MSDN Subscription

[xxmaddjxx]

Wouldnt it be great if M$ donated MSDN subscription to the teams. That way they dun have to send out actual disks and we get access to loads of awsome stuff!

[phrontist]

MSDN

*shudder*

Frankly it's a bit depressing that we spur the engineers of tommorrow into Microsoft territory. That being said, I think it's nice that the option is easily available to us, but I fear for teams who don't know any better. Maybe FIRST should include a few linux distro disks...

What do teams use MSDN for, FIRST-wise? As a development environment for robot code? Thats not a bad idea, considering how wretched MPLAB is

Originally Posted by phrontist

Frankly it's a bit depressing that we spur the engineers of tommorrow into Microsoft territory.

Why do so many discussions turn into MS-bashing threads?

**shudders back**

[Max Lobovsky]

Originally Posted by SilverStar

Why do so many discussions turn into MS-bashing threads?

**shudders back**

i agree. But if you do bash, at least get your facts straight. MSDN is Microsoft Developer's Network. It is not a development environment unless you are using a very loose sense of the word environment, like environment as in the stuff that is around you. MSDN is pretty cool, in fact. As much as i dont like MS's overuse of proprietary stuff, MSDN makes Windows development so much easier. It provides access to an excellent database of Windows programming information and for some subscriptions the subscriber can download and use ANY Microsoft software. (maybe all subscriptions, im not sure)

[phrontist]

Thanks for the correction maxlobovsky.

$previous_post =~ s/MSDN/\.NET/g;

[Vu2000]

I have an MSDN subscription... it's something like $2799 a year, it used to be like $2299, but I find half the software very unuseful for a FIRST team. There are a lot of Development environments and server softwares, but not that many teams would use it. You get a package every month, and a big package comes every three months or so. The only thing I look forward to is when my dad brings home the annual "useful" software box, which includes the new versions of Windows, office, and such. You do get all the Betas about a year in advance, and the actual software a month before... but besides that its a hefty price for FIRST to pay

[phrontist]

Perhaps Microsoft would donate the subscriptions?

[Astronouth7303]

www.msdn.com MSDN is basically everything MS is willing to tell us. Because of it, I say MS caters to developers. If you have a question, ask them.

[Stephen Kowski]

bah....FIRST teams do not need MSDN Subscriptions....I have one, and you will not be helped very much especially if they do not give the Universal subscription because you will be limited to just operating systems and such. I suggest saving up and getting the MSDN Universal personally (it is $800 w/ student discount). It would not make sense for us to get MSDN Subscriptions as FIRST teams. There are a few things FIRST teams would get out of it, but it would be very limited. gl on the $800....

[jdong]

Exactly how would Robotics programmers targeting Microchip PIC18Fxxx's benefit from any of Microsoft's products?

It's not like we're using fancy TI chips or Intel chips that plug into VS.NET....

[Astronouth7303]

Yes, but I do wonder why Visual Studio .NET was included...