Today at MIX09 Scott Guthrie, Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Developer Division provided more details about our strategy for the Microsoft Web Platform and as part of that announced the release of the Microsoft Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta and the Windows Web Application Gallery. So exactly what did we announce?

• The Microsoft Web Platform is our vision to deliver the best platform to developers for building their Web applications. Microsoft is committed to delivering the platform, tools, and applications that development organizations, communities, and developers need and value; with the long-term idea of supporting a lucrative market to benefit developers and end-users. The Microsoft Platform is designed to interoperate with both ASP.NET and PHP, and integrate easily with community applications and products in the market today.
• The release of the Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta . The WebPI provides a simplified download/install experience for Microsoft’s free web products. It includes everything that you need to get up and running to build your web solutions – from servers, tools, and technologies, including the most recently updated products. This means you don’t have to go to a different website and download to set up your dev machines or servers! With the WebPI, you can install the entire stack all from one website – www.microsoft.com/web and one installer. Additionally, the WebPI installs the community version of PHP 5.2.9-1 so you have easy integration with popular web applications. All you need is a Windows machine or hosted version of Windows.
• The release of the Windows Web Application Gallery. The Windows Web Application Gallery is a community hub of free and popular .NET and PHP applications for you to use for creating dynamic web solutions. Additionally, if you have a free web application you’d like to add to the Windows Web App Gallery – you can do so – and we’ll put into the Windows Web Application Gallery and get your application exposure to millions of developers worldwide.

Details on the Windows Web Application Gallery:

• The application developer owns the distribution point.
• The Windows Web Application Gallery provides links to your application ZIP packages with Web Development Tool integration on the application developer’s web site. We are not storing it on Microsoft servers.
• We point to community servers for the packages with Web Deployment integration, which is maintained and supported as part of the community app package by the community or maintainers of your web application.
• Integration with the Web Deployment Tool is designed to work with existing application packages. You need to add a couple of manifest files to the root of your existing ZIP package using the Application Packaging Guide, test to make sure that you work on the platforms supported by Web Platform Installer, and follow the other Web Application Gallery Principles.
• The Web App Gallery is open to ASP.NET and PHP applications that follow our Web Application Gallery Principles and best practices for hosting ASP.NET and PHP applications on IIS.
• All applications in the Web Application Gallery live in an XML feed that is consumed by Web Platform Installer, participating control panel vendors, and any site that also wants to integrate with the feed.
• To get started begin with the application submission process here, http://www.microsoft.com/web/gallery/submit.aspx

Details on the Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta:

• What’s in the Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta?
  • IIS 5.1, 6.0 or 7.0 depending on your version of Windows
  • SQL Server 2008 Express
  • .NET Framework 3.5 SP1
  • Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition
  • IIS Extensions including: Media Services 3.0, Admin Pack, DB Manager, WebDav 7.5, FTP 7.5, FastCGI for PHP support, URL Rewriter, Application Routing, Web Deployment Tool
  • ASP.NET and features such as ASP.NET MVC
  • Silverlight Tools for Visual Studio
  • The Community Version of PHP v5.2.9-1
• Supported on Windows Vista RTM, Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008.
• V2 beta is integrated with the Web Application Gallery and discovers and installs applications you select from the Web Application Gallery
• Installation of applications pulls through the required dependencies from the Web stack, including community PHP 5.2.9-1
• MySQL is not installed by WebPI but can be installed manually through guidance offered on www.microsoft.com/web

So check it out and explore. Also be sure to keep tabs on what the Microsoft Web Platform Team are up to over on Twitter, @mswebplatform and to see Scott Guthrie’s announcement about the Microsoft Web Platform go to www.visitmix.com and watch his announcement.