Virtualization, Cloud, Infrastructure and all that stuff in-between
My ramblings on the stuff that holds it all together
Microsoft Retiring TechNet Subscriptions
Posted by on July 2, 2013
Microsoft yesterday made the announcement that they are going to retire TechNet subscriptions as of the end of August 2013.
If you’re an IT pro home-labber, this is likely to be a big problem for you. I’ve long taken advantage of the subscriptions to keep my Microsoft skills up to date (I run SQL, AD, Exchange, IIS etc. at home) and it supports my vSphere lab and other learning activities.
Just as VMware are looking to re-instate their VMTN subscription (hopefully) this is a bit of a blow for those wanting to get hands on and dirty with Microsoft tech.
the equivalents they suggest, whilst perfectly good are not the same as “dog-fooding” Microsoft products day to day at home or in your work lab – 30 day evals, pre-built labs and VMs just aren’t as good for learning as they are a very artificial environment.
Bad move Microsoft, I hope VMware manage to remove their Windows dependencies in the next 12 months.
Virtualization, Cloud, Infrastructure and all that stuff in-between 
Dont forget to sign the petition to either bring back TechNet or replace it with an affordable alternative.
http://www.change.org/petitions/continue-technet-or-create-an-affordable-alternative-to-msdn