Microsoft to launch Webmatrix Web-development tools this week

Microsoft is planning to launch its WebMatrix Web-development tool bundle this week at the CodeMash event, according to multiple tweets.

Microsoft's ISV Developer Community site confirmed the January 13 launch will happen at CodeMash in Sandusky, Ohio.

WebMatrix is Microsoft's newest Web development tool for creating new Web sites. Developers can use templates (provided by Microsoft or pre-built) or "any of the free popular open source ASP.NET or PHP web applications, such as WordPress, Joomla!, DotNetNuke or Umbraco, located in the online (Microsoft) Web Applications Gallery," according to the Microsoft Developer site.

Microsoft launched the first WebMatrix beta in July 2010.

WebMatrix is a bundle of a lightweight version of Microsoft’s IIS Web Server, known as IIS Express; an updated version of SQL Server Compact Edition; and a new “view-engine option” for ASP.Net, known as “Razor,” which enables developers to embed Visual Basic or C# within HTML.

The goal of WebMatrix, according to its developers, is “to make it really easy to get started with web development.” The new tool “minimizes the number of concepts someone needs to learn in order to get simple things done, and includes and integrates all of the pieces necessary to quickly build Web sites,” Microsoft officials have said.