There is a lot of talk about VW2009 and the Parasolid kernel that is going to make it super fast. There are also some great added features to spotlight and that VW will automatically update Lightwright 5. All of that is great, and you can read up on it more at (www.nemetschek.net). What I want to remind everyone about, or at least students, is that you can still get a free educational (fully functional) version of Vectorworks 2009 or Vectorworks 2008. Things have changed a bit in the registration process since last year, but are still simple and easy to do. Nemetschek has now made a student login site which is where you will have to go to request a copy of Vectorworks. Be prepared to fill out some standard forms and info, but most importantly you will need to provide some information to prove you're a student. Grade transcripts, Photo ID etc…. And if you are already using VW2008 from last year as a student, you will still have to update your info to prove you are in school. After that though, you can have a DVD of the program shipped to you, or you can even immediately download a copy of it from the internet. It is 3.5GB, so be prepared to get some lunch in the meantime. The downside is you will need to wait to your information is approved to get the key for the license. The download is only a 30 day trial version, but it should hold you over until you get the license. So start requesting your free copies!