I've just stumbled on a Microsoft program that offers Visual Studio Professional, among other things like SQL Server and Windows Server 2008, for free (as in beer). The catch is that you have to be a student.
Anyone know any other places where you can acquire software like this for free - legally that is.
Visual Studio Express and SQL Server Express are free for anyone.
Unfortunately there's no Windows 7 Express :(
You can't, as that would cripple their business model. Free is an invitation that will get people to use that when they're learning, and hope to force them to use the software later, but paid.
There are, as suggested by Radu, a number of equally good, but different, alternatives (Eclipse, Code::Blocks, Netbeans, QtCreator).
You can use the Visual Studio compilers and tools through the Windows SDK, but that won't provide you with the IDE.
If youre the lucky owner or is somehow involved in a small company, the Microsoft BizSpark programme is excellent. 3 years of free use of practically all MS software.
It's not free per se, but with Microsoft's BizSpark programme, you can get an MSDN (which includes all of their operating systems and development tools, and most of their office software) if you own a private company that is turning over less than $1,000,000 and less than 3 years old.
I think you have to pay $100 when the 3 year programme comes to an end.