Web Matrix 2 is Reborn the Matrix

Microsoft's general web development tool, Web Matrix, has been released in version 2. It not only supports ASP.NET, but PHP and Node.js. It might not be open source, but it is free to download and use. What is in it for us? What is in it for Microsoft?

Web Matrix 2 is a strange web development tool to be coming from Microsoft. It allows you to work with a range of open source, and more importantly non-Microsoft, web technologies. This is something that many potential users would find both puzzling and worrying - but in this case the Trojan horse is all too plain to see if you just look at what it is suggested you do with the website you have created.

The idea seems to be that Web Matrix 2 will funnel users into the arms of Azure, Microsoft's cloud hosting service. However, this said, you can use Web Matrix for general web development and deploy on a LAMP server if that's what you want to do.

Web Matrix is a lightweight web development system that installs and sets things up correctly for you. If you download it then you can basically get started on your web site by selecting the appropriate template, waiting a few minutes while the site is generated, and then you can start coding. A development web server, IIS 7.5 Express, is set up for you and you can generally launch web pages as soon as you have created them.


The main supported technologies are ASP.NET, PHP, Node.js and of  course HTML5/JavaScript. The code editor supports highlighting and code completion and makes it easy for you to work.  Support for Node.js and mobile web sites are the two major new features. You can also use CoffeeScript if you want to. Mobile web sites are supported by the use of jQuery Mobile.
As well as the basic technologies, Web Matrix also supports websites based on many different frameworks - WordPress, Joomla, Ubraco, Kentico and more. Again the huge advantage is that the templates install a configured starter site complete with all dependencies. You simply select the sort of website you want to work with and it is ready to go in a few minutes. Amazingly you can opt to use either SQL Express or MySQL as the database for the sites.
You can see an overview video below:



The main new features in Web Matrix 2 include:
Extensibility model lets you write your own plug-ins or use community-built ones
Faster install of open source apps such as Joomla!, WordPress, Drupal, DotNetNuke and Umbraco
New templates for PHP, Node.js and HTML5, and mobile support for all templates
Intellisense (code completion) for major languages, including Razor, C#, VB, PHP, Node.js, HTML5,
CSS3 and Jquery
Application-specific code completion for top apps like Umbraco, WordPress and Joomla!
Simple UI to install NuGet packages
Ability to preview your site using mobile emulators
Remote view to make quick edits to files on live sites

At the end of your development process Web Matrix will offer to publish your site to Azure, but it also offers other options so you are in no way trapped by it. Of course, it is better integrated with Azure but you would expect this from a Microsoft product.

Overall Web Matrix makes it worth trying to overcome any anti-Microsoft bias you might have. It is a free web development tool that works with open source technologies to create a general, standards-based website. It is free to use and works with non-Microsoft technologies in a very even handled way. It is certainly worth trying out.

Palette with Variables expanded by CSS

Potentially simplifying the work for Web designers, the working group behind the Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) Web standard is extending the language so that it supports the ability to define and call variables.



Tab Atkins, a Google developer who is on the working group has been taking suggestions this week as to what may be the best approach to represent variables in CSS.

As its name indicates, CSS is a stylesheet language, one that defines for a browser how a Web page, Web presentation or some other form of electronic content should be formatted. CSS offers a set of keywords to specify stylistic elements in a page layout, such as the font and spacing of text, and the color of the background. CSS can be embedded in the HTML page itself, either in the header or in the body. Or CSS code can be a separate file on the server, which is then referenced by the page.

To date, CSS has not yet offered a way for designers to define their own properties. Users have asked for this feature at least since the language's launch in 1998, according to CSS Working Group co-chair Daniel Glazman. Although the CSS Working Group uses the name "variables" to define this new feature, CSS variables would not have the full scope of the variable primitive found in most languages, Glazman explained. But it would allow designers to define the properties they use on a regular basis.

Nonetheless, such a naming capability would be handy, according to a draft document proposing the addition. It can cut down the amount of copying and pasting a designer must do to update a large Web site, for instance. If an organization has a standard set of colors and fonts to use across a Web site, CSS variables would allow these unique properties to be named by the designer. Then, when a stylistic change needs to be made, the designer simply reassigns the new values to the variables, eliminating the error-prone task of updating that information in each separate stylesheet and Web page.

The CSS working group is still trying to determine how the variables should best be represented in CSS. The designers favor declaring by using a reserved keyword, "var," in front of a new variable, so a new variable would be fined as var-NewVariable. But some users have expressed an interest in a specific key to define a variable, such as the "$" symbol, as in $NewVariable. Atkins cautioned against this approach as it limits the use of "$" for other variable activities, however.

While such matters may seem trivial, those who use a programming or markup language on a daily basis would benefit from the language being as consistent, and predictable, as possible. For instance, PHP has been roundly criticized for having an inconsistent syntax. Because PHP function names vary from one to the next in how they are formatted -- sometimes they have underscores and sometimes they don't -- programmers have more difficulty remembering or guessing the names of PHP functions, forcing them to consult documentation.

The company's technology allows any Web page to go live in real-time

Obviously, the main advantage of new media companies that utilize the Web—like Groupon, Yelp, or even our own VatorNews—over old media companies that stick to paper and phones is the speed at which they can operate.  In the time it takes your local newspaper to report on an event that happened at 5 pm the previous day, your friendly neighborhood blog has already turned the situation inside-out with up-to-the-minute updates.

The power of “now” on the Web can’t be overestimated, which is why anything happening in real-time is an eye-catcher.  One real-time technology provider, aptly named Realtime, relaunched Tuesday with $100 million in funding from BRZTech, a São Paulo-based investment vehicle backed by a number of private investors in Europe and South America.

Founded in 1997 as Internet Business Technologies, the company has rebranded as Realtime and claims to have developed a technology that will pave the way to the new “live Web.”

To break it down, Realtime has created a platform that allows users—whether they’re businesses, advertisers, or developers—to add a single line of code to a Web page to push data to a single user or multiple users without requiring them to refresh the page.  The technology is powered by Realtime’s extensive Realtime multiplatform language (xRTML), which can be implemented for both Web and mobile apps, including NODE.JS, Javascript, ASP.net, PHP, iOS, Android, and Windows Phone.
But the lynchpin is its versatility.  Realtime Web is multi-browser, multi-device, multi-protocol and multiplatform, so businesses and developers can get it up and running simply by adding the code, rather than opening up a can of programming worms.

And its uses are equally versatile.  Realtime Web can be utilized to allow Web users to change website content as it comes out, vote and see other users votes in real-time, or simply get customer service help as they need it.  The technology can also fundamentally change display advertising by allowing ads to be replaced while they’re being displayed depending on exposure time and a user’s information.

Realtime’s own website shows you how it works, with a box of statistics that is being continually updated to show how many developers are using it (1,114), how many user connections it’s seeing (123 million every 24 hours), and even how many visitors are checking out the site right now.

“Many people have talked about the coming ‘real-time Web’ in very abstract terms, and Realtime is the first company building a tangible framework that will make that abstraction a reality. We did not create a product. We created an industry,” said CEO and founder André Parreira, in a statement. “We are committing the resources to make Realtime the fluid, next-generation, truly conversational standard for the Web across the world.”

With offices in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, London, Madrid, Lisbon, and now Santa Monica and New York, Realtime is securing partnerships in the U.S. and already has over 2,000 partnerships around the world.
Realtime was recently classified as a “Cool Vendor” by Gartner (as IBT).

“[Realtime] has the potential to set a new industry standard for real-time Web experiences that feel more like you’re in a giant chat room than the static, often frustrating quest for information we are often subjected to today,” Gartner reported.

Enjoy Professional Designs from Free PHP Templates

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GSO: Cost effective web development in India to serve all around the world

Web development in India is shining well like anything. It has created lucrative job opportunities for Indian web designers and web developers. In recent years this industry has generated good money for Indian web experts. The main aim of designing web applications in India is its massive English speaking population, trained man power, guts to take risky tasks by Indian web experts and cost effectiveness of Indian web development packages. Web development companies in India provide price effective, customized and internet driven web solutions to offshore clients. They offer fully customized web applications by using interactive programs like Java, C++, XML, .Net, VB, AJAX, ASP, PHP and ASP.Net.

During recent years Indian web development companies have expanded well in international web designing industry. These companies are having a firm technical background. They have the ability to impart sufficient time for software projects owned by abroad and local clients. Web development experts of India have a deep understanding of business objectives laid by offshore clients. For this reason they maintain a strong work quality and believe in ethical ways of web designing. Indian web development companies have well developed infrastructure. They use the latest tools for developing web based software applications. Their hardware infrastructure is also appreciable. Web development companies of India work with a full 24 hour power back up. In this way their php development india projects never stop and go on advancing forward.

Web development in India is done by using lucrative means of communication like email, Skype and instant messenger applications of Google, Yahoo and MSN. Team members of Indian web development companies are even using voice chat to communicate with offshore clients. The primary goal of web development in India is to understand and fulfill the business needs of local and abroad clients. As concerning abroad clients, Indian web development companies have developed a long lasting relationship with them. High quality work and delivery within tight deadlines can be attributed to the success of Indian web development companies amidst foreign clients.

Web development in India offers the best quality in the field of developing business oriented websites. It provides value added services in the field of making software products. For this reason all clients are assured that the task of developing their online business is in trusted hands. Having a well made and impressive website is an important part of doing online business. It is the most essential medium through which customers ring up to online business owners. No one can imagine doing online business without a website. Web development India services in India understand this very well. For this reason they create well optimized and impressive websites for local and offshore websites.

India has made great progress in the field of information and technology. This progress of web development in India has drawn the attention of several clients living in abroad. In fact this is a good sign for the world of information and technology in India. Web development in India has many benefits. It offers efficient and reliable web designing services. It offers services at a cost effective budget. Above all Indian web designers provide scalable tools for doing online marketing after creating value added websites.

DiscountASP.NET Offers Free Web Matrix v2 RC beta Hosting Sandbox with node.js

Global ASP.NET hosting innovator, DiscountASP.NET offers free WebMatrix v2 RC beta hosting sandbox with node.js support to the web developer community.

DiscountASP.NET, a leading innovator in Windows Server hosting, announces a free Web Matrix v2 RC beta hosting sandbox program for the web developer community to experience the next-generation version of Web Matrix. This new free beta hosting program also supports node.js.

Microsoft WebMatrix is an all-in-one Web development tool that allows web developers to easily install open source web applications, or use web templates as a starting point to develop customized web sites. The most recent Web Matrix v2 RC includes enhancements to more easily install many open source applications, adds support for more languages like PHP, HTML5 and node.js, adds support for developing mobile-friendly web sites, and adds support for writing extensions which can be made available in a new extension gallery.

“Microsoft continues to simplify and expand the web development experience with their next-generation tools like Web Matrix,” said Takeshi Eto, VP Marketing and Business Development at DiscountASP.NET. “Our free Web Matrix v2 RC hosting sandbox will provide the web developer community an opportunity to test out Web Matrix along with node.js.”

The free sandbox hosting program is a limited program offered as an open beta on a first come first serve basis. The beta hosting sandbox comes with 50 MB of disk space and 50 MB of SQL Server 2008 R2 database space and 50 MB of MySQL database space. This platform is only intended for testing purposes and should not be used for a production web site.

SQL Server and ASP.NET encompassed by Amazon

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is getting chummier with Microsoft all the time. The latest example? Microsoft developers, and there are a ton of them, can now more easily write code again AWS.

In particular SQL Server and ASP.NET coders can either migrate existing code or write fresh stuff to run up in the Amazon cloud, thanks to two new Amazon services.
1. Amazon Relational Database Services (Amazon RDS) for Microsoft SQL Server
2. AWS Elastic Beanstalk for support of ASP.NET

In the case of SQL, only relatively new versions apply -- SQL Server 2008 R2 and the spankin' new SQL Server 2012 to be exact.

That means AWS supports a rich complement of commercial and open databases, including MySQL, Oracle, and SQL: Express. Low-end SQL installs (a paltry 20 GB) are free.

ASP.NET joins the already supported PHP and Java.