Microsoft delivers Webmatrix 3 Web-development tool bundle

Microsoft has made available for download an updated version of its WebMatrix tool bundle.

Microsoft's WebMatrix is a free set of tools for creating, publishing and maintaining Web sites. It enables developers to quickly install and publish open-source applications or built-in templates to create, publish and maintain their Web sites. Included in the bundle are a Web server, database engines, various programming languages and more. It is aimed at developers using ASP.Net, PHP, Node.js and/or HTML5.

WebMatrix 3, the latest version, adds integration with Git and Microsoft's TFS source-control systems. It also provides easy access to Windows Azure websites (the Web hosting framework codenamed "Antares"), according to Microsoft's WebMatrix site, as well as seamless access of remote sites. Other touted features of the third version include better integration with Windows Azure and improved Intellisense for PHP and Node.js.

"When you create local projects, you’ll be able to instantly get a companion website in Windows Azure without ever leaving WebMatrix. Using the Publish button, you can easily keep these sites in sync and save your changes to the cloud," according to Microsoft's promotional page for the newest WebMatrix release.

Originally launched in 2010, WebMatrix got its start as a collection 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 enabled developers to embed Visual Basic or C# within HTML.

There's more information about WebMatrix 3 available on Microsoft's Channel 9.

Update: It looks like WebMatrix 3 may not be available for download be announced officially until April 4. Sounds like it is actually downloadable, as of April 3.

(Thanks to @windows4live for the heads-up on WebMatrix 3.)