Microsoft DreamSpark

I expect most folk here might already have most of these tools but those who don't:

We have launched a programme called "Microsoft DreamSpark", which allows university and college students to download a range of free development and design software resources to help them in their studies. The suites available include Visual Studio (described as "the Swiss Army knife of computer programming"), which is the kind of toolset which can help you programme everything from a computer, to a mobile phone, or a web page. It also includes the major applications in the Expression design suite - including Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Design & Expression Media. And for development work, there's also SQL Server & Windows Server.

From today, these are available to more than 6.5 million FE & HE students. Last year's survey co-sponsored with Intellect, the British Computer Society, and The City University, London demonstrated that the "Knowledge Economy" (is that a Microsoft-ism?) is the fastest growing part of the UK economy, and there's a real need to ensure that students have the chance to get the technical skills they may need to operate within it.

Whilst it's easy to think that this will only be of interest to technical students, there's plenty of other areas affected - things like design, where digital design is one of the fastest growing areas; and the ability to manipulate and analyse masses of data seems to spread across most subjects.

Students don't need to get additional validation or accreditation from their university or college to do this download - they can download as long as they have an Athens ID (that's pretty standard for all university students and most college students) or an ISIC card.

Source: http://blogs.msdn.com/ukhe/archive/2008/02/19/dreamspark-free-software-for-your-students.aspx
To go straight to DreamSpark: http://channel8.msdn.com

Reply 1

SunburnedCactus

11

hah I was on my way to post this.

Annoyingly it isn't recognising my ISIC number which is big fat arse, so I've e-mailed them, hopefully they'll get it sorted out.

Reply 2

slugonamission

If you're using the one off your NUS card, you need to prefix it with an S

Reply 3

SunburnedCactus

11

slugonamission

If you're using the one off your NUS card, you need to prefix it with an S

omg. have rep.

(don't know why that isn't more clear on the page).

Reply 4

slugonamission

I know, it took me ages to find out. I just cleared the box, hit enter, and it was wayyy more obvious :smile:

Still need to write to MS to make them change it :s-smilie:

And thanks :smile:

Reply 5

SunburnedCactus

11

I e-mailed a lady from ISIC about it, hopefully she'll sort it out.

Reply 6

estel

18

This is an awesome deal: it has made me very happy.
Especially the 12 month XNA creator's club membership :gasp:

Reply 7

ellfaz

My mate in college told me about this the other day

And it also took me ages to figure out about putting the S before my NUS number for ISIC Verification, got there in the end though.

I think it's a really good idea, I used to have Visual Studio Express on my PC because that's free to everydoby anyway, but it doesn't have all the same features of the full Studio.

Shame they aren't giving Office 2007 away (I currently have a 1-year subscription of it through The Ultimate Steal, another of Microsofts' Student Initiatives, cost me £12.95)

Reply 8

stordoff

1

Just so you know, Server 2008 is coming to DreamSpark at some point

Reply 9

djhworld

My university isn't listed, although if you look there seems to be massive gaps in the amount of universities in this country and the amount listed in the list.

This was cleared up by one of my lecturers the other day, the reason for the omission of quite a few institutions is because the system that verifies you attend said institution is usually different from the one Microsoft requires. Basically MS want to install their own identity system at some places instead of the one that the university uses, for example many use ATHENS to identify their students.

EDIT: I've just checked and you *can* identify yourself using ATHENS, but for many this process won't work as it requires the institution to sign up to a gateway system, as it throws this error message.

Your home organisation has not registered to use the Athens to Shibboleth gateway. Please contact the service provider or home organisation for assistance.

This can be rectified by owning an NUS extra card, something which I refuse to get (£10? No thanks.)

Pirating software ftw (or just use the "visual studio express editions")

Reply 10

SunburnedCactus

11

What, you can't afford £10 for a lot of useful software? Lame.

Reply 11

djhworld

It's not the £10 that bothers me, it's the fact that I paid the NUS £7 of my hard earned money at the start of my course (2005) to be entitled to the advantages of owning a student card.

Then, one year later they release this "extra" tosh, demanding more money in exchange for a new card, rendering my initial membership (and card) useless.

I refuse to purchase one on this principle, the NUS has done nothing for me during my time at university and I graduate this summer.

Reply 12

SunburnedCactus

11

It is a bit of a gimmick I agree, though my NUS card at York was free. Useful for getting into student unions. Extra card is pretty tosh but for this purpose I think it is worth the price.

Reply 13

Talon

18

Athens works for UEA students. Mmmm more free stuff!

Reply 14

djhworld

Yeah Microsoft came to our Uni last week to do a presentation on things and they fixed it for us so we could login with Athens.

Bagged myself Visual Studio 2008, was going to get XNA but you need to get visual C# express 2005 to go with it, why couldn't they just update it to 2008?

Reply 15

stordoff

1

Bagged myself Visual Studio 2008, was going to get XNA but you need to get visual C# express 2005 to go with it, why couldn't they just update it to 2008?

Why not just install Visual C# Express 2005?