Just a note to students who like me have opted for student licences and will eventually require full version licences on leaving education:

Educational software is cheap, so cheap i opted when entering education to get educational licenced versions to my current software as new versions where released, since i was eligable and educational licences are cheaper the upgrades.

I just come off the phone with Adobe(Macromedia) who have informed me that my current educational version is valid until my education seizes, thereafter the software is legal to use for commercial use until the next upgrade is available ie CS2 to CS3 or Studio8 to Studio9 etc, (you can not upgrade a CS2 educational to CS2 full) after then a standard upgrade licence for the software in question will be required ie CS2 full to CS3 full or Studio8 full to Studio9 full. Yes you educational copy will automatically be classed as a full copy for upgrade, but as the new version is released it is no longer valid for legal commercial use and only valid if you re-enter education for educational use.

On price this means as a student you are entitled to very cheap educational software (make the most of it) and once you enter the real world you can obtain a full licence for the price of an upgrade. that often works out overall about half the cost of buying the software as new in the first place.

So students make the most of the offering whilst its there, half price software don't come round that often.

NOTE: based on Adobe and Macromedia products only

1stBite