Knowing that students understand the value of 'free' better than anyone else and are a group that adapts new technology the fastest, Microsoft is offering its new cloud-based Office 365 for free for six months. The deal expires midnight Tuesday - so if you have a .edu email account, take advantage before its too late. At the conclusion of the six-month trial period, students can continue with their subscription to Office 365 at a deep discount.

In giving away its software, Microsoft is aiming at Google Apps and OpenOffice, which have given students open-source, free alternatives to the the Office suite. For many students, having the original and not a substitute will make it easier to write papers, create and edit spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations - and collaborate with peers, thanks to SkyDrive, Microsoft's answer to Google Drive storage service.

To access Office 365 free for six months, students have to sign up using an .edu email address and also share it on Facebook. Without sharing (now, who wouldn't do that?), the freebie run is only good for three months. Along with full access to the Office 365 apps, 20GB of Skydrive storage is included.

To stay subscribed after the free trial, students can buy access for four years for $80, one-fifth of the $100 per year that non-students will need to pony up.

According to Forbes, Microsoft's reasoning for the trial is that it's "seen through direct feedback that students are one group that can really benefit" from the bells-and-whistles in Office 365 that integrate the work and let students collaborate more effectively.

Microsoft signed up Aubrey Plaza from TV comedy series "Parks and Recreation" for viral web ads demonsrating SkyDrive and Office 365 University.