Microsoft's suite of professional design tools consists of Expression Web 2, Expression Blend 2, Expression Design 2, Expression Media 2 and Expression Encoder 2 and works with Microsoft's core developer tools, Visual Studio 2005 and Visual Studio 2008, to make for a smooth designer-developer workflow, the company said.

Adobe also is working on technology to enhance designer-developer workflow with a tool code-named Thermo, which is currently under development in Adobe Labs.

Microsoft delivered a beta release of Expression Studio 2 at its MIX conference in March. The release to the Web of the suite comes a year after the last major release of its components.

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