Apr 28 2006
Visual Studio 2005 Express Now Free
On April 26, 2006, Microsoft announced that the Express editions of Visual Studio 2005 will remain free. This is a greaty appreciated gift for the hobbiest programming community because it gives powerful tools (even though they are scaled down from the full versions) for developing Windows applications.
The applications were originally going to be free for one year starting November 7, 2005. The 5 million downloads since was no doubt a factor in convincing Microsoft to continue its free offering.
Currently, there are many interesting applications that Microsoft has provided for C++. These include starter kits for Lego Mindstorms, Skype Wrapper, and the Mediashare Messenger.