Member Avatar for belama

I started a new thread cuz the other started by MartyMcFly was closed.

For those who go to a university/college, your university/college anywhere in the world could enter this program called ELMS (e-academy License Management System) for MSDNAA (MSDN academic alliance) online software system. You could download and access a wide range of Microsoft developer tools, servers, and platforms. There is no charge to download the software as long as you are an eligible user in the System or can order them on CDs for about 10$us to 20$us.

Here's a part of the message I got from them when my college licensed there.

How Does it Work?

Your university/college is licensed under the MSDN Academic
Alliance Program which enables eligible students and faculty
members to access software available under the Program. e-academy
Inc., a partner of Microsoft, is providing ELMS for MSDNAA to you.
Simply log into the System using your username and password
included below and start browsing/ordering the software
available to you.

I dont think you can use the program if your university/college is not registered.

Here is a short list of what we can get:

Access
some msdn products
project pro
virtual pc
visio
some visual studio
win 2000 server
some win 2003 server
win xp pro

If you want to see a more compete list, go here then go to software and check in the drop down. (This is where students from where I go can order software so dont try to buy from this page, it wont work ;))

Ask your university/college if they would be interested in this program.

  • 4 Contributors
  • 10 Replies
  • 227 Views
  • 3 Days Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Catweazle

Dani AI

Generated

Good point from — that ELMS/MSDNAA route was the common campus channel in 2005. Microsoft’s academic offering has since been consolidated so schools now distribute developer tools through the Azure Education Hub (Azure Dev Tools for Teaching / Azure for Students); institutions enroll through their licensing agreements and administrators give students access via the Education Hub. (learn.microsoft.com)

If a campus hasn’t signed up, there are legitimate, low‑cost alternatives for students. The GitHub Student Developer Pack gives verified students a wide set of free tools and credits useful for learning and projects, and Microsoft provides free developer IDEs (Visual Studio Community) plus the free, cross‑platform editor VS Code — both cover most student needs without buying boxed software. (education.github.com)

Answering and following /: OEM copies can be cheaper but come with restrictions (tied to the original machine and limited direct Microsoft support). That makes OEM a poor choice if you expect to transfer a licence later; beware vendors selling “OEM-only” keys without proper hardware. Check Microsoft’s guidance for system‑builder/OEM licensing before buying. (devicepartner.microsoft.com)

Practical next steps: (1) ask your department/IT whether they provide Azure Dev Tools for Teaching access; (2) if not, apply for the GitHub Student Pack and install Visual Studio Community or VS Code for development; (3) for database work use SQL Server Developer edition (full feature set, non‑production only); and (4) keep receipts and read EULAs — academic benefits vary by country/institution and terms change, so get the official campus guidance before installing or buying. (learn.microsoft.com)

Recommended Answers

All 10 Replies

Member Avatar for jwenting

And remember: other countries have similar programs.

Member Avatar for belama

Yeah I have no doubt there are other programs. This one already has almost 4000 universities/colleges worldwide and is offered in many languages.

Member Avatar for server_crash

What about OEM release software? I've heard it's cheap but I can't say because I've never used it, nor do I know if it's easy to obtain.

Member Avatar for belama

First, OEM must be purchased with some hardware and in some places with a whole PC
Second, you save only about 10 to 50% on retail prices
Third, not every software sells in OEM

It's not really a way to save much.

Member Avatar for jwenting

Correct. Any store or person selling OEM software without the associated hardware (or sometimes other software) is stealing from his customers.
Anyone buying it will see himself without support as the hardware manufacturer will only support the hardware owner and the software manufacturer typically defers support on the software to the hardware manufacturer as part of the contract under which the hardware manufacturer may distribute the software under OEM.

Member Avatar for Catweazle

Be mindful that the type of hardware which can be legally bound to an OEM license varies from time to time and from place to place. It does NOT always have to accompany an entire system. It simply needs to accompany a component or device. The bundled versions of Nero which come with burners are a classic example. Most vendors which offer OEM software in their catalogues will sell it to you with any hardware purchese whatsoever. Until Microsoft tightened things up, you could legally get an OEM copy of Windows XP with a power cord purchase!

Software support shouldn't be a consideration. All you should ever really need are 'How to do stuff' instructions, and for those you can download product manuals from the websites of most companies which provide OEM software. (Or get help from internet sites).

Member Avatar for server_crash

See I didn't know anything about it other than hearing it was cheaper.

Member Avatar for belama

These forums arent there for nothing eh? We all learn something once in a while ;).

Member Avatar for jwenting

Microsoft OEM versions of Windows can now be purchased with any component for a computer capable of running that software.
That means anything that goes into the case, so a stick of RAM is fine but a printer is not (for example).

There may be other rules for OEM versions of Office (maybe allowing larger external parts like printers of screens as well as internal components).

Member Avatar for Catweazle

Guidelines vary from country to country, and you'll find that most vendors will only sell an OEM Windows with a motherboard/processor/RAM bundle.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.