Absolutely.

The Expression Web,Express Design and Expression Blend are clearly part of a well-equipped developer.

Come on Microsoft.

I agree. If Microsoft wants developers and architects to embrace UX and design, at least Expression Blend should be available to MSDN subscribers. Plus, I'd rather code in Blend than in VS. The experience is much better.

Sean

Office, Publisher and the Small Accounting software is available but Expression is not?? Once again I scratch my head and wonder what the REAL reason MSFT has for NOT providing this?

I have grown less and less dependant on the MSDN universal subscription due to more of my development being non-MSFT related. What is so surprising is how cheap it is to develop web apps sans MSFT. This is probably not a time for MSFT to make developers angry.

This will just be another reason to not renew my subscription

In my line of business in building database web applications, if it looks crappy, who is going to buy it? With that in mind, we are all well versed in imagery and CSS standards...using Adobe products for that purpose. You see? Developers *do* design.

I am in need of a program that will merge the development and the design together with MSFT products. And Expression Web is that piece.

We subscribe to MSDN for the VS suite of tools. For nice design imagery, layout, and CSS, we have to manually hammer out the code for it to work with the VS code. And why do we have a MSDN subscription? For VS. Why do we buy Adobe products? For design.

Again, Developers *do* design. This is mainly (as we see it) because "designers" will screw up our development. So we just assume the role of the designers, and push out great looking stuff.

We were very much looking forward to MSFT's new Expression Suite in our MSDN subscription, and this news is very disappointing.

If MSFT wants marketshare from me (and from my referrals) in the Expression products, it would be in their best interest to include it in the MSDN subscription.

I preach this all the time: Content pushes design and design pushes development. All of the developers in my business also do and have design responsibilities *AS PART OF DEVELOPMENT*.

The UI is just as important (if not more...look at the iPhone people...the simple, yet intuitive UI is why people buy it) as the development, and they go hand in hand and are actually done at the same time for most developers, *by* developers.

Again, if you want me to purchase or support Expression, I would hope that MSFT would include this in MSDN; otherwise, I'll just continue with what I got. There's no way I'm paying for an MSDN subscription and MSFT expects me to fork up more money for something that I (and pretty much everyone commenting here too) strongly feel should be included in the MSDN subscription.

My subscription is up for renewal too, and I was looking for something to convince me as to why I needed to renew it. And MSFT's decision to not include it is a big disappointment. I may just hold off on renewal until MSFT *does* listen to the developers and includes it, and then sees that this was a good move to gain marketshare and get people to use it...and preach about it.

DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS, DEVELOPERS
(you know what I'm talking about)

I am a developer using Microsoft products, and this is my opinion.
- Ryan

Nice...

so can anyone tell me why does FrontPage come with an MSDN subscription and Expression Web is not?

isn't Expression Web meant to replace FrontPage???

i don't see the logic in Microsoft leaving Expression Studio out of the MSDN subscription except to piss off the developer community.

Scott
MCSD, MCDBA, & Graphic artist

I agree with you Scott.
What gives, Microsoft?

I work for a company that is a Microsoft Certified Partner (and get an MSDN subscription), and we all would very much like to use this in our projects.

You should include Expression Studio in the MSDN Subscription.

James, MCSE

Wow, I just heard that Expression Designer isn't part of the MSDN subscription.

Since I design and skin DotNetNuke websites and have been doing so for close to three years, I have been extremeley interested in where Expression Studio was heading, in particular the Expression Designer which I had the chance to learn more about in detail when I caught up with Wayne Smith last year and was blown away by the amount of detail and work that had gone in to delivering their vision.

It was interesting, I thought this was the first step in which Microsoft had moved forward to combine integration between developer and designer, and in the typcial scenario with DotNetNuke, Expression Studio played a very important part in the conduit connecting a developer environment with the graphic designers, and yes, while it can be used indpendently, my thoughts on the process as a 'wholistic approach' make me think that perhaps Microsoft are missing the mark on who they hope ot use the suite of products that make up Expression Studio.

While I can appreciate that it's going to be pushed 'head to head' with the Adobe range of products, I would have thought that a clever move would be to align yourself with the companies that already use the excellent developer tools.

It is disappointing but I think it's such a 'revolutionary' approach and it's 'sharepoint' plug in really makes me think that in time Microsoft might come up with some sweetner or hopefully make it available some time soon for us who have been eagerly waiting for the whole Expression Studio suite to come to life.

I don't think things are done to 'piss people off' but I really think that it's not been thought out as well as it could be.

Just my take on it!

Nina Meiers
MVP - asp.net Visual Developer
DotNetNuke Skinning, Design & Integration

I'm in agreeance with all the above posts and wouldn't necessarily add my 2 cents other than the fact that there is strength in numbers!

C'mon Microsoft... my boss is a Studio MX disciple (I cheat and fall back to FrontPage or Notepad!). If you ever want me to steer him and the rest of the design team to Expression Studio it has to be part of MSDN. He's NOT going to authorize buying it without seeing it in action first (and no a 60-day timebomb version WON'T work). It's how I convinced him to go from mySQL to SQL Server, so I know the model works!

Dudes- add it to MSDN and I should be able to promise some new customers!