Microsoft has announced a new promotional program offering free access to some of its development, design and gaming software to students worldwide. The stated goals of the program are to help spark creativity and prepare the next generation for high-tech careers. In addition, the promotion may also help develop a preference for Microsoft among a younger generation that often leans toward open source alternatives.

The free software will be made available through the DreamSpark program to students in the United States, China, and several European countries, including the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Finland and Switzerland. Microsoft said it plans to extend the offer to include other countries, as well. The give-away includes Microsoft Visual Studio 2008, Microsoft Expression Studio, and Microsoft Windows Server 2003.

While the move may help Microsoft compete against open-source programs as well as Adobe Systems and other competitors, the company insists it's all about workforce development.

In an interview on Microsoft's Web site, Joe Wilson, Microsoft's senior director of academic initiative, said, "Making sure there is a strong pipeline of technically skilled students is key to the future of the global economy. The ability to create new software and services will be an essential part of the skill set of the next generation of workers."

New Software, New Skills

Access to Microsoft's development, design and gaming software will help students "take their programming skills to the next level," Wilson said. For example, Visual Studio will help students improve their skills by allowing them to create FaceBook or MySpace plug-ins, he said, or even entirely new applications.

The software giveaway will provide access to tools well out of the price range for students. Microsoft's estimated retail price for Expression Studio is $599 on site, while a five-client edition of Windows Server Standard 2003 retails for $649.99 on .

No stranger to the perils of online piracy, Microsoft has taken steps to ensure that only students have access to the software freebies. Verification of student status will take place through the DreamSpark Web site with the help of academic institutions and student organizations, a process that students will need to repeat every 12 months.

The Rising Tide

The DreamSpark program may not have the long-term impact that Microsoft is seeking, said Greg DeMichallie, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft. "Microsoft and a lot of companies put money into trying to get college students to use their products on the theory that when they come out in the workforce, they'll influence the platforms people use in business," he said. "If that fact were true, the Mac would have 90 percent market share because Apple has been widely used in colleges, but it's not taken over the world."

DeMichallie sees the plan as a way to improve Microsoft's image with students. "Microsoft puts a whole lot of effort in reaching out to college students. I think the main benefit that Microsoft gets is that it defuses some of the negative impressions that college students sometimes have of Microsoft," he said.

But Microsoft's Wilson underscored how he hopes the initiative will help transform today's students into tomorrow's cubicle workers. "A more technologically adept future workforce is something every business, government agency and nonprofit group stands to gain from. It's a rising tide that raises all ships."