The Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) is the portion of Microsoft responsible for managing the firm's relationship with developers: hardware developers interested in the operating system (OS), developers standing on the various OS platforms, developers leveraging the API and scripting languages of Microsoft's many applications. The relationship management is situated in assorted media: web sites, newsletters, developer conferences, trade media, blogs and DVD distribution. The life cycle of the relationships ranges from legacy support through evangelizing potential offerings.

Software Subscriptions

MSDN has historically offered a subscription package whereby developers have access and licenses to use nearly all Microsoft software that has ever been released to the public. Subscriptions are sold on an annual basis, and cost up to $10,939 USD per year per subscription, as it is offered in several tiers. Holders of such subscriptions (except the lowest library-only levels) receive new Microsoft software on DVDs or via downloads every few weeks or months. The software generally comes on specially marked MSDN discs, but contains the identical retail or volume-license software as it is released to the public.

Although in most cases the software itself functions exactly like the full product, the MSDN end-user license agreement prohibits use of the software in a business production environment. This is a legal restriction, not a technical one. As an example, MSDN regularly includes the latest Windows operating systems (such as Windows XP and Windows Vista), server software such as SQL Server 2005, development tools such as Visual Studio, and applications like Microsoft Office and MapPoint. For software that requires a product key, a Microsoft website generates these on demand. Such a package provides a single computer enthusiast with access to nearly everything Microsoft offers. However, a business caught with an office full of PC's and servers running the software included in an MSDN subscription without the appropriate non-MSDN licenses for those machines would be treated no differently in a compliance audit than if the software were pirated off the Internet.

Microsoft's MSDN license agreementMSDN End User License Agreement (PDF) makes a specific exception for Microsoft Office, allowing the subscription holder to personally use it for business purposes without needing a separate license - but only with the "MSDN Premium Subscription" and even so only "directly related to the design, development and test and/or documentation of software projects" as stated in the MSDN licensing faq. As would be expected, any software created with the development tools (like Visual Studio), along with the runtime components needed to use it, isn't restricted in any way by Microsoft either - such software can and regularly is used for business production purposes. The license agreement refers to several other items in the subscription and grants additional similar exceptions as appropriate.