DreamSpark
DreamSpark is a Microsoft program to provide students with software design and development tools at no charge. The program was originally available for university/college students in Belarus, Belgium, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, the U.K. and the U.S., but has now been expanded to more than 80 countries and is offered to many high school students.[1] To register, students must visit the DreamSpark website and verify their identity. If an institution is not listed on the available list, the user may manually verify their student status by uploading a proof such as an ID card.
The DreamSpark program was announced by Bill Gates on February 19, 2008 during a speech at Stanford University.[1][2] It is estimated that up to 35 million students will be able to access these software titles free of charge through this program.[3]
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Verification[edit]
Proof of student status is required for access to the downloads and product keys of the products. Students visit the DreamSpark website to verify their identity. ISIC cards, access codes ordered by school administrators, and .edu email addresses are the ways DreamSpark verifies students. Students remain verified for 12 months afterwards.
Products offered[edit]
Several development software titles are available for download through the program. They include:[4]
Commercial products available for free through DreamSpark[edit]
- Visual Studio 2008, 2010 and 2012 Professional Editions
- Visual Studio LightSwitch 2011
- Expression Studio 4 Ultimate (includes Web+SuperPreview, Blend+SketchFlow, Design and Encoder Pro) (without H.264 codec)
- Microsoft SQL Server 2012
- Microsoft SQL Server 2008
- Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition 32-bit
- Windows Server 2008 R2 Standard Edition 64-bit
- Windows Server 2012 Datacenter, Essentials and Standard Editions 64-bit
- Windows Embedded CE 6.0
- Windows Embedded Standard 7
Only through DreamSpark Premium:
Free products also downloadable from DreamSpark[edit]
- Visual Studio Express 2010 and 2008 and SQL Server Express
- Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio 2008 R3 and Microsoft CCR and DSS Toolkit 2008
- XNA Game Studio 4.0
- Virtual PC 2007
- Windows Phone Developer Tools
- Windows MultiPoint Mouse SDK
- Microsoft Small Basic
- Kodu Game Lab
- Microsoft Mathematics
Offers[edit]
- 12-Month Academic Trial Membership to XNA Creators Club
- $99 waiver on Windows Marketplace for Mobile and first 100 submissions free
- Free 90-day subscription to Pluralsight training courses
- Waiver on costs for app submission to the Windows 8 Store
Past products offered[edit]
- Expression Studio 1 (included Web, Blend, Design, Encoder and Media)
- Expression Studio 2 (includes Web, Blend, Design, Encoder and Media)
- Expression Studio 3 (includes Web, Blend, Design and Encoder)
- Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition (x86 only)
- Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Developer Edition (x86 and x64)
- Visual Studio 2005 Express
- Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition
- XNA Game Studio 3.1
- Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition (x86 only)
See also[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
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