MSDN is an 
award winner!
December 9, 1996
The world is full of secrets and the way you become an Insider in this world is to uncover those coveted secrets and make them your own. The Successful Life of an Insider depends upon a continued recovery of these worldly secrets. Today, you will add another secret to your Insider chit belt and that secret is named: The Microsoft Developer Network.
MSDN
The Microsoft Developer Network is the Insider way for you, as a common end user, to get the full power of Microsoft in the palm of your hand. If you want to keep pace with technology, have the latest upgrades and patches, Office and BackOffice and Visual Tools and library support files and software development kits for all Microsoft Operating Systems and other hardcore programming implements, then getting a subscription to the Microsoft Developer Network is your path to the golden covenant of Bill Gates' world!
You even get your own Membership Card for special deals and identification.
Your Singular Source
The Microsoft Developer Network will be your single source of technical information and developer products to solve all of your development and Insider needs.
MSDN subscriptions keep you up-to-date through the convenience of a stream of CDs containing the latest technology and information from Microsoft. MSDN is the most convenient, comprehensive, and cost-effective for you, even as a common end user, to keep up-to-date with the latest, most important, selected software from Microsoft.
You don't have to be a programmer to be an MSDN Member -- all you need is the cash to buy your way into a subscription -- and Microsoft will take care of the rest for you. Membership is money well spent: Consider the cost insurance for your peace of mind.
What You Get
Let's say you're a part time programmer and you're working on a Visual Basic 5.0 project and you need an Insider clue into how set up a 3 tier client server architecture. You'll call up the MSDN Library on Architecture and discover over 1,500 articles and code samples on architecture. You can also pinpoint articles that detail only the Remote Automation architecture.
You also get sample files for illustration. You can build your own OLE server with the code samples in MSDN. You can steal these samples right away for use in your software, you can examine them for method and purpose or you can change them to fit your custom needs. Even if you don't plan to be a major software programmer, you can still learn the how and why of the way things work in Windows via MSDN.
If, however, you are a programmer looking for Insider help, the MSDN Professional Subscription delivers a "test bed in a box" to your doorstep. You'll also get betas of important programs you may need to have on file to test compatibility -- or just to quench your curiosity as an Insider who loves to live on the cutting edge.
If you are writing client server solutions, then the MSDN Enterprise Subscription delivers development and test versions of the Back Office server products. These products have a 5 user connection limit for development and testing, but they all can be configured to ensure connectivity and proper processing from the client applications prior to use in the real world. The MSDN Universal Subscription will keep you up to date on all Visual Tools. No more worries of when the next version is coming or when it will be in stores -- it is automatically sent to you as part of your membership subscription!
MSDN gives you the tools, information, and platforms in a timely manner to ensure smooth design, development and deployment of Microsoft Technologies. Here's the breakdown of what you get for what you spend:
The 5 Levels
MSDN serves up 5 levels of service. Get the one you can afford and remember that, when it comes to MSDN, more is better, because the deeper Insider you get to go.
MSDN Library Single Edition
The Library provides a one-time offer of a single CD with instant access to the Microsoft Developer Knowledge Base with bug reports and workarounds on all Microsoft development products, hundreds of technical articles written on today's hottest development topics, and over 1,800 royalty-free sample
applications.
Library subscribers receive:
MSDN Professional Subscription
The Professional Subscription provides technical information, a test platform, and the knowledge and tools to extend the Windows platform into your applications. As a Professional subscriber, you'll receive all of the benefits of the Library subscription, plus an entire year of:
MSDN Enterprise Subscription
BackOffice is being accepted as a mighty enterprise development platform because you can easily leverage the features already built into BackOffice to create and sustain real business value instead of "reinventing the wheel." As an Enterprise subscriber, you'll receive all Professional subscription benefits, plus an entire year of:
MSDN Universal Subscription
The MSDN Universal subscription is your Home Run King! As a Universal subscriber, you will receive all the benefits of an Enterprise subscription, plus a full year of additional products, including:
New Subscription Prices:
Upgrade orders:
(All upgrades end the current subscription and start a new one-year subscription at the new subscription level.)
Enterprise subscriber Deal
Enterprise subscribers can upgrade to the Universal Subscription direct-only from Microsoft for $1,699 ($1,999 upgrade price with a $300 rebate coupon for MSDN Enterprise subscribers if you do not order direct from Microsoft). If you upgrade your MSDN Enterprise subscription, the remainder of your Enterprise subscription term will be canceled and you will receive the Universal subscription for an entire year.
There is an additional charge for tax and shipping and handling on all MSDN subscriptions.
Touch the Microsoft Developer Network logo below to visit their website for a full and detailed view of how to sign up for membership.
Let us know what you think of membership!