Microsoft Student Partners

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last few months, or your still reeling from the fact that Tesltra has killed off its home ISDN plans (don’t laugh – I was still using ISDN until the beginning of this year), you probably would have noticed that Microsoft has been busy at work preparing the next generation of client, server and development software that they are so famous for.

As a quick recap, these are the betas\CTP’s that are making news:

• Windows 7 RC
• Server 2008 R2 RC (<- Site is up, and linked to form the Server 2008 home page, but no download likely until tomorrow)
• Exchange 2010 Beta
• Visual Studio 2010\.NET 4 CTP
• Windows Azure
• Live Mesh Beta
• Office 2010 (No beta\CTP available yet…)

So, the question you probably asking is "Why should I care? Why should I spend my time looking at this stuff when it isn’t even finished yet?". The answer to that is simple…

Consider: most of the people reading this blog are students interested in technology and, most likely, Microsoft technology. Most of the betas above are likely to be ready, deployed and industry standard by mid to late 2010. By which time you should have either graduated or be close to it. This means that you’re going to be looking for a job that involves the final versions of there products (on that note, open Microsoft Students to Business in a new tab and register after reading the rest of this blog). At the point where you are in the interview where your potential employer asks "How much do you know about Program X Version Y" how much better will it appear when you can honestly say that you have not only been using "Program X" but you have been running "Program X Version Y Beta" for the last few years and helped submit a number of bugs which were then fixed. Not only does it show that you have a few years experience with the program, but also the fact that you participated in a beta program indicates that you enjoy learning and experimenting and that you aren’t afraid to do some testing and go the extra mile.

Other than that, there is nothing more enjoyable then playing with (and breaking) pre-release software…

- Daniel
Curtin MSP

Fallen behind on your Windows 7 news? Or wondering where to go to hear the latest from key Windows Engineers and IT Professionals on their opinions and insights into the next version of Windows? Perhaps you have something to say to the guys building Windows 7?

Either way, take some time to check out http://talkingaboutwindows.com/ – here you’ll find videos portraying all aspects of the Windows 7 development and the Industry’s response to it. Not only this, but below each video is a comment section where, unlike watching the same video on YouTube, you are likely to get a response from Microsoft.

(As a side note, its also a pretty cool demonstration of the power of Silverlight)

- Daniel
Curtin MSP

There has been a lot of press recently regarding Microsoft taking a lot of customers feedback (in fact over 500,000 “send feedback” submissions) but not communicating back to the community updates on changes.

The Windows 7 blog has been updated with just this, communication back to the community on changes made directly based on users’ feedback.

Check it out.

Luke
Aussie MSP Lead
The University of Western Australia

When the Windows 7 beta was released last week, MSDN subscribers got to jump the queue, and were given access to Windows 7 two days before the public… and without all the site up-down stuff.

One of the benefits to being a Microsoft Student Partner is you not only get access to a great range of Microsoft resources, but you also get a free subscription to MSDN.

So if you are going to be a University student in 2009 and have a passion for technology, apply to become a Microsoft Student Partner today for the 2009 year.

Luke
UWA MSP 

Being an MSP demands dedication. We encourage every MSP to undertake 4 activities and numerous voluntary activities throughout the year which are designed to suit everyone’s level of ability and creativity. Activities range from giving technical lectures on campus, writing articles for the student newsletter to entering the Imagine Cup or running your own computer society.

BUT… we will recognize and reward each activity you undertake. The more you do, the more chances you’ll have of wining one of our fantastic end-of-year prizes. MSPs get together, share experiences, attend Microsoft training and events and even get together for the odd meal or friendly drink.

In order to be eligible, you must be:

• Over 18
• An undergraduate or post-graduate student at an Australian university
• Studying a full-time technology-related degree or course and able to name a reference from your departments
• Passionate about technology and willing to share your expertise with others at your school
• For more information, please contact Karo Esmaili at: i-karoes@microsoft.com

 Click here to download MSP Application form

Send your completed application form via email to: i-karoes@microsoft.com

For more information about Microsoft Student Partners go to http://www.student-partners.com