Microsoft has released the first beta of its new Web design tool that will compete with Adobe Dreamweaver. The program is part of Microsoft's forthcoming Expression lineup, which also includes a graphical design tool and an interface designer.

Expression Web Beta 1 is the second public preview of the tool following a Community Technology Preview issued in May. Features of the application include the ability to build sophisticated CSS-based layouts, standards compliance and built-in support for ASP.NET 2.0 server technology.