This is kinda a big deal...

[NewsBot]

Okay, so a few days ago in the Intellectual Property Rights Education thread, I posted:

 

http://ms-os.com/Themes/AlmostGlass/images/icon-quote.gif

CannotResolveSymbol wrote:

I really like what companies like Altera or Freescale have done...**have a freely available student version of their software that's eitherrestricted for non-commercial use or has reasonable limitations thatwould prevent its use in a commercial environment but still allow fullaccess to all the features that a student would need.

 

I'm seeingmore and more companies taking this approach, too:* I just found outyesterday that Autodesk has student versions of many of their productsavailable for free download, and Adobe's making a first step into thiswith their freely available Flex Builder.

 

I just wish Microsoftwould jump onto this bandwagon, too...* The Visual Studio ExpressEditions are a good start, but some of the artificial limitations(especially around VC++, with the lack of MFC support and around thelack of extensibility in all the products) would make a full-blownversion of Visual Studio quite appealing.

 

And now we come to this morning...* the latest news from Channel 8?

 

http://ms-os.com/Themes/AlmostGlass/images/icon-quote.gif

Channel8 wrote:

Bill Gates talks about Free Software, Students, and Technology

 

How would you like a free copy of

Microsoft Visual Studio 2008

? How about the entire

Microsoft Expression Studio

? Not enough...... how about

Microsoft Windows Server 2003

and more?

 

For once, something that sounds too good to be true really is this goodand really is true. Starting today (or soon in some areas), studentsworldwide will be able to

download our professional development and design tools

for free

!

It's called

DreamSpark

and it is upon us.

 

Microsoft really did it!!!* I'm amazed, especially considering that Microsoft's previously limited access to these development tools to MSDN Academic Alliance members.

 

:D* Yay Microsoft and Jeff's team!* Now if only I could get verified as a student (waiting on JourneyEd to send me the link or tell me what else I need to do; my school's not on the list for automatic verification).

 

 

More...

 

View All Our Microsoft Related Feeds