Continuing its popular Spark system, giving free and low cost tools to students and startups, Microsoft is expanding the system to provide web developers and website designers with three year free copies of Microsoft tools. This third plank in the Spark ecosystem, called WebsiteSpark, continues Microsoft’s attempt to combat the rise of free software, and software platforms. Of course, these distros are only free for a period of three years, but MSFT assumes that past that three year window, you will be willing to pay to continue to use their tools. You can look at this as a very long term version of freemium.
As we have said before, we find Spark to be a brilliant strategy. Especially now that Microsft is covering more bases with its products. It now targets the poorest power users: students, and startups, and gives the basic tools for placing the building blocks of the internet to developers and designers for free. Want to get people back onto your platform? Microsoft is going to lure you in with a giftbasket of free software.
Of course, BizSpark and DreamSpark had restrictions on them, and WebsiteSpark is no exception. Companies that design and build for clients, and have less than ten employees are allowed into the system. Any more employees, and you bring in too much revenue to need free gifts. WebsiteSpark can distribute copies of: Windows Web Server, Visual Studio 2008, Expression Studio, DotNetPanel, and SQL Server. An excellent suite of tools for the boutique web shop.
This will of course raise cries from the ususal Microsoft detractors, arguing that the use of proprietary tools is a poor move for any startup or web development house. And, they do have a fair point in mind: come the end of three years the WebsiteSpark company will have a serious tab to pay, or be forced to switch platforms. But, for the company that knows that Microsoft is the direction that they want to move in, this is a three year free pass.
Not to play Nostradamus, but it feels now with this third piece in the Spark puzzle that Microsoft is paying full heed to the open source threat to its business. It always makes me smile to watch a giant try to beat a competitor by being overly nice, instead of trying to bury their opponents in a more direct fashion.
