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Home>Woody's Windows>The ultimate software deal has strings attached

The ultimate software deal has strings attached

Posted on July 1, 2010 by Woody Leonhard in Woody's Windows
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Woody Leonhard 1 The ultimate software deal has strings attached By Woody Leonhard

If you qualify, a Microsoft TechNet subscription lets you download nearly every application Microsoft sells, all for a paltry $199.

It’s completely legitimate — so long as you’re not using the software for work but rather evaluating its features, testing its performance, or otherwise assessing its suitability for yourself or others.


Technet: One source for almost all MS apps

Microsoft invented TechNet years ago to help developers and other IT professionals acquire the latest versions of Microsoft software at a reasonable price. As far back as 1994, I would anxiously await my sporadic fix of new TechNet CDs — a gold mine of Microsoft’s latest products and reference materials, all costing a fraction of what I’d have to pay in a store.

TechNet members also had reasonably direct access to Microsoft’s best and brightest developers, who helped guide you through particularly thorny problems. It was a sweet deal.

In those days, joining TechNet wasn’t easy and few people knew about it. Fast-forward 16 years, and much has changed. Many professional developers have moved to the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN), where they get red-carpet treatment — for a mere $10,000 or so per year.

Those of us with less pecuniary power stuck with TechNet, which continues to provide one of the great bargains for folks who evaluate Microsoft software.

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Related posts:

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All Windows Secrets articles posted on 2010-07-01:

  • Introduction All subscribers get a free book excerpt
  • Top Story Office 2010′s Web tools raise security questions
  • Lounge Life Unresponsive USB drivers stump Lounge member
  • Wacky Web Week The sound of Tweeting takes to the streets
  • LangaList Plus Graphics card stuck in nonworking mode
  • Insider Tricks Good reasons not to install 64-bit Office 2010
  • Woody's Windows The ultimate software deal has strings attached
  •  Show all articles on a single page
Woody Leonhard

About Woody Leonhard

Woody Leonhard is a Windows Secrets senior editor and a senior contributing editor at InfoWorld. His books on Windows and Office include the award-winning Windows 7 All-In-One For Dummies. His many writings cast a critical eye on the latest industry shenanigans.
View all posts by Woody Leonhard →

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