A student pointed this out in class today. The free editions of Visual Studio 2005 Express won’t be free forever – only until November 7th, 2006, which is one year from the launch. After that, it’s assumed that the Express editions will be $49 each. You can find this information on the FAQ under pricing.
SQL Server 2005 Express edition, however, will remain free, as was promised during the launch events.
Why am I telling you this? So that you’ll go download your free copies today! 🙂