Does 'express' in Visual C# express means 'free'?

Does appending an express mean something is free as the Visual C# express may suggest?

I cannot find that in a dictionary.

Solution 1:

Express is used by Microsoft to denote free entry-level versions of their software development tools. As such it's a branding / marketing term, and even if the person who came up with it were to give their thought process it would be inadvisable to believe them. Hence we can only speculate.

My speculation, for what it's worth, is that the tools are express in the sense of fast because you can download them and start developing, skipping the time-consuming licensing step.

Solution 2:

You mean as a synonym for "lite." That is not the case.

Express used to mean fast and was used for trains and other means of "fast" delivery service that perhaps stopped less often.

For newspapers I am not sure if Daily Express means "thoughts of today" or "smaller, leaner newspaper which is faster to read."

The Peking Express is not free, neither is the Daily Express.

For a complex example - the game Galaxy Express is not free, but Galaxy Express Lite is.

In your case, Peter Taylor explained the etymology for MS software.