The DreamSpark program gives students access to Microsoft’s development software for free, and although it was launched in February this year, DreamSpark was not available to students in Australia, despite being available in other countries. The good news is that has now changed, with the program recently opened to Australian students at TechEd in Sydney.
The tools covered by the program are Visual Studio 2005 and 2008 Professional Edition, Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition, Expression Studio, and XNA Game Studio.
Students need to prove their eligibility for the program during signup, and participants must re-verify their student status annually.