Free Microsoft developer tools to students

Microsoft are gearing up to offer free developer software to high school and university students worldwide, in what could be a bold move to capture the youth market and blitz competition such as Adobe Macromedia. Although, according to CRN Australia, the initiative is part of a greater cause to address the skills shortage in the ICT industry.

The "Dreamspark" suite is already available to students in the US, China and parts of Europe and is expected to be released to other countries over the next six months.

The approximate value of the deal for Australian students is $5,000. When broken down, pricing for the products are: Windows Standard Server $909; SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition $84; Visual Studio 05 and Visual Studio 08 $1387 each, Expression Studio $1040; and XNA Creators Club US$99 (approx AU $107).

Read more on computerworld.com.au.