Microsoft is running a program called “DreamSpark”, where students get Microsoft tools free to use in creating software for particular academic activities, as long as it’s non-commercial and student status can be verified.
That’s great – I’m not knocking the provision of software that’s normally too expensive to buy so that people can learn. However, I do want to contrast it against BSD (and Linux, too) – where all the development tools come with your free system, and have been doing so with BSD for 3 decades.
For additional snarkiness, compare the Microsoft terms of use and the BSD license.
Heh. Microsoft is the only vendor that doesn’t include free developer tools. Even Solaris and Mac OS X come with them for crying out loud.
I have always been very, very grateful to the BSDs (among many other producers of FOSS). Without their gifts — OS, userland tools, devel tools and code — I would probably not have learned as much as I have about Unix, networking, and computers; with their gifts, I’m able to put food on the table as a sysadmin.