Many developers are expressing frustration after Microsoft announced that it was shutting down its TechNet subscription service. Although the program wasn’t really intended for developers, many smaller shops used it to get access to Microsoft products for development purposes because it was much less expensive than a subscription to the Microsoft Developers Network (MSDN).
Microsoft will stop accepting new TechNet subscriptions at the end of August. It’s unclear what will happen to software that users have licensed through TechNet after their subscriptions expire. It’s possible that the software may stop working.
InfoWorld’s Ted Samson and Woody Leonhard write, “TechNet used to be one of Microsoft’s great gifts to IT professionals. Now it’s devolving into an unholy mess.”
