In conjunction with the recently launched Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta, Microsoft has also made available the Windows Web Application Gallery. According to the Redmond company, the Gallery is designed to streamline the process of discovering, exploring but also deploying top ASP.Net and PHP applications designed for the Windows platform. At this point in time, the Windows Web Application Gallery is offering four categories of downloads, namely blogging apps, but also content management systems, galleries, and wikis.

“The Web Application Gallery integrates with the Web Platform Installer 2.0, so that when a user clicks “Install” for an application, the Web Platform Installer 2.0 launches with context set on the user’s selection. This powerful combination of application discovery and simplified installation makes it easier than ever for community-based applications to run on Windows,” revealed Mai-lan Tomsen Bukovec, Microsoft product unit manager, IIS.

The Windows Web Application Gallery can be accessed via this link. However, users should understand that they will need Web Platform Installer in order to take advantage of the gallery items. Via the Gallery Microsoft is currently offering the following applications: WordPress, Acquai Drupal, Gallery 2, SilverStripe, DotNetNuke, SubText, DasBlog, Umbarco, ScrewTurn and BlogEngine.NET.

“This initiative ties together our deployment platform (Web Deployment Tool), our app discovery site (Web Application Gallery), and our Web Platform discovery and install point (Web Platform Installer). It also raises awareness and pull-through for other IIS Web extensions. From an interop perspective, simplifying how PHP apps install is the natural evolution from our improved app hosting support with FastCGI,” Bukovec added.

Microsoft informed that the Windows Web Application Gallery was capable of serving the applications from where they are stored on the developers' websites. The Gallery does not store any bits itself. And of course that the software giant is looking to add more content to the Windows Web Application Gallery and, in this context, is expecting to introduce additional applications on top of those already available.


Web Platform Installer 2.0 Beta is available for download here.