Here's a great tip for students and teachers of IT. Microsoft announced this week it is giving away technical software, DreamSpark, as a means of providing students around the world with access to the company's latest developer and designer tools.

Under the Microsoft DreamSpark programme (http://channel8.msdn.com), students will be able to get for free this goodie bag of Microsoft's Visual Studio 2008 and 2005 Professional Edition, Windows Server 2003, and its web and graphic design toolset, SQL Server 2005, Expression Studio, XNA Game Studio.

Other free software is also available.

All you have to be is a registered student at a recognised post secondary school whose studies "touch" on technology, design, math, science and engineering.

The programme will be expanded to high school students later this year, so check that site.

I put the word "touch" in brackets as this is how Microsoft CEO Bill Gates described the eligibility requirements, indicating it is as broad as possible.

In order to get the software at no charge, you will be asked to establish or verify your student status once at sign in and every 12 months. You will need a Windows Live ID account to sign into the site, and the certification from your school. You must be at least 18 years old, or if not, your parent or legal guardian must accept the Microsoft DreamSpark software license terms on your behalf.

Microsoft is first rolling out the programme to students in the US, Belgium, China, Finland, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. It will be rolled out to other countries later.

I could not determine whether Bermuda is linked in with the UK or the US for classification purposes.

However, Bermuda College will have to be proactive and sign up. Check out the FAQ for administrators, which has the information about registration and becoming an 'identity provider'.

Microsoft says it aims to support student learning and coding skills through technical design, technology, maths, science and engineering. Of course this gets more people into the Microsoft world, but why look a gift horse in the mouth? Commendations to the company.

It all looks brilliant and I hope students take advantage of this great offer. Perhaps we will see some great software and games coming out of Bermuda in the near future.

In more Microsoft news, get ready for the first packaged update to Vista, SP1, which is expected to be released next month. The package includes all previous updates and fixes, plus more.

Cnet.com has received an advance peek at the package and rates it as seven out of 10. In the main the package fixes hundreds of tiny problems, and makes it easier for third-party vendors to write stable code for Vista. The downside, according to the review, is that it lacks any compelling "must haves", and, in most cases, does not significantly improve performance. In some cases, the package even degrades performance! I have also read other reviews stating that the package does not improve what I believe is Vista's main problem, the excruciatingly long time it takes the system to start up.

Lost laptop A lost laptop at a store has resulted in a smart $54 million lawsuit that I agree with, although it is actually ridiculous. Raelyn Campbell got so frustrated with Best Buy store that she filed the suit to publicise the case, and actually expose some practices by such discounters and others that people should be wary of. She filed the suit in Washington, DC six months after bringing a damaged laptop computer into a Best Buy electronics store for repairs, and three months after the firm admitted losing it. Briefly, Ms. Campbell bought her new laptop in 2006 at a Best Buy store near her DC home. She also fell for the line about an extended warranty, and ended up paying $300 for one. When the computer's on/off switch broke about a year later (I note that it was probably still under the manufacturer's warranty anyway), she took it back to Best Buy. She was told repairs would take two to six weeks.

After getting the run around from various clerks when the time was up, one of them finally admitted the truth - it had never left the store and was lost.

Finally Best Buy offered her a $900 store gift card to replace the $1,100 she paid for the computer and the warranty. She asked for $2,100 in cash to compensate her for all the time and date she had lost. Best Buy refused. Then Campbell found out that because her computer had tax records on it, she was in danger of identity theft. In fact, under US data laws, Best Buy was required to notify her of the loss of the computer. She then filed suit in November, which Campbell admits is for the publicity as well.

What she really wants is reasonable damages related to store negligence and an "explanation as to how my computer could have been stolen from a secure area" of the store.

She also wants a promise from the company that it will train employees on privacy issues and on procedures for preventing loss or theft of returned items. This has all gone bad for Best Buy as more stories are pouring out on the blogs about other losses and poor treatment. It's a lesson for any store, and shows, once again, the folly of ignoring customers in the age of the Internet.

Read all about it at: http://redtape.msnbc.com/2008/02/a-lost-laptop-1.html

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