New
#1
I think MS is starting to realize two things
1) People like beta testing
2) People like and buy the product if they got to beta test it
I am one of those people (except for the TechNet thing)!
~Lordbob
Source -Microsoft announced the availability of four business products: Microsoft Office 2010 and Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Microsoft Visio 2010, and Microsoft Project 2010. This is a milestone for the software giant in that all at one time a collection of their suite of office products has entered the software world.
This is a landmark in other ways. Microsoft’s SharePoint 2010 and Office 2010 beta programs were the largest ever. They had three times more participants compared to the Office 2007 beta program. As a result, over 8.6 million consumers are already using Office 2010 and the related series of products. Furthermore, over 1,000 Microsoft partners are building working solutions for the 2010 set of products.
Right now Office 2010 is available in 14 languages. However, in the course of the next several months, the plan is to make Office 2010 and related products available in 94 languages. That would certainly confirm its world wid presence.
Not waiting for consumers to ask, “What about Sharepoint?”, Microsoft has an answer, via a demonstration. Their global launch website located at home, which has the 2010 suite, also has Microsoft SharePoint 2010 as its underlying software source. Currently it is reaching a diverse community of more than 60 countries and 26 languages worldwide.
Microsoft Releases Office 2010 | Windows 7 News
I think MS is starting to realize two things
1) People like beta testing
2) People like and buy the product if they got to beta test it
I am one of those people (except for the TechNet thing)!
~Lordbob
It definitely improves their image. "Here, you can help us make our product better!" It's a great idea, and it's free marketing for when people go "oh yeah, I tried the beta and really liked it!" I know I did that for Seven.