Failure
Jun/082
I should note, I guess, that I’m scrapping the idea of blogging about Expression Studio.
Or at least, scrapping the commitment to blog about it, which I’ve already failed anyway.
Introducing Microsoft Expression Studio
Jun/083
First things first: what is Microsoft Expression Studio?
According to the infallible font of all knowledge, Wikipedia,
Microsoft Expression Studio is a suite of design and media applications from Microsoft aimed at developers and designers. It consists of:
- Microsoft Expression Web (code-named Quartz) – WYSIWYG website designer and HTML editor.
- Microsoft Expression Blend (code-named Sparkle) – Visual user interface builder for Windows Presentation Foundation and Silverlight applications.
- Microsoft Expression Design (code-named Acrylic) – Raster and vector graphics editor.
- Microsoft Expression Media – Digital asset and media manager.
- Microsoft Expression Encoder – VC-1 content professional encoder.
Relatively straightforward – Web equates to Frontpage, or Dreamweaver. Design is probably quite like Fireworks. Blend is a bit like Flash, in so much as it allows prettiness to creep into your web application’s interface. Media and Encoder I don’t expect to use a lot – I’m not planning any media intensive websites at the moment.
Apparently, and as you’d expect, Expression Studio gets along very well with Visual Studio 2008. Some parts overlap, other parts are complimentary. This blog mentions the main differences – expression studio has a few more tools for designers, visual studio has more tools for developers. They live in harmony, work together, and bake a cake. Everyone is happy.
So if I wanted to make some Silverlight application, I’d start coding in Visual Studio, and then I’d use Expression Blend to make the interface nice and colourful, to make Robert proud. Then Steve would beat me over the head with his HCI learnings, and I’d have to make it all over again… but I’d still use Blend.
I’m not really a designer-type of person, so it looks like we’re getting some scope creep already. I’ll be playing with Visual Studio and Silverlight stuff as well.
Oh… and studying for some silly exams and doing my last assignment and sleeping a bit as well.
Blog!
Jun/083
So then, a blog.
The ease with which I can spread my postings is frightening… the Internet shall cower before me, for I am now a Blogger. Or, as James would say, a blagger. Steve would probably just say something questioning my sobriety (unjustly so, in this case). Patrick might not say anything at all – speech functionality is a bit iffy in beta.
I don’t actually know if this is going to be a permanent fixture – I mainly just wanted to set up a blog because I’ve just downloaded (legitimately) a copy of Expression Studio. At the moment, I’m envisioning a week of postings about the software, as I learn how to use it and maybe even build a site with it.
A week with Expression Studio: possibly accompanied by a myriad of posts at varying levels of amazement caused by the incredible power of the aforementioned software, possibly just a sequence of progressively harsher oaths and curses.
Oh… and I’m sorry about the boring theme. It’s on the to-do list.