SolidWorks:Heard! - Episode 394 - Beta Season Begins!

Beta Season Begins!:

This podcast covers the lauch of SolidWorks 2013 beta program and how to get the most out of this early testing release.  Topics covered:

- How to get signed up and testing

- Improvements to this year's beta program

- What the prises are for squashing bugs

- Other challenges of this year's beta program

- Best practices

Let me guess. Your company has just rolled out SolidWorks 2012 after months of you hounding them and now SolidWorks 2013 is out for beta!  Yep, it happened again! I know the feeling but there might be a few things worth testing in the next release to keep the hounding going.

SolidWorks officially launched beta last week and it is available for download from the customer portal to begin testing.  Beta testing can take a certain user that is willing to take the plunge and figure out a way to parallel test the next major release of software while still getting the work done that pays the bills.  Sound fun?  If not, beta is probably not for you but this is the time of year when we get to live on the bleeding edge of CAD tech and pressure test this thing.

Looking through the what's new document should be your first stop and in this show I will outline the resources available to you for testing 2013 beta.  There are a number of enhancements to not only the software but also to this program to make it fun but easy to submit bugs for prises.  As I said before, it is not for everyone and some believe this should be done by SW themselves.  The answer is they do, it's called Alpha and the stuff we find is beta can be best tested by those who actually use the software.  So dig through the What's New, get a road map together and start testing.  See you in the forums. ~Lou

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SolidWorks:Heard! - Episode 335 - SolidWorks 2012 Beta

SolidWorks 2012 Beta:

This podcast covers the news around the recently launched SolidWorks 2012 beta site, changes to the beta program and how to best prepare for beta testing SolidWorks line of products. Topics covered:

- Beta 2012 launch page

- How to get notified when beta goes live

- Installing beta in parallel

- How to make the most of your time with Beta

- Contest prizes and details

- 2012 Beta program improvements

So just as soon as you get SolidWorks 2011 installed and deployed throughout your company, BAM, SolidWorks 2012 Beta is knocking on the door again! Yes we are entering "beta season" and SolidWorks 2012 is the next major version to be launched in fall and so the call goes out to those of you who can't wait to get your hands on latest and greatest.

This year SolidWorks has not only added enhancements to the actual software but they have also responded to the feedback from those of you who submitted feedback of our to improve the beta program itself.  Let's face it, you want to test beta but submitting bugs and spending time typing up reports is not fun.  This time around there will be some streamlining to that process as well as better mechanisms to report bugs effectively.

Although there are some who may not want to dive into the unknown of beta, those that do also can, and should, partake in the beta conversation happening over at the SolidWorks Forums.  This is a community of like-minded beta-testers who share their findings and ask interesting questions. Sound fun? Get signed up! ~Lou

Remember to check out the SolidWorks: Heard! Blog and to follow me on Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD! 

SolidWorks:Heard! - Episode 282 - SolidWorks 2011 Beta

SolidWorks 2011 Beta:

This podcast covers the launch of SolidWorks 2011 Beta program and how to get involved in the testing of the beta builds of the next version of SolidWorks.  Topics covered:

- SolidWorks Beta Program Introduction

- New Integration into the SolidWorks Forums

- Getting signed up

- How to participate

- Getting a plan for beta testing

- Installation and guidelines

- Contests and prizes

Well it is that time of year again.  Time to dust off your testing skills and dig into the newest beta build of SolidWorks 2011!  As a disclaimer, not every user is going to care about testing SolidWorks and some go as far as to get upset about testing the software for free.  Beta testing, in general, is not for everyone and it does take a certain breed of user to desire using software that is not yet released just to see what is to come.  If you are of this "breed" then SolidWorks is dangling the beta carrot for you.

Beta testing at SolidWorks has been surrounded by contests and prizes for years, however for most users this is not the draw.  It is the thrill of the hunt to find easter eggs, try new features and test if this release addresses past issues.  Another important part of participation is getting involved in the discussions in the beta forms since that is the only place to discuss your experiences.  Beta testing comes with an agreement to an NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) so the first rule of beta is we can't publicly talk about beta.

Remember SolidWorks 2011 beta is not production ready in any stretch of the word so make sure you install it as a new install, separate from your production setup and data sets.  Make sure you have an exclusive/disconnected copy of your data and a roadmap of goals for testing.  I hope to see you all in the beta forums over the next few months and happy testing! ~Lou

Remember to check out the SolidWorks: Heard! Blog and to follow me on Twitter, Facebook and THE HEaRD!