Microsoft’s announcement this week that they will be ending the popular TechNet Subscription offering has received a lot of coverage in the news. Microsoft says the decision is based on their desire to focus on other offerings.
From the TechNet subscriptions FAQ:
Microsoft is retiring the TechNet Subscriptions service to focus on growing its free offerings, including evaluation resources through the TechNet Evaluation Center, expert-led learning through the Microsoft Virtual Academy, and community-moderated technical support through the TechNet Forums to better meet the needs of the growing IT professional community.
So far the only positive or neutral responses I have seen are from people with are either a developer (and get what they need via an MSDN subscription) or who otherwise get access to all the bits that TechNet provides via some other means (eg their employer’s license agreement).
Personally I have mixed feelings about this decision. As an MVP I receive an MSDN subscription that fills my needs. However, I was a long time TechNet subscriber before becoming an MVP and credit a lot of my career development to the testing and evaluation I did with the software. And MVP renewal is not something I take for granted, so in another year I may not have that MSDN subscription to fall back on.
What about you? How does this decision by Microsoft impact you? Do you feel that time-limited evaluation licenses, the Virtual Academy, and the TechNet Forums meet your needs better?
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