# re: Catching up on stuff - Honeymoon in Seattle and MSDN Universal

You might want to look into the Empower ISV program. You can get an MSDN Universal subscription for $375.

http://members.microsoft.com/partner/competency/isvcomp/empower/default.aspx

# re: Catching up on stuff - Honeymoon in Seattle and MSDN Universal

WOW... didn't know about the Empower ISV program.... Will next year!!!

# re: Catching up on stuff - Honeymoon in Seattle and MSDN Universal

The webpage at eBargains states a $1469 list price. With a $300 DVD rebate that totals $1169. (You make it sound like you paid $1149 AND you're getting a $300 rebate. If you really DID pay $1149, then don't count on getting any $300 rebate coupon, since they're mailed from MSDN Subs HQ...and those folks are monitoring this sort of low-balling pricing. This I know because I've talked to them many times about certain webtailers that used to steal the rebate coupons out of the retail boxes years ago...)

You can find it cheaper at: http://www.buycheapsoftware.com/details.asp?productID=696 for $1149, with a $300 DVD reabte, totalling $849.

Be aware that most webtailers selling MSDN for this cheap (including the above) are NOT selling the retail boxes, rather a subscription they register for you by email. I.e., you never see a license key! They simply take your $$$, email MSDN Subscriptions HQ, then send you an email confirming the purchase. MSDN Subs then sends you the CDs/DVDs... The only time you need a retail box is if buying multiple licenses or buying/renewing for someone else.

The bad part about re-up'ing via email is that the webtailer will no doubt screw you up and either: 1) Create a brand new membership account #, overlapping your existing account # by one or two months, or 2) Forget to place the order in a timely fashion allowing for your current account # to expire, forcing you to have to call MSDN support and complain to get re-instated without paying the "base license cost" for SKU 534-2125. (I.e., there's SUPPPOSED to be a LARGE price differential between 534-2127 and 534-2125. Why on earth some webtailers are selling 534-2125 for less than 534-2127 is beyond me AND the folks at MSDN HQ!)

My experience with BuyCheapSoftware the past 2 years has been this: The first order by co-worker placed resulted in a 2 month overlap because they created a new account # for a renewal inst4ead of extending the current account #. My first order with them resulted in the same mistake, but MSDN Subs HQ kindly merged the two accounts. My second order this year, they finally learned how to do it correctly...even though their webpage erroneously had claimed the $1149 was for a retail box. (I threatened them with legal action to get them correct their webpage...)

Each year I use C|Net Shopping comparision for SKU 534-2127 and 534-2125 to determine who's got the lowest price and are out-of-state (to avoid our high sales tax) and have a good reputation and good return policy (in case they send you the wrong SKU...which has happened to me!). Specifically, navigate to: http://shopper.cnet.com/2001-1_9-0.html?tag=cnetfd.sb
and enter the search string: MSDN Universal

The resultant search hits will be categorized by SKU, but listed as severly abbreviated product names. Selecting the product name that sounds like the renewal/upgrade SKU 534-2127, you can see the rankings. Navigate to:
http://shopper.cnet.com/UPG_MSDN_UNIVERSAL_7_0_SUBSCRIPTION_CVPUP_95_98_WME_NT/4014-5_9-6749073.html?tag=pl&q=msdn+universal
and can see that there is QUITE a LARGE spread in pricing, from 1149 to ~2400. From experience, the items listed from $1800-2400 are the retail boxes and the $1100-1500 are the email renewals.

Note that the Empower ISV program is truely SUPPOSED to be for ISV's. So if you don't have a website and are at least releasing shareware, you shouldn't be trying that route for a personal subscription. (I've heard they've auditted those enrolled to ensure they're ISVs...actually selling or giving away software. Additionally, it's only good for 2 years...)

# re: Catching up on stuff - Honeymoon in Seattle and MSDN Universal

Steve: Thanks for the great post! I wish I knew that before I ordered...