A few years ago Microsoft released a program called Microsoft Bizspark that help tech startup companies getting started with their business. This program allows its member to own and use Microsoft software commercially during the duration of the program (which is 3 years). As long as your business’ qualified (privately held, less than 3 years, and earning below USD 1M), you will get the following for just $300:
- Visual Studio 2010 Ultimate with MSDN subscription
- SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard, Enterprise,Workgroup, and Web Edition
- Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard, Enterprise, web edition
- BizTalk Server 2009 R2 Branch, Standard, and Enterprise Editions
- SharePoint Server 2010 for Internet Sites Enterprise
- More
Last night when I was considering to join the program, I found out that Microsoft had released a similar program called Microsoft Website Spark. This program is targeted for web professionals and it offers different set of softwares, as follows:
- Visual Studio Professional with MSDN subscription
- Expression Studio (1 user) and Expression Web (up to 2 users)
- Windows Web Server 2008 R2
- SQL Server 2008 Web Edition
Unlike Microsoft Bizspark program, Website Spark cost nothing. All you need to do is sign up, fill in some details, and voila, you can start downloading visual studio right away. It is the easiest and free way to own Microsoft Visual Studio, Windows Server, and SQL Server. I joined this program in a heartbeat, and has started using Visual Studio 2010 for my next project. I think this is a very good approach by Microsoft to broaden exposure of its development software. Highly recommended!!
RWendi