From: bowman@montana.com   
      
   On 27 Jan 2026 22:24:44 GMT, CrudeSausage wrote:   
      
   > Actually, I always wondered whether it was possible to upgrade Windows   
   > 3.0 to 3.1 for free, or whether you had to buy an entirely new product.   
   > I don't think I ever came across a 3.0 to 3.1 upgrade pack anywhere at   
   > the time.   
      
   I can't address 3.0 to 3.1. I updated to Windows for Workgroup 3.11 using   
   the install media included in the MSDN subscription. At the time you got a   
   binder full of CDs, essentially isos for many different language   
   versions.   
      
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Developer_Network   
      
   The changes over the years is interesting. In the early '90s MSDN was more   
   or less a Compuserve forum, with Compuserve being one of the more   
   expensive options. A MSDN subscription was pricey. As late as Visual   
   Studio 6.0 it was almost a requirement to do any serious development.   
   'Academic' versions of VS were available for $100 USD to suck in the   
   college kids but they were crippled.   
      
   As the years went on more 'community' or 'express' versions of VS became   
   available and offered almost everything the Enterprise edition had.   
   Documentation became more accessible up to the current https://   
   learn.microsoft.com/en-us/.   
      
   I don't know if the Microsoft Phone / RT experience was the watershed but   
   MS over the years decided developers were the lifeblood that kept the OS   
   going rather than another revenue stream to be sucked dry.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)