Microsoft is offering a free download manager, Web Platform Installer (PI) 1.0, intended to make it simpler to install Microsoft Web developer technologies ranging from .Net Framework 3.5 to ASP.Net to Silverlight and more, the company said this week.

The tool installs  Microsoft's entire Web Platform, including Internet Information Server, Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition and SQL Server 2008 Express Edition. With the installer interface, developers can install either specific products or the entire Web Platform. Web PI also offers the latest editions of the platform.

The tool provides an almost one-click download install of Microsoft's free Web products, saving developers from having to go to different Web sites to install and configure these products, according to a Microsoft representative.

Also, the tool assists open source developers in that a lot of PHP developers build solutions; Web PI accommodates them.

Web PI can be downloaded  here.