Microsoft will give free access to some of its development, design and gaming software to students worldwide to help spark their creativity and prepare for high-tech careers — and, perhaps, to improve the company’s reputation with young humans.

The free software available through the DreamSpark program to students in the United States, Belgium, China, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom (more countries will follow) includes Microsoft Visual Studio 2008, Microsoft Expression Studio, and Microsoft Windows Server 2003.

The move may help Microsoft compete against open-source programs as well as Adobe Systems and other competitors, but 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 certain 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 fundamental part of the

skill set of the next generation of workers.”

From Facebook Plug-ins to New Applications

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 supply 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 Amazon.com.

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…

Orginal post by Top Tech News