Freeware/Developer

Name	Description
Microsoft Visual Basic Express	Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET) is an object-oriented computer language that can be viewed as an evolution of Microsoft's Visual Basic (VB) implemented on the Microsoft .NET framework. Its introduction has been controversial, as significant changes were made that broke backward compatibility with VB and caused a rift within the developer community.
Microsoft Visual C# Express	C# is an object-oriented programming language developed by Microsoft as part of the .NET initiative and later approved as a standard by ECMA and ISO. Anders Hejlsberg leads development of the C# language, which has a procedural, object-oriented syntax based on C++ and includes aspects of several other programming languages (most notably Delphi and Java) with a particular emphasis on simplification.
Microsoft Visual C++ Express	Microsoft's language specification intended to supersede Managed Extensions for C++. Completely revised to simplify the older Managed C++ syntax (which is now deprecated), it provides much more clarity and code readability than Managed C++. C++/CLI is standardized by ECMA. It is currently only available in Visual C++ 2005 (Visual Studio 2005 or Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition).
Microsoft Visual J# Express	J# programming language is a transitional language for programmers of Sun's Java and Microsoft's J++ languages, so they may use their existing knowledge and applications on Microsoft's .NET platform. J# can work with Java bytecode as well as source so it can be used to transition applications that use third party libraries even if their original source is unavailable. It is notable for being developed outside the United States. It was developed by the Hyderabad-based Microsoft India Development Center at HITEC City in India. [1] The success of this software project led to Microsoft pouring many millions into expanding their Indian facilities.
Microsoft SQL Server Express	This is basically a free, light-weight, and redistributable edition of Microsoft SQL Server 2005. It provides an integrated data storage solution for developers writing Windows applications and Web sites that have basic data storage needs. SQL Server 2005 Express replaces MSDE 2000 and significantly expands on its feature set. The SQL Server Management Studio Express can also be downloaded to provide graphical user interface in administering the SQL Server 2005 Express. Another interesting feature that should be noted, unlike other free database servers, SQL Server 2005 Express Edition has no workload throttle.
Microsoft Visual Web Developer Express	Visual Web Developer is a free web development tool that allows anyone to evaluate the web development and editing capabilities of the other Visual Studio 2005 editions at no charge. Its main function is to create ASP.NET websites. It has a WYSIWYG, drag-and-drop user interface designer; enhanced HTML & code editors; a (limited) database explorer; support for other web technologies (e.g., CSS, Javascript, XML); and integrated, design-time validation for standards including XHTML 1.0/1.1 and CSS 2.1. Being an Express IDE, it lacks certain features, such as the Accessibility Checker, the ability to create standalone Class Library Projects (which can be done by the other language-specific Express Editions), and the extensibility support necessary to load third-party add-ins and macros.
Dev-C++	Dev-C++, developed by Bloodshed Software, is a fully featured graphical IDE (Integrated Development Environment), which is able to create Windows or console-based C/C++ programs using the MinGW compiler system. MinGW (Minimalist GNU* for Windows) uses GCC (the GNU g++ compiler collection), which is essentially the same compiler system that is in Cygwin (the unix environment program for Windows) and most versions of Linux.
Maxima	Maxima is a system for the manipulation of symbolic and numerical expressions, including differentiation, integration, Taylor series, Laplace transforms, ordinary differential equations, systems of linear equations, and vectors, matrices, and tensors. Maxima produces high precision results by using exact fractions and arbitrarily long floating point representations, and can plot functions and data in two and three dimensions.
Inno Setup	recommended - Inno Setup is a free installer for Windows programs. First introduced in 1997, Inno Setup today rivals and even surpasses many commercial installers in feature set and stability. Installations are created by means of scripts, which are ASCII text files with a format somewhat similar to .INI files. (No, it's not as complicated as you might be thinking!). Inno Setup is a tool that helps you to create windows installers.
NSIS	Nullsoft Scriptable Install System is a professional open-source tool for the development of Windows installers. It is designed to be as small and flexible as possible and is therefore highly suitable for internet distribution.