Licensing Option Scenarios for Visual Studio 2005

Existing MSDN Subscribers

If you're an existing MSDN subscriber, and your subscription does not expire before the release of Visual Studio 2005, you need to make sure you understand the transition options at your subscription level. In particular, if you are currently a subscriber at the Universal level, it's important that you visit the Transition Your Subscription page to choose the role-based Team Edition product that you will receive after the transition.

You also need to evaluate whether it's worth paying the additional fee to upgrade to the full Team Suite subscription. Current MSDN Enterprise subscribers who want the Architect or Tester role-based Team Edition products should consider upgrading to MSDN Universal subscriptions before November to acquire the appropriate transition rights.

Office Developers

If your primary focus is on building applications that work with Microsoft Office, the appropriate option for you is Visual Studio 2005 Tools for the Microsoft Office System, which includes special project types to target Office, as well as additional Office tools such as the Microsoft Access 2003 Developer Extensions. Alternatively, you might consider one of the Visual Studio 2005 editions with an MSDN Premium subscription; these products include the Office project types, but not the additional Office tools.

Consultants

If your primary business is consulting, you should investigate Microsoft's Partner Programs. If your company qualifies, these programs provide marketing and support benefits, as well as a cost-effective way to acquire multiple MSDN licenses. We'll discuss the Partner Programs in more detail later in this Guide.

Beginners

If you're just starting out with .NET programming, the various Express Editions products provide a cost-effective way to determine whether you find .NET a productive and usable development environment. Although they do not contain all of the tools needed for professional development, the Express Editions are inexpensive enough ($49 each) that you can afford to replace them with a more powerful edition if and when you decide to stick with .NET programming.

Independent Software Vendors

Microsoft has several programs that can help Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) acquire MSDN subscriptions along with other benefits. If your company is a new ISV, the Empower program (discussed later in this Guide) offers an extremely low-priced way to get licensed copies of many Microsoft software options for your company's internal use. More established ISVs may find a home in the Microsoft Partner Programs.

Academic Users

If you're a student or faculty member, encourage your department to investigate the MSDN Academic Alliance. Even if they opt not to adapt Microsoft software for coursework, an MSDNAA membership is still a very cost-effective way to provide Visual Studio licenses to students in the entire department for one low price.