Microsoft's DreamSpark Program for Students

UPDATE: 2/20/2008 - 8:43PM
I received my email from JourneyEd with the link to verify/activate my student status. Upon clicking it, I successfully registered my hotmail acct with student status and I have full access to the DreamSpark downloads. Downloading my VS2008Pro right now.


In Microsoft's latest attempt to combat freebie open-source programming tools - they've come up with a new program called DreamSpark. The program basically provides free copies of several of Microsoft's top development-related applications (and we're not talking the Express Editions here - although of course those can also be downloaded for free) to current students in several different countries :
SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition
Visual Studio 2008 Pro
Expression Studio
Windows Server 2003 Standard
etc...

These are the full versions of the software - no strings attached - for current students. BUT, read the EULA fine print - you can NOT develop and sell software using these (unlike the Express Editions). These are for "educational" purposes *only*.

You start by verifying your enrollment in a university. There's a small number of universities listed in a "quick verification" dropdown on the site, but even if your university isn't listed - you can use JourneyEd.com to verify your student status.

Being a current student at a local university - I figured I'd give it a shot. Now of course my University wasn't listed in the quick-access dropdown - so I had to go the JourneyEd route. It's actually a bit misleading as I continued through JourneyEd's verification process expecting to have to pay "$2.95" for "instant verification" - but when it came time to pay, it basically skipped-over the payment process showing a balance of $0. Maybe I didn't fully read the details? I was clicking Continue pretty quickly trying to get through the signup process... regardless, I'm now anxiously awaiting an email "within 3 hours" containing my download link back to DreamSpark to complete my verification process in the hopes of geting my hands on a free copy of Studio 2008 Pro.

Kudos to Microsoft for the freebies.