I am an independent developer, so I am responsible for purchasing my own software. Hence one of the big reasons I have been so turned off by Microsoft in recent years. But, I am happy to say that Microsoft may finally be learning their lesson and truly turning a different cheek.

In November of 2014, Microsoft announced a free and unrestricted version of Visual Studio 2013. The new version is named Visual Studio Community 2013 and it is a full featured IDE for free – no kidding, it’s free.

There is a slight catch. You can not use it in an Enterprise setting, but come one, that is fair. If you are working in an enterprise, you do not need a free version. But for all of us that work outside Corporate America, a free and unrestricted version is like a god send.

So, thank you Microsoft. I may have judged you too harshly in the past. I consider this version of Visual Studio a peace offering. And, I look forward to seeing the free Community version of Visual Studio 2015 when it is released.