I don't mind having a discussion about this stuff, but calling me a liar is a bit out of bounds.
Now - here's the thing: I've said the same thing 5 times, and you refuse to see it - which is that the software isn't free. The dev tools are covered under MSDN - so yes I'll give you that. And you can engineer it so that your dev team stays very small and you don't need to purchase additional slots.
But that's where it stops. If you run the MS stack with VS, you'll need IIS, SQL Server, and all the other bits that go with it. These are the money-making SKUs friend - and that's my point.
They. Aren't. Free.
So which is it? Devtools? Or can I build $50B Google for free, as you said above.
Again, something that is simply not true. I don't have another way to say it, but to say that it is not true, and it gives the appearance of lying, because I think most people would expect you to know better.
So again, you do get licensed production servers for free. Not an unlimited number of them, but you do get FREE production licenses of WinServer (which includes IIS) and SQL Server.
And yes, you can build, in theory, $50B Google for free with it. Of course, I did say, in theory, and I make it blisteringly clear later when I say, "although you'll just have to write a very efficient backend to handle the transactions with only a couple of SQL instances, but there is nothing stopping you, but your ingenuity".
There's never an obligation to pay MS a dime. You can use the tools to write the new BigTable, to write a web server, a NoSql engine, a package manager or whatever else you like as well to compliment the free software you have.
IMO, I think we've done the job w/ this conversation. You've made the "claim" that BizSpark is not free (although you've backed away from this a bit and now at least seem to grant that the dev tools are). I claim otherwise. BizSpark very clearly calls out what is free and what is perpetual. Sure, you don't get a washer and dryer with BizSpark, but they never said you did. Likewise, I don't believe BizSpark gives you a free Kinect either. But it is very clear what they do give you and the licensing and cost associated with it.
Again, you haven't pointed out where I'd have to pay for a single thing with BizSpark. You've only pointed out that if I want to do MORE than what BizSpark suggests, I'd have to pay. To that I say, duh.
Now - here's the thing: I've said the same thing 5 times, and you refuse to see it - which is that the software isn't free. The dev tools are covered under MSDN - so yes I'll give you that. And you can engineer it so that your dev team stays very small and you don't need to purchase additional slots.
But that's where it stops. If you run the MS stack with VS, you'll need IIS, SQL Server, and all the other bits that go with it. These are the money-making SKUs friend - and that's my point.
They. Aren't. Free.
So which is it? Devtools? Or can I build $50B Google for free, as you said above.
Double talk indeed.