Mike Puckett has posted that the upcoming SolidWorks 2010 Beta test will be starting up within the next two weeks.  To participate, simply go to the SolidWorks Beta Program page and follow the directions.

Please note that you will need to have access to the SolidWorks Customer Portal in order to participate.  This is your chance to see what’s new in the upcoming version, get a jump start on any migration issues, and to help SolidWorks by reporting any issues that you may have.

Are you going to be participating in the Beta Program?  Let us know!

It was announced earlier today that the SolidWorks 2008 Beta Program was now open for registration.  Here is the standard post that seems to have been the "official" press release across all the forums:

Sign up today to participate in the SolidWorks 2008 Beta program. We have added over 200 enhancements to SolidWorks 2008 to help designers better Focus on Design, and not CAD, reuse their existing Designs to save time and design with confidence. This year, for the first time ever, the grand prize winner will receive a full commercial copy of SolidWorks 2008 Office Premium and a one year subscription service.

I have already signed up, and if you’re a subscription customer, I hope you will too.  The more eyes and hands that are on it, the more (hopefully) stable it will be when it’s released!

Rob Rodriguez has posted an excellent interview with Kamesh Pemmaraju, VP of Quality Engineering for SolidWorks.  They discuss the steps SolidWorks takes in getting a new release ready for public release.

They also talk about the "Technology Adoption Lifecycle", and how that drives how new technology and software is adopted.

It’s a very interesting read!  If you are an administrator or power user, I highly recommend it, as it will really give you some insight on the SolidWorks development process.