Petition Wants Microsoft to Continue TechNet

CommanderFrank

CommanderFrank

Cat Can't Scratch It
Joined
May 9, 2000
Messages
75,399
Another week and another petition. TechNet was retired by Microsoft this month to begin on August 31st. This didn’t sit too well with all of the enthusiasts and professionals who depended on the subscription service to keep up with the latest and best without going broke. An online petition has surfaced on Change.org which requires 5K signatures to be recognized; looks like they will make that and more. :cool:

IT Professionals and ISVs need affordable access to Microsoft products normally accessed through TechNet. Please continue TechNet or create an affordable alternative to MSDN subscriptions minus Visual Studio and associated developer tools. Currently, the only comparable MSDN subscription costs $6120.
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I could be wrong, but I don't think Technet was ever intended for enthusiasts, where enthusiast means you want access to lots of software for a low price. Don't get me wrong, I've been a technet subscriber (though not for the last year or 2), but I'm pretty sure the idea wasn't for people to get a sub, get lots of licenses and then use them to run their home PC's until they decide to change their OS or upgrade to a new version of Exchange Server, Office 20xx, WHS and so on.

They're ultimately a victim of people like myself finding out about it when licenses were 99 bucks. Personally, the only thing that'd make me consider picking up a new sub is if I can get Server 2012 (that doesn't time out), though I'm not sure I'd use it, but that's the only thing that'd make it worthwhile to me. Don't need a new version of office and I've got 2 cheap unused copies of Windows 8 sitting here and 8.1 is a free upgrade.

Plus all my old licenses for XP-7 are still good (not that I'll ever use them all) as well as server 2008 (or whatever it is) and I think I've got Exchange too. I didn't get some of the other servers, because I couldn't figure out what they did.
 
nilepez said:
I could be wrong, but I don't think Technet was ever intended for enthusiasts, where enthusiast means you want access to lots of software for a low price. Don't get me wrong, I've been a technet subscriber (though not for the last year or 2), but I'm pretty sure the idea wasn't for people to get a sub, get lots of licenses and then use them to run their home PC's until they decide to change their OS or upgrade to a new version of Exchange Server, Office 20xx, WHS and so on.

They're ultimately a victim of people like myself finding out about it when licenses were 99 bucks. Personally, the only thing that'd make me consider picking up a new sub is if I can get Server 2012 (that doesn't time out), though I'm not sure I'd use it, but that's the only thing that'd make it worthwhile to me. Don't need a new version of office and I've got 2 cheap unused copies of Windows 8 sitting here and 8.1 is a free upgrade.

Plus all my old licenses for XP-7 are still good (not that I'll ever use them all) as well as server 2008 (or whatever it is) and I think I've got Exchange too. I didn't get some of the other servers, because I couldn't figure out what they did.
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You are correct that isn't what it is for at all, but that is what people used it for. It was meant as a way for people in support positions to have access to software for learning and support purposes. No lab use, no home use, no production use. That said there is no reason trial versions won't work for those people. That is probably why they are dropping it, too many people using it for the wrong reasons
 
Exavior said:
You are correct that isn't what it is for at all, but that is what people used it for. It was meant as a way for people in support positions to have access to software for learning and support purposes. No lab use, no home use, no production use. That said there is no reason trial versions won't work for those people. That is probably why they are dropping it, too many people using it for the wrong reasons
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EXAFUCKNSACTLY!!!
 
Exavior said:
You are correct that isn't what it is for at all, but that is what people used it for. It was meant as a way for people in support positions to have access to software for learning and support purposes. No lab use, no home use, no production use. That said there is no reason trial versions won't work for those people. That is probably why they are dropping it, too many people using it for the wrong reasons
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Exactly. However this has been the case for pretty much the life of TechNet and I assumed that there was a tradeoff where Microsoft look at whatever loses as acceptable. Having a way for enthusiasts play with stuff is important for a company like Microsoft that has so many products and tools. I do think that need to keep this program in place and figure out a way to cut down on the abuse without killing it off as a matter of good will. But like you say, trial versions would mostly accomplish the point of TechNet. But the idea of "trial" certainly doesn't sit well with some.
 
A bunch of posts and no one has yet mentioned the elephant in the room - chinese sellers unloading the keys on ebay. Thats what Microsoft has been pissed off about for some years now.
 
You guys are not entirely correct. I contacted Microsoft about 4 years ago because I needed a subscription. I explained that I could not afford 3 copies of Microsoft Office Pro nor multiple licenses of Windows 7 Pro and other such stuff.

When they called me back, they gave me the go ahead to use the software as I needed. However, they made it clear that it could only be on my personal machines and nothing else. (That was four years ago though and I am aware that things changed one or two years ago.)
 
Microsoft is shooting themselves in the foot. Without hordes of IT people to promote their products to businesses, they will loose footing in the corporate world. And it is only a matter of time before that trickles down to home users (the IBM PC was successful in the business world long before it became the predominant home computer but it eventually trickled down).
 
I will say this about techent I did let my lapse when they offered their virtual labs. I do download the trial software and with the ability to reset not to worried about testing a feature but I can do the need for the folks that did like this option. Personally Microsoft just should not ship the disks with technet make it digital only downloads.
 
damicatz said:
Microsoft is shooting themselves in the foot. Without hordes of IT people to promote their products to businesses, they will loose footing in the corporate world. And it is only a matter of time before that trickles down to home users (the IBM PC was successful in the business world long before it became the predominant home computer but it eventually trickled down).
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Because 180 days isn't enough to trial out software... really? 6 months you cant use and test something to then decide if you should buy a licensed version?

MS wont loose any footing because any company serious about using MS software already has an MSDN subscription, did you also not bother to read the other options MS has for getting software.

Bottom line is more people abuse it than use it for how it was intended, sure MS has numbers to back up this move like times something was activate or how many keys were used across X IP's around the world.
 
MrGuvernment said:
Because 180 days isn't enough to trial out software... really? 6 months you cant use and test something to then decide if you should buy a licensed version?

MS wont loose any footing because any company serious about using MS software already has an MSDN subscription, did you also not bother to read the other options MS has for getting software.

Bottom line is more people abuse it than use it for how it was intended, sure MS has numbers to back up this move like times something was activate or how many keys were used across X IP's around the world.
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You obviously don't work in IT because 180 days is not always enough when you are doing complex test configurations. Also, reinstalling test labs every 180 days and reconfiguring them is simply not practical.

Not everyone works for a large corporation that can afford an MSDN subscription. There is also the matter of personal TechNet subscriptions that IT people use to build their skills with Microsoft products. You don't expect an IT person to shell out thousands of dollars a year for an MSDN subscription do you? (and no, the cheapest one does not have all of the products)

This further cements Microsoft's future as a purveyor of products for children and simpletons rather than actual, serious business and intelligent users. They have been working to screw over IT people for several years now and it will bite them in the ass because the idea that cloud services, configured by a PHB, can replace IT people is laughable at best.
 
I'm really enjoying this.
I can only envision the day Microsoft is completely out of enterprise, just as Apple was in 2009.

Perhaps this will wake those who use Microsoft products into realizing what kind of a pathetic joke Microsoft has turned into.
 
TechNet is pretty sweet, but MS it making trialware for all their software if you need to test stuff out. They know that a lot of ppl use TechNet to deploy in production and not pay for it. sad to see it go, but if you really used for testing.. you will still have what you need.

that said, I sign up for 2 more years of TechNet.. I trailware.. blah
 
There's also the geek who likes to tinker, gets a subscription, learns, becomes productive, and makes software to run on the microsoft platform, which has a positive cascading affect on the whole system. They need to keep it. I'm pretty sure they aren't hurting for cash.
 
I wanted to send a head's up to everyone. The previously mentioned petition received more than 3,700 signatures as of this morning. It will likely reach 4,000 within the next four hours. So you understand the momentum, it received 700 signatures in roughly 24 hours. The petition can be found here.

http://chn.ge/16uLiRA

We're receiving press coverage in the U.S. and abroad. Microsoft acknowledged on the 11th they're aware of the uproar they caused and are listening to our community while considering a decision.

We're asking for your help convincing Microsoft of the folly in closing TechNet. Please join us.

Respectfully,

Cody Skidmore
 
Stop using TechNet licenses in production and you can have your TechNet back. Simple as that.
 
Thuleman said:
Stop using TechNet licenses in production and you can have your TechNet back. Simple as that.
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I can't speak for most of the users here, but I for one, do not use my TechNet licenses in production. I'm using it for tinkering, learning, and demoing. And yes, sometimes I need to use a license for more than 180 days. For example, if I build a test server in which I'm testing various functions over a long term, I do NOT want to keep rearming or reinstalling a trial.

Without TechNet, I would know much less about Microsoft Products. It also enables me to test scenarios that trials would prohibit, such as a mock migration from xp/2003 to win7/2008 or win8/2012. You can't get trials of xp/2003 anymore so my only other option would have been to Pirate the old OS's.

I WANT to give Microsoft my $150 annually. I'm begging them to take my money. MSDN is absurd for anyone who isn't part of a larger company. DreamSpark is only available to students and educators (And guess what, there's a ton more IT professionals out there aside from the education sector).

ActionPak MIGHT be a good alternative, if they either a) keep their TechNet sub as part of the package, or b) substitute the equivalent MSDN sub (Yes, the $6000 one).
 
MSDN and BDSM look similar from a distance.

Anyhow, if people weren't software pirates, Microsoft wouldn't have to do stuff like this to stop them. Blame everyone that gave a copy of something to someone else or everyone who bought like $5000 in cigarettes, booze, and energy drinks each year that made them feel like they were too poor to buy legal software.
 
I just think it's extremely shortsighted of Microsoft to deny direct software access to developers and testers. It's very well and good to have a virtualized environment for us to play in online, but it tells us nothing of how their software will integrate with our hardware and software, and to me, that's the most important testing any IT department needs to perform before putting software in production. We can't just fire up a remote desktop and flip a couple switches and push a couple buttons and go ooohh, aaahh, I like this, I'm going to buy it because it looks pretty. No, I need more information than that - and a few days to try it and abuse it to see if I can manage it, not Microsoft's engineers.
 
Azhar said:
I just think it's extremely shortsighted of Microsoft to deny direct software access to developers and testers.
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Neither of those two things is true. Testing programs continue just fine. Developers have access to MS software through partner channels and MSDN continues to exist and you can subscribe to it.

What's gone is the ability to run an entire business on ~$150/year in software licensing.
 
MrGuvernment said:
Because 180 days isn't enough to trial out software... really? 6 months you cant use and test something to then decide if you should buy a licensed version?

MS wont loose any footing because any company serious about using MS software already has an MSDN subscription, did you also not bother to read the other options MS has for getting software.

Bottom line is more people abuse it than use it for how it was intended, sure MS has numbers to back up this move like times something was activate or how many keys were used across X IP's around the world.
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You don't use technet to try the software, you get it to test your hardware and software on the technet software.
If I'm developing an application or hardware to run on microsfts' os's, I don't want to have to keep reinstalling the OS on the test machines every 6 months.
It can take over 3 hours to fully install and update a windows machine. Updates are the bulk of the time.
 
Cancelling Technet made no real sense.

I'm sure people are selling the keys on eBay. But how much money can they possibly be losing? You make tens of billions and possible lose tens of millions to people who probably weren't going to buy anyway. The upside is you have an entire ecosystem of techs who will sell and recommend your software to business (where the money really is).

I have a feeling the costs to support Technet were not directly supported by the subscriptions. That's why they killed it.

They are ignoring the vast indirect benefits.

If techs and Microsoft partners start getting the impression Microsoft intends to shaft them, then they'll have a real problem.
 
Azhar said:
I just think it's extremely shortsighted of Microsoft to deny direct software access to developers and testers. It's very well and good to have a virtualized environment for us to play in online, but it tells us nothing of how their software will integrate with our hardware and software, and to me, that's the most important testing any IT department needs to perform before putting software in production. We can't just fire up a remote desktop and flip a couple switches and push a couple buttons and go ooohh, aaahh, I like this, I'm going to buy it because it looks pretty. No, I need more information than that - and a few days to try it and abuse it to see if I can manage it, not Microsoft's engineers.
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Technet is not for developers. MSDN serves that purpose. And in what world is 6 months a few days?
 
I wish there was a home version of technet. And no I'm not talking about family pack for windows either. Keeping my gaming rig, HTPC, laptop,wife's and kids's box current is hard. 5 keys for windows, office etc at once sucks, they should take a look at what Adobe is doing.
 
strikeout said:
I wish there was a home version of technet. And no I'm not talking about family pack for windows either. Keeping my gaming rig, HTPC, laptop,wife's and kids's box current is hard. 5 keys for windows, office etc at once sucks, they should take a look at what Adobe is doing.
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TechNet is not intended for home use, on computers you use for gaming, HTPC etc. It's for IT Professionals who need to build test environments primarily. It's exactly people who did use it for home use, give keys to their friends and what not that has forced MS's hand this way.
Make sure you all buy your subs in the next day, as after tomorrow you won't be able to anymore!
 
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