I'd liken it more to: The eagles take flight, leaving the ship - with it's unfortunate complement of rats and domestic animals - to face their tragic fate.

We have extended your TechNet Subscription for an additional 90 days.

On July 1, 2013, Microsoft announced the retirement of the TechNet Subscriptions program. Since then, we've been listening to your feedback on how we can better support the IT professional community through this transition.
 
Additional Information:
More background on Microsoft's decision to retire the TechNet Subscription service and the implications for current subscribers is available on the TechNet Subscriptions FAQ.

Two of the most common pieces of feedback we heard are that you need more time to prepare for this change, and ongoing access to prior versions of Microsoft software. As a result, we're announcing the following updates:
•Eligible subscribers with active accounts as of September 1, 2013 will receive a free, one-time, 90 day subscription extension. You can continue to access your product downloads, use your professional support calls*, and get priority support in TechNet Forums through your updated expiration date, which you can find on the My Account page of the TechNet Subscriptions benefits portal.

•As TechNet Subscriptions customers begin to transition to the free evaluation resources Microsoft provides, we're improving the TechNet Evaluation Center by making prior versions of products available for trial. Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2, and others are available now. We will add additional products over time.

We appreciate your feedback and will continue to invest in free evaluation, learning, and support resources to meet your business needs and career goals.

- TechNet Subscriptions Team

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