Hello.

I'm excited to share (even though it's old news) that all Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions (Visual Basic, Visual C#, Visual J#, Visual C++, and Visual Web Developer Express) are now permanently free! This is a game-changer for aspiring developers, opening up access to powerful tools for Windows and ASP.Net development. While there are some limitations (like only one project per solution), the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. Check out the official announcement and some cool new tools!

eBay has introduced a free API access program called the Unified Pricing Scheme. This is a significant change that opens up opportunities for developers, like myself, who were previously hesitant to use the API due to usage fees. This new scheme enables thousands of developers to experiment with the eBay API without cost.