Best way to get Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2 - Microsoft Secure Content Downloader 2007 CTP

I thought i'd bring this to peoples attention after having had some seriously slow speeds when downloading Betas from MSFT. Even via the MSDN subscriptions it can sometimes be extremely slow..and then if it fails you have to locate the download again...and possibly again.

so what more convenient could it be if you just opened up an application and select the download you wanted from a dropdownlist?

Microsoft Secure Content Downloader 2007 CTP has been released, and luckily the applications on the list at the moment is the Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2 releases.

Overview

The Microsoft Secure Content Downloader (MSCD) is a peer-assisted download manager capable of securely downloading specific files. MSCD is intended for consumers who are downloading from a home PC, or business users whose computers are not behind a corporate firewall. If you use MSCD from behind a corporate firewall, you may be unable to download content, and may adversely affect other clients' ability to download content.
Main features of the MSCD are:

• Secure content description
  • Each file available for download has a secure description, ensuring the content you download is exactly what the publisher published.
• Scalable performance
  • MCSD is a peer-assisted technology. Each client downloads content by exchanging parts of the file they’re interested in with other clients, in addition to downloading parts from the server.
    • No matter how great the internet’s demand for the file, you will always be able to make progress downloading.
    • MSCD lets you download content quicker than is possible without peer assistance.

Some MSCD clients may be connected to each other via peer connections, forming a ‘cloud’ of clients. Pieces of the file you are downloading are sent through these peer connections between clients, as well as through connections with the file server. As a member of the cloud, your computer both serves as a client and server to other members of the cloud. Data destined for the cloud may be routed through your computer and sent to other cloud members. The other cloud members connected to you will be able to access only pieces of the file you are downloading via MSCD – they have no access to any other data on your computer.
You are only connected to other clients while you are downloading a file via MSCD. When the file has finished downloading – or when you pause or cancel the download, or exit the application – you disconnect from the cloud. Once you disconnect from the cloud, you will no longer have any connections to any other members in the cloud and no data will be routed through your computer.

This version of MSCD is a Community Technology Preview, and will only allow you to obtain current Visual Studio 2008 Beta 2. Since it is a Community Technology Preview, additional information related to MSCD’s performance and network transactions -- including your machine name and IP addresses -- may be logged to help evaluate and improve MSCD performance.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT VISUAL STUDIO 2008 BETA 2

If you download and install Beta 2, run this script to ensure that the installation of .NET Framework 3.5 Beta 2 will not affect the development of ASP.NET AJAX 1.0 applications.

Click here to download the Microsoft Secure Content Downloader 2007 CTP