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Microsoft India has unveiled DreamSpark, a software giveaway for an estimated 10 million plus qualified students in the country. DreamSpark will provide students 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. The programme is aligned to Microsoft Unlimited Potential, the company’s global effort to creating sustained social and economic opportunity for everyone.
Addressing students and academicians at IIT Delhi, Bill Gates, chairman, Microsoft Corp, said, “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 catalyse economic growth. Microsoft DreamSpark provides professional-level tools that we hope will inspire students like you to explore the power of software and encourage you to forge the next wave of software-driven breakthroughs.”
Microsoft DreamSpark is available to all students whose studies touch on technology, design, math, science and engineering; as well as technology hobbyists keen on pursuing a career in the field. Worldwide, several million people use the software suite that will now be available free of charge.
The software on offer includes Microsoft developer tools like Visual Studio 2005 Express, Visual Studio 2005 Professional, Visual Studio 2008 Professional, Visual Basic 2008 Express, Visual C++ 2008 Express, Visual C# 2008 Express, Visual Web Developer 2008 Express, XNA Game Studio 2.0 and 12-month free academic membership in the XNA Creators Club.
The suite will also provide Microsoft designer tools i.e. Expression Studio 2, including Expression Web, Expression Blend, Expression Design and Expression Media; Microsoft platform resources including SQL Server 2008 Developer, SQL Server 2008 Express, Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition and Virtual PC 2007.
This range of software will be available both online on www.dreamsparkindia.com and in offline format via DVDs distributed by programme partners NIIT, Aptech and Hughes Net Fusion Centres. A student merely needs to offer a proof of identity at a branch of these institutes to avail of a DreamSpark DVD. There are 125 NIIT, 175 Aptech, and 200 Hughes Net Fusion Centres participating across the country.
These programme partners will also provide technology training on the DreamSpark software tools at a nominal cost; as well as have the option of soft skills training in languages like English and Hindi. Microsoft India is also working with academic institutions, government bodies and student organisations across the country to ensure that all students get a chance to benefit from DreamSpark. The DreamSpark initiative in India is designed to join the dots between software access, which means making training and enablement complement simple access to technology.
Ravi Venkatesan, chairman, Microsoft India, said, “Education is a crucial focus area for India – and it is the level of investment we put in education today that will shape the economic development and future of the country. It is imperative that we do everything to endow our new age leaders with state-of-art technology, and the capability to utilise it”.
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