PALO ALTO, California, February 19 /PRNewswire/ --

- DreamSpark offers millions of students access to professional-grade 
software developer and designer tools.

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates today will unveil a software giveaway
that will ultimately provide millions of college and high school students
around the world with access to the latest Microsoft developer and designer
tools at no charge to unlock their creative potential and set them on the
path to academic and career success.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

The Microsoft DreamSpark student program (http://channel8.msdn.com) makes
available, at no charge, a broad range of development and design software for
download. The program is now available to more than 35 million college
students in Belgium, China, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland, the U.K. and the U.S. Broad global coverage, as well as an
expansion of the program to high school students around the world,
potentially reaching up to 1 billion students worldwide, will continue
throughout the next year. Gates will share details with students and faculty
at Stanford University as part of a U.S. and Canada college tour that kicks
off today.

"We want to do everything we can to equip a new generation of technology
leaders with the knowledge and tools they need to harness the magic of
software to improve lives, solve problems and catalyze economic growth,"
Gates said. "Microsoft DreamSpark provides professional-level tools that we
hope will inspire students to explore the power of software and encourage
them to forge the next wave of software-driven breakthroughs."

Priming the Talent Pipeline

Microsoft DreamSpark is available to all students whose studies touch on
technology, design, math, science and engineering. Students of today are more
technical in their everyday lives than ever -- representing both their
personal interests and what is expected of them when they arrive in the
workplace for the first time. The following cutting-edge software will be
available to empower students to unlock their ingenuity by building critical
skills:

-- Microsoft developer tools. Visual Studio is the Swiss Army knife of
       computer programming. These professional-grade products provide a
       security-enhanced and reliable environment, enabling students to
       program everything from a cell phone to a robot or to create their own
       Web page. Students will also be able to invent compelling new gaming
       content and make their dream game a reality by porting their creations
       to their Xbox 360 console.
       -- Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition
       -- Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition
       -- XNA Game Studio 2.0
       -- 12-month free Academic membership in the XNA Creators Club

    -- Microsoft designer tools. This ultra-versatile suite of tools will
       enable students to vividly bring their creative visions to life in
       vibrant new Web site designs and more effective digital content,
       including animation, imagery and photography.
       -- Expression Studio, including
           -- Expression Web
           -- Expression Blend
           -- Expression Design
           -- Expression Media

    -- Microsoft platform resources. The foundation for development and
       design platforms, these products deliver a security-enhanced, reliable 
       and manageable environment for students to more quickly turn ideas 
       into reality.
        -- SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition
        -- Windows Server, Standard Edition



"The opportunity, as a student, to use the same professional tools that I
can expect to use after I graduate gives me a real head start in my career,"
said Nathan Murith, a computer science student at the University of Geneva in
Switzerland, who tested the service in a pilot before today's launch. "I'm
already getting more out of my studies, applying my learning to try out new
ideas, and gaining new insights into careers in software design and
development."

Demand for Software Expertise in All Marketplaces and Economies

Technological innovation is a critical economic growth engine and is
expected to generate 7.1 million new jobs in the global economy over the next
four years, according to a study of the economic impact of IT across 82
countries and regions carried out in 2007 by IDC and commissioned by
Microsoft. The same study found that the IT employment base will grow to 42.5
million people, with the sharpest growth occurring in developing nations.

"Technology is the ignition key for job growth, economic development and
creating sustainable solutions to global problems," said John Gantz, chief
research officer at IDC. "The emerging economies are forecast to drive over
25 percent of the new IT jobs over the next four years. These jobs will be
driven by an evolving, highly skilled labor force. Tech skills are key to
employability."

Availability

In the next six months, the company expects to expand Microsoft
DreamSpark to college students in Australia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Japan,
Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia and many more countries in the Americas, Asia and
Europe, as well as to high school students by the third quarter of 2008.
Students should check http://channel8.msdn.com for regularly posted updates
to see when Microsoft DreamSpark will be available to them.

Microsoft is working with academic institutions, governments and student 
organizations around the world, such as the International Student Identity 
Card (ISIC) Association, to ensure the necessary local student  
identity-verification technology infrastructure exists to bring Microsoft 
DreamSpark to all students in markets around the world. The program will be 
expanded as fast as this community-based effort with government and 
organizations can be connected at a local level in new countries.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.

Web site: http://www.microsoft.com
              http://channel8.msdn.com