How to get (for FREE) SQL Server 2008 CTP

I just got an email from a friend of mine asking how he could get his hands on SQL Server 2008 "Beta."  Well, we don't have a BETA per se, since over the past year or so Microsoft has been trying to be more "transparent" on our software releases/progress, etc.  Now we do Customer Technology Previews or CTP for short.

So, having given it some thought, I was wondering if others might want to get an early look at the new version of SQL Server and were just not aware that they could do so very easily, hence this blog posting. 

Here's the link: https://connect.microsoft.com/sqlserver?wa=wsignin1.0, but you have to have a Windows Live ID, which is also freely available (if you don't already have one) at https://get.live.com/getlive/overview.  If you already have Hotmail, or MSN Messenger, or used to have a Microsoft Passport Account then you have a Windows Live ID already.

Have fun

~ Robert Shelton