UPDATE (23/Jan/2009)- Microsoft Dreamspark DVDs are now available for students at NIIT institutes as per reports.

Microsoft recently started ‘offering’ free developer software to Indian students. According to Microsoft Dreamspark India website, the students can get the software through two mediums- Downloads and DVD(s). The free developer software that Microsoft is offering are- Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition, Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition, Microsoft Expression Studio, Visual Studio 2005, XNA Game Studio 2.0, XNA Club Online and some other free express edition software.

The DVD(s), according to the website, can be obtained at no charge from the specified business partners. However, students from various locations spanning across India had something else to report. They said when they visited the partner locations they were not given the DVD. The students were told that they (MS partners) have no information regarding this offer! To verify this, my eligible student friends and I went to a business partner in Ludhiana to get the DVD. The authorities gave us the same answer that they have no information about this offer at the moment.

The Microsoft Dreamspark India website doesn’t have any contact information. I wonder how can a complaint be submitted to Microsoft and why did they start this offer if they cannot provide the DVDs to the eligible students.

Have you got the DVD(s) from Microsoft?