Students get free software from Microsoft! (Info I wish I had)
by Disturbance · in General Discussion · 05/13/2010 (6:42 pm) · 5 replies
Hey,
I just wanted to let everyone know that they can get professional software from Microsoft at https://www.dreamspark.com/. I searched the forums and saw that there is no real information about this. I feel that this is a HUGE benefit for students and would like everyone to know this instead of being like myself whom has to wait in a queue to get free software at my school.
VS2010, Windows STD 2008, SQL Server Dev are for sure very promising!
Check it out! And make sure to check out VS2010, as it is much more smooth than 2008.
Take Care,
~Joseph Cooper
I just wanted to let everyone know that they can get professional software from Microsoft at https://www.dreamspark.com/. I searched the forums and saw that there is no real information about this. I feel that this is a HUGE benefit for students and would like everyone to know this instead of being like myself whom has to wait in a queue to get free software at my school.
VS2010, Windows STD 2008, SQL Server Dev are for sure very promising!
Check it out! And make sure to check out VS2010, as it is much more smooth than 2008.
Take Care,
~Joseph Cooper
#2
05/14/2010 (3:45 am)
Dreamspark accounts expire after 1 year btw, mine expired :/ 
#3
05/14/2010 (5:38 am)
BizSpark is the next logical step. The products don't expire, and you get everything. EVERYTHING!
#4
Our school has MSDNAA as well, but we can't download it off the web like your school. We have to ask the professors to burn it for us, so this is a good solution, especially for the summer :).
This is taken from: http://www.labnol.org/software/microsoft-dreamspark-for-students/9481/
Not sure if it's valid :)
Is the software like a trial that will expire when I graduate?
No! The software from DreamSpark is the full version, and according to Microsoft, “You may continue to use the Software you obtained prior to termination of your student status subject to the terms of this license.”
This is taken from the license agreement that you accept before you download the software, so you can be sure that any software that you download via DreamSpark will be free for personal and non-commercial use forever.
When you graduate, however, your DreamSpark membership will terminate so you won’t have access to new software release but the software that you may have already downloaded will continue to work.
Should you have any more questions related to DreamSpark, please ask in the comments section.
So the account expires but not the software, which is nice!
05/14/2010 (1:54 pm)
I can understand why it expires, in order to keep it to students instead of a forever use.. Suppose getting it from MSDN AA is better :).Our school has MSDNAA as well, but we can't download it off the web like your school. We have to ask the professors to burn it for us, so this is a good solution, especially for the summer :).
This is taken from: http://www.labnol.org/software/microsoft-dreamspark-for-students/9481/
Not sure if it's valid :)
Is the software like a trial that will expire when I graduate?
No! The software from DreamSpark is the full version, and according to Microsoft, “You may continue to use the Software you obtained prior to termination of your student status subject to the terms of this license.”
This is taken from the license agreement that you accept before you download the software, so you can be sure that any software that you download via DreamSpark will be free for personal and non-commercial use forever.
When you graduate, however, your DreamSpark membership will terminate so you won’t have access to new software release but the software that you may have already downloaded will continue to work.
Should you have any more questions related to DreamSpark, please ask in the comments section.
So the account expires but not the software, which is nice!
#5
05/17/2010 (9:28 pm)
Yes, the account expires but you can still use the software. Just FYI, Bizspark Accounts Expires after 3 years. 
Torque 3D Owner Jason Nabors