Which software tools are used to build the Microsoft websites?

Given the recent discussions on web standard conformance and given that building rich sites which are also compatible in every browser is very difficult, I wonder which software tools do Microsoft employees use to build their sites. What tools where used to build Microsoft.com for example? Or MSDN or even this site, Channel9? Is it Frontpage or what?

Visual Studio.net 2003

Notepad, baby! 

(No, really, I have no idea.  Sorry.)

Maybe they use Dreameaver? Flash is certainly used occasionally

The answer to this will vary greatly by team.

My team builds the Office Online site (office.microsoft.com), and for us, "notepad" isn't far from the truth.
 
The site is 99.9% managed code, built on ASP.NET, but coding is done in a very traditional command-line oriented fashion using each developer's preferred text editor. That ranges from VS.NET to various other commercial editors to VI (no, I'm not kidding).

Our stuff is built by a centralized build lab via good old makefiles and installed to the datacenter using Windows Installer packages (MSI's). Page design and layout is generally done via code and not visual design tools.

Content Management Server

you should be using FrontPage - or stop positioning it as such

if it cant cut it - put it back in office

its so obvious you don’t want to advance dhtml / hta

or - things that enhance importance of web interface - as it covers Windows

im really really getting tired of not only being berated for my views on interface freedom but also the lack of foresight displayed by MS - read the 3rd Wave by Alvin Toffler to save your own GREAT company


ps -  The Third Wave is a book about consumer reactions to agricultural, industrial and communication revolutions. It was written in around 1986 talk about FORESITE

jamie you should be using FrontPage - or stop positioning it as such

if it cant cut it - put it back in office
I agree. I am surprised that MS has created so advanced gui software development tools like VS .NET but has not put the same efford in positioning Frontpage at the same high level or at least create a better software design solution for serious client-side web development. I say client-side because ASP.NET for servers is quite advanced.
Jamie: its so obvious you dont want to advance dhtml / hta

or - things that enhance importance of web interface - as it covers Windows

They do wish to advance the web experience. It is called "No touch  deployment" and it is one of the reasons that the .NET Framework was developed. But as you say it is not browser-based and it relies on Windows technology.

But I am still interested. Do they all use Notepad or other text editors? No major design tool for serious web site building?

Maybe FrontPage could be targetted at client-side development, like VS.NET is targetted at server-side. It wouldn't compete with VS as it is in a different area of development.

Of course, it should also output compliant XHTML and CSS, rather than Microsoft HTML (lots of FONT tags and inline CSS). Dreamweaver can do it, why not FrontPage?

Who cares about FrontPage... see Visual Studio 2005 Web Developer Express Edition