What does SQL Server 2014 Developer Edition now ‘FREE as in BEER’ mean?
You like beer. Do you know how good it tastes after a long day at work? If that beer was FREE, you might even enjoy it more. Microsoft has announced that SQL Server 2014 Developer Edition is now a free download for Visual Studio Dev Essentials members.
Before this pricing revolution, it was required that each Dev copy of SQL Server have a developer license. One per concurrent user, but that has changed, making it much easier to license Test/Dev environments.
Remember that it is only accessible for dev and testing environments, not production instances, but all the same, FREE is FREE.
Not enough?
When SQL Server 2016 is released, the developer edition will also be FREE. How cool is that?
Why is it exciting that SQL Server 2014 is free?
Developers and the next-gen DBAs will be able to get hold of the Developer Edition, which has all of the Enterprise Edition features allowing you to run, create, test and even break it.
We all learn much more and much faster from breaking and trying things out than you ever will from just following a tutorial.
This playtime is the experience businesses are looking for, and you can gain it before you even start your first job!
The way I got my first job is precisely what I am recommending right now.
Download, test and play with the products you are interested in to show experience with the tools you will use daily when you apply for your first job.
Download SQL Server 2014 today!
So download SQL Server 2014 Developer Edition, install it, update it, try out every feature, then break it and fix it because that experience is what you will be paid for, and it’s fun.