Just a quick look at the "what’s new" section of the F1 Help manual in Expression Web 2 will give you an idea of how much went into this new version. It’s far from a simple update or service pack. (There’s even a service pack available for Expression Web 1 to prove it.)
This newest build really shows the direction that Microsoft and the Expression Web team have decided to pursue—not just a standards-based mind-set, but the application becoming "technology agnostic." For instance, rather than limiting server-side scripting capabilities to ASP.NET, this release includes PHP features such as Intellisense and code completion, PHP includes that render in Design view, and even the ability to preview PHP files from any folder location by using the Expression Web Development Server that installs with Expression Web 2, rather than needing to resort to publishing your PHP files just to test them.
Beyond the collection of additional features included by virtue of the PHP support, you’ll find that the ability to use Adobe Flash, Windows Media, and Silverlight in your pages is just a click or two away on the Insert menu.
Expression Web 2 continues this development direction with a new ability to import and use Adobe Photoshop files in your Web pages, with extensive layer and Web-ready file options.
The development direction spills over even into the ways the product is made available. Firstly, buying the application as an upgrade isn’t limited to users of just Expression Web 1 but also any version of Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe/Macromedia Dreamweaver, Adobe GoLive, Microsoft Office, or even QuarkXPress.
Beyond that, you can get Expression Studio as part of the Microsoft Partner program, at partner.microsoft.com/40043719. Expression Web 2 is also available as part of the Microsoft Expression Professional Subscription, which includes Expression Studio as well as Visual Studio Standard, Office Standard, Microsoft Office Visio Professional, Windows XP, Windows Vista Business Edition, Microsoft Virtual PC, Parallels Desktop for Mac, and even preconfigured virtualized server environments all in the same package.
And if you’re a student, you can get Expression Studio 2, and a huge collection of other Microsoft development software through DreamSpark, at downloads.channel8.msdn.com/Default.aspx. With Microsoft DreamSpark, students can download Microsoft developer and design tools at no charge, making it easier for them to learn the skills they need to excel both during school and after graduation.