Here is a copy of the License agreement that I received after I registered to MSDNAA ELMS. I got the keys for so called famous M$ products. Lets have a review of it shall we?

MSDN Academic Alliance --Student Use Guidelines
As a member of the MSDN Academic Alliance, the department in which you take credit courses is authorized to provide you with program software for use on your personal computers. To be in compliance with the MSDN Academic Alliance program requirements, you must follow these usage guidelines when using the program software on your computer. You must also agree to the terms of the MSDN End User License Agreement (EULA),the Amendment to Master End-User License Agreement, and any conditions required by your department.
The MSDNAA Site Administrator at your school will be responsible for maintaining records of student use and ensuring there is full compliance with the program among all department users, including students, faculty and systems administration staff. Please see your Site Administrator for any questions that you may have about the program, or refer to www.msdnaa.net.
By installing, copying, or otherwise using the Product, you agree to be bound by the terms of the EULA and the License Amendment. If you do not agree to be bound, do not install, copy or use the Product.

I’m ok with all that.


Installation Guidelines:
* Your department will provide either server access for you to download program software, or may create up to 50 copies of the software to be checked out on a temporary basis to install on personal use computers. All software reproduced for checkout will be a complete copy, and include all copyright and trademark notices.
* You must be registered in at least one credit course within the member department to be eligible to load program software on your personal use computer. Students registered solely for non-credit courses in the department are not eligible to receive program software.
* You may not give copies of loaned software to anyone else for their use. Other qualifying students must obtain software via the method(s)set up by the MSDNAA Site Administrator.
* In order to install certain components of the Product, you may need an Academic Alliance Product Key (“Product Key”).The Product Key will be assigned to solely to download authorized software. You may not disclose the Product Key information to anyone else.
* The MSDN AA Site Administrator will maintain records of software downloaded from server or checked out, and will provide those records to Microsoft upon request.
Usage Guidelines:
* You may use the software for non-commercial purposes including instructional use, research and/or design, development and testing of projects for class assignment and tests or personal projects. You may not use the Program software for any for-profit software development.

So, the products that are so called free aren’t really free in the sense freedom to the users. A famous M$ quote, “We are M$, we never give anything for free.” comes true. What if I haven’t read the EULA and downloaded the key for Visual Studio Professional, coded a project for a software competition or so and presented in front, finally knowing that my platform was illegal(for non-commercial purpose only) and hence the whole project. I have seen many projects either being close or transferred to M$ hands because of such issues.

* When you are no longer a registered student in a department that is a member of the MSDN Academic Alliance, you may no longer receive updates for your personal use computer. However, you may continue to use previously installed software on your computer, provided you continue to follow program guidelines.
* If you violate the terms of the License Agreement and EULA, the MSDNAA Program Administrator will demand confirmation of removal of the program software on your personal use computer. MSDN Academic Alliance --Student Use Guidelines

Right now I’m just remembering a saying of famous Hollywood Movie(not that), Bruno, “Yo maan… F*** maan…”….

I think they are just making us acquainted to their product. Let’s us move back into the history. M$ has suffered a great loss in European countries due to EU’s policies. EU forced M$ not to bundle various softwares like Media Player, etc. EU criticized M$ of dominating other software vendors by bundling these software with its OS. Moreover EU forced M$ to opensource some of its codes. It had to release an e-Windows version of its famous product for European Market. A bit back in the future, we can find M$ facing various lawsuits regarding bundled softwares. After suffering great losses because of these issues, M$ had no other options other than haunting the developing IT countries.

In developing IT countries, like ours, people cannot afford for M$ fancy called OSes and products. As a result, either they have to use pirated softwares or switch to their opensource alternatives. Well, providing students with genuine keys of various versions of various M$ products, it is making us acquainted to it, for its future goal. For Balmer sake, please anyone don’t comment that they are giving keys for free and that’s good. You you still have the same thought then please read the bold portion of the EULA again.

Not let me focus on the main goal of M$ behind providing us genuine M$ keys. They are making us used to and addicted to their platform and tools. So, that in the future, when we pass out(remember the EULA, the license is invalid after that), we are deployed in the market. At that situation, we will only have two choices again, buy M$ products or switch to opensource alternative. The second one will be harder under that scenario.

The market will be full of M$ experts and they will be the cheapest employees for an organization. Keeping in mind long term organizational benefits, company would love to one time invest on M$ product and use cheap M$ employees for the maintenance and support. This way within 4-5 years from now when 4-5 batch of M$ acquainted products(we IT personals) are in the market it’s goal will be complete.

Beware, there’s still time.

My last words,
“A war starts with a single person and ends with one”
“Changing the world is easier, than changing yourself”
“Change your views, the world will change itself”