A couple of days back at MIX 09 Microsoft announced the availability of Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta and Windows Web Application Gallery.
The Web Platform Installer (WebPI) is a simplified download/install experience for all of Microsoft’s free web products. It includes everything that a developer needs to get up and running to build your web solutions – from servers, tools, and technologies, including the most recently updated products. One does not have to go to 10 different websites to get the products – with the WebPI, one can do this all through one integrated experience. Additionally, the WebPI installs the community version of PHP so that one can have easy integration with popular web applications.
The Web Platform Installer Includes:
The Windows Web Application Gallery is a community hub of the most popular Open Source and community Web applications that run on Windows. It provides a simple streamlined way for users to explore, discover, and install ASP.NET, PHP, and other types of Web applications and solutions on the Windows Platform. It also provides a simple way for developers to offer their applications to the millions of users worldwide.
To add an app to the Web Application Gallery a developer needs 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 the apps 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.