Microsoft Downloads

[Grok]

In January 2001, Microsoft reached a settlement agreement resolving a legal dispute with Sun Microsystems concerning the use of the Microsoft(r) Virtual Machine in many of Microsoft's products.  As a result, the following products are being phased out and will no longer be available through MSDN(r) Subscriber Downloads or other channels at Microsoft.  

We are notifying you that at 12:01am Pacific Standard Time, December 23, 2003, we will begin to remove the following content from MSDN Subscriber Downloads.  If you require any of this content now or anticipate needing it in the future, we encourage you to download it prior to December 23.  Depending upon when you began your MSDN Subscription, you may already have some or all of this software on CD or DVD media provided with your MSDN Subscription.  Note that the availability of this software to you on MSDN Subscriber Downloads is dependent upon your subscription level.

The products that will no longer be available are:  

·         BackOffice® Server 2000

·         Embedded Visual Tools 3.0

·         Internet Explorer 5.5

·         MapPoint® 2002

·         Office XP Developer

·         Office 2000 Developer

·         Office 2000 Tools

·         Office 2000 Multilingual

·         Office 2000 Premium SR-1

·         Office 2000 SP2

·         Outlook® 2000

·         Project 2000

·         SQLT Server 7

·         SQLT Server 7 SP3

·         Visual Basic® (for Alpha systems)

·         Visual Studio® 6.0 MSDE

·         Visual Studio® 6.0 SP3

·         Visual Studio® 6.0 SP5

·         Windows® 98

·         Windows® 98 Y2K

·         Windows® 98 Resource Kit

·         Windows® 98 SP1 (all Windows 98 except Windows 98 SE)

·         Visio® 2000

·         Windows NT® 4.0 Option Pack

·         Windows NT® 4.0 Terminal Server Edition  

Note that we anticipate providing updated versions of the following products on MSDN Subscriber Downloads in the near future (specific dates are not available):  

·         ISA Server 2000

·         Small Business Server 2000

·         Office XP Professional with FrontPage®

·         Publisher 2002

·         Windows NT® 4.0 Enterprise Server

·         Windows NT® 4.0 Server

·         Windows NT® 4.0 Workstation  

Please see http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/java/developers.asp and http://www.microsoft.com/mscorp/java/faq.asp for additional information.

 

Thank you in advance for your prompt attention to this matter.  We regret any inconvenience this may cause.

 

Sincerely,

 

The MSDN Subscriptions Team

http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscriptions

 

 

[hismajesty]

So...Visual Basic, Visual C++, etc.. has been discontinued?

[Adron]

·         Office XP Developer

·         Office 2000 Developer

·         Office 2000 SP2

·         Visual Studio® 6.0 SP5

Is there anything replacing these? Isn't Office 2000 only the second most recent Office version?

[Denial]

I don't think they really care. This is a way for them to force people to upgrade and spend more money

[Hitmen]

Third most recent, office XP, office 2003 are the two newest iirc.

[Skywing]

I don't think they really care. This is a way for them to force people to upgrade and spend more money

Actually, if you were paying attention, you'd know that it's Sun who is forcing Microsoft to discontinue those.

[Newby]

Oh shit. Now's the time to get those products if you haven't already and want them.

[j0k3r]

So what happens if 'people' download them 'illegally' after December 23rd, can 'people' be charged?

We here at Valhalla Legends Inc. © neither support nor condone piracy.

(Sorry, that seems to be everywhere piracy is mentioned, so I thought I'd save others the trouble.)

[Kp]

So what happens if 'people' download them 'illegally' after December 23rd, can 'people' be charged?

Probably so.  They're just discontinuing availability; as far as I know, they haven't given up ownership of those things.  Unless the licensing terms are changed to say you can take it for free, it'd still be illegal to download it without paying.  That said, I really don't see why you'd *want* to steal something traditionally so buggy as a Microsoft product.

[Hostile]

If you already have or are using the products, then obviously they can not take them away from you. However, as their settlement agreement with Sun they must remove all of their software which contained the 'Microsoft Virtual Machine' which was deemed more or less stolen from Sun, there for all the products based off it are now recalled, and -Microsoft- may no longer distribute it. Quite an accomplishment from Sun hehe but it really doesn't affect any of the products they would currently make a profit off of.

[Grok]

So what happens if 'people' download them 'illegally' after December 23rd, can 'people' be charged?

Probably so.  They're just discontinuing availability; as far as I know, they haven't given up ownership of those things.  Unless the licensing terms are changed to say you can take it for free, it'd still be illegal to download it without paying.  That said, I really don't see why you'd *want* to steal something traditionally so buggy as a Microsoft product.

Agreed.  It's best to wait 5 years for a random group of *nix programmers to create a clone with 1/10 the features.  Your customers will wait for your business and hold your money, they understand.

[iago]

So what happens if 'people' download them 'illegally' after December 23rd, can 'people' be charged?

Probably so.  They're just discontinuing availability; as far as I know, they haven't given up ownership of those things.  Unless the licensing terms are changed to say you can take it for free, it'd still be illegal to download it without paying.  That said, I really don't see why you'd *want* to steal something traditionally so buggy as a Microsoft product.

Agreed.  It's best to wait 5 years for a random group of *nix programmers to create a clone with 1/10 the features.  Your customers will wait for your business and hold your money, they understand.

It's hard to argue with that. Mostly because, for the most part, that's totally wrong

[Banana fanna fo fanna]

No! IIS has a bunch of features that let you write mobile code!

[Hostile]

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5129793.html

[Grok]

http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104_2-5129793.html

Haha... can you say SPIN?

Sun forced Microsoft to do this, now blaming Microsoft.