint Designer. It retains more of the more popular FrontPage features like as pre-built web components, database, marquee, hit counter, navigation bars, insert maps etc.
