Has Microsoft contacted any of you that downloaded MS Visual Studio Express? They contacted me concerning a new council they have created for hobbyist programmers stating they did not realize how large of a community of hobbyist's there was. I guess they did not expect so many downloads and as such this has perhaps opened their eyes to a new marketing area.
The email links to a survey which does not ask for anything personal. I'm quite sure the email is legitimate and it does not ask for anything I would deem inappropriate or as 'fishing'.
Maybe we will see what comes of this. I told them that offering such a council with nothing but hobbyist programmers giving idea/opinions would probably improve their image among the community. I don't think I'm too far off in that statement.
You must admit - offering Visual Studio Express for free was one heck of a policy change for Microsoft, and it was a welcome one. Even now it's hard for me to be too upset with a company that would offer such an IDE and compiler absolutely free.
