[kwlug-disc] Microsoft Technet shutting down, not Sysinternals

[Bob Jonkman]

At today's KWLUG meeting Jim Kelsh mentioned that the Microsoft Technet
service is shutting down, and everyone feared that the Sysinternals site
would go down with it, and the disk2vhd tool Jim used in his
presentation: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/ee656415.aspx

Here's the ZDNet article:
http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-to-shut-down-technet-subscription-service-7000017541/

> Good night, TechNet.
> 
> The online Technet blogs and customer support forums will live on, 
> but Microsoft announced today in a letter to subscribers that it 
> plans to retire its venerable TechNet subscriptions service. New 
> subscriptions will no longer be available after August 31, 2013, and 
> the subscription service will shut down as current subscribers' 
> contracts end.

The subscription service was for a pack of CDs/DVDs with current
Microsoft products and their activation keys, intended for short-term
evaluation only.

Bott specifically says the online forums and blogs will continue, but
there's no mention of the Sysinternals site being shut down. I expect
that it will stay for now.

I tried to find an announcement about this on the Microsoft site, but
apparently the announcement was sent only to Technet subscribers.
Someone posted the letter they received from Microsoft, which doesn't
mention Sysinternals either:
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,28428386#28428444

> Microsoft is retiring the TechNet Subscription service. As IT trends
> and business dynamics have evolved, so has Microsoft’s set of
> offerings for IT professionals who are looking to learn, evaluate and
> deploy Microsoft technologies and services. In recent years, we have
> seen a usage shift from paid to free evaluation experiences and
> resources. As a result, Microsoft has decided to retire the TechNet
> Subscriptions service and will discontinue sales on August 31, 2013.
> 
> 
> Additional Information: More background on Microsoft’s decision to
> retire the TechNet Subscription service and the implications for
> current subscribers is available on the TechNet Subscriptions
> Retirement FAQ page.
> 
> Subscribers with active accounts may continue to access program
> benefits until their current subscription period concludes.
> 
> We are committed to helping customers through this transition phase
> and will remain focused on providing IT professionals with free
> access to a broad set of TechNet assets that support the needs of IT
> professionals around the world.
> 
> Improved Free Offerings for IT Professionals Include:
> 
> TechNet Evaluation Center: Free evaluation software with no feature
> limits, available for 30-180 days. Includes rich evaluation resources
> and TechNet Virtual Labs, which enable you to evaluate software
> without the need to install bits locally. Microsoft Virtual Academy:
> Free online learning site, with over 200 expert-led technical
> training courses across more than 15 Microsoft technologies with more
> added weekly. TechNet Forums: Free online forums where IT
> professionals can ask technical questions and receive rapid responses
> from members of the community.
> 
> Please note, MSDN Subscriptions provide a paid set of offerings that
> are also available for those who require access to evaluation
> software beyond what the above free offerings provide. Thank you for
> your understanding as we increase focus on growing and investing in
> our free offerings to better meet the needs of the IT professional
> community. Do not reply to this e-mail. This message was sent to you
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> replies. - TechNet Subscription Team
> 
> Microsoft respects your privacy. Review our online Privacy
> Statement.
> 
> Microsoft Corporation One Microsoft Way Redmond, WA, USA 98052

So, I'm hoping Sysinternals lives on.

--Bob.

(and thanx for the great presentation, Jim!)


-- 

Bob Jonkman <bjonkman at sobac.com>          Phone: +1-519-669-0388
SOBAC Microcomputer Services             http://sobac.com/sobac/
http://bob.jonkman.ca/blogs/    http://sn.jonkman.ca/bobjonkman/
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