What the heck is the "Microsoft Web Platform Installer?"
In my TechNet Flash this morning I see this section:
Download the New Microsoft Web Platform Installer
The Microsoft Web Platform Installer lets you create a Web platform on your server. The Microsoft Web Platform is a reliable, high-performance Web stack that is capable of hosting both ASP.NET and PHP applications on a single server, and can scale to run the largest sites on the Web.
Question #1: "What is the Microsoft Web Platform?"
Question #2: "Why does it need an installer?"
Question #3: "How is it different that what I currently use to host my websites?"
So I did some reading...
Answer #1: The "Microsoft Web Platform" is nothing more than the collection of Microsoft products that might typically be installed on a web server (i.e., IIS, .NET Framework, SQL Server, VisualStudio, etc.). It would be the equivalent of calling MS Office the "Microsoft Office Productivity Platform"--which I think is possibly how they (MS) will be referring to Office "12".
Answer #2: The "Microsoft Web Platform Installer" is also kind of like the installer that comes with MS Office. It allows you to selected the components you want to install, configure some settings, and carefully read through all the EULAs for the individual components before sitting back and enjoying a nice long progress bar.
Answer #3: Since you can "roll y'er own" Microsoft Web Platform by simply installing and configuring all the individual components manually, nothing is particularly special about the installer other than it is supposed to make it easier to setup a new web server.
In conclusion...
Dear Microsoft,
Thank you for providing us with fancy-smancy batch file. The fewer progress bars I have to look at the better.
However, "Boo...hiss", on the cheesy marketing description.
<rollingEyes>
The Microsoft Web Platform is a reliable, high-performance Web stack that is capable of hosting both ASP.NET and PHP applications on a single server, and can scale to run the largest sites on the Web.
</rollingEyes>
Sincerely,
Long-time "Microsoft Web Platform" Assembler
SEE ALSO: