access to technology tools from Microsoft

The world's largest software maker, Microsoft, has announced that it will make available for free an access to its technology tools for college and high school students.

With a broadband connection, students can have freely download the tools used to develop and design software, such as Visual Studio 2008 and Expression Studio. Not enough? How about Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and more?

In addition to that, Microsoft will also offer for free the XNA Game Studio software development tools for writing video games. There will also be a free one-year membership to the "XNA Creators Club" so students can bring those games to the Xbox 360 platform.

The development and design tools are available immediately to college students in the United States, Western Europe and China. No worries for the rest of the world though. Microsoft will extend the program to other countries too.

Microsoft calls this project DreamSpark.

Get your free copy of Microsoft Technology Tools by downloading them from here.

Via.