Microsoft DreamSpark Student Program: Free Developer and Designer Software

Need a free copy of Microsoft Visual Studio 2008? Microsoft has launched the Microsoft DreamSpark Student Program, a software giveaway program that will provide college and high school students worldwide with access to the latest Microsoft developer and designer tools for free!

Microsoft DreamSpark is available to all students whose studies touch on technology, design, math, science and engineering. It basically involves giving students Microsoft professional-level developer and design software at no charge.

Download Free Microsoft software

Check out the free software available – Microsoft developer tools include Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition, Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition, XNA Game Studio 2.0 and a 12-month free Academic membership in the XNA Creators Club. Microsoft designer tools include Expression Studio, including Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Design, Expression Media. Microsoft platform resources include SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition and Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition.

The program is now available to more than 35 million college students in Belgium, China, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S. In the next six months, the company expects to expand Microsoft DreamSpark to college students in Australia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Japan, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia and many more countries in the Americas, Asia and Europe, as well as to high school students by the third quarter of 2008. It seems they are awaiting student verification systems in remaining countires.

To download free microsoft software, simply Sign In with your Windows Live ID, after which you will need to get verified as a student (by their system linked to schools and organizations around the world), accept the Microsoft DreamSpark software license terms, and get ready to download these huge software… limited only by your broadband bandwidth.

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About the Author: P Chandra is editor of QOT, one of India's earliest tech bloggers since 2004. A tech enthusiast with expertise in coding, WordPress, web tools, SEO and DIY hacks.