For all of you who are students:

Sorry that I am a bit late posting this, but Microsoft has a great gift for you guys. Microsoft is offering their new development software for free, for all college students. It is called Microsoft Dreamspark. I know that as designers we don’t like to hear the word,”Microsoft,” but everything starts somewhere.

The whole package includes:

Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition

Expression Studio

Widows Serve 2003 Standard Edition

XNA Game Studio

This package has software from the web design all the way to a 3d gaming designer. Unfortunately if you aren’t a student you cannot receive this offer, but there is a bit of hope. You can download the express editions of Visual Studio and keep it forever and you can download the new betas for Expression Studio which are available to use until June 1t of 08. Which means you can test out the software and see if it’s worth it.

Dreamspark is located here: https://downloads.channel8.msdn.com/

Visual Studio Express Editions are located here: http://www.microsoft.com/express/
(they have no trial end to them)

Expression Studio is here: http://microsoft.com/Expression

I have personally downloaded Expression Web and Design from the beta site since I am not a student this semester. I like Expression Web a lot and am working on learning a bit of Design2 beta.

Well go ahead and check those out. I am sure you won’t be disappointed. ;D

Here are a couple of screenshots: Expression Web 2 beta and Expression Design 2 beta

It also shows a little sneak peak of what I am up to.