As Microsoft gets closer to a public beta of the next version of Office (Announced last week), the company has just announced that the Technical Preview program for Office 2010 is coming to an end. In the e-mail sent to participants, Microsoft noted that the public beta will be available sometime next month. Participants will still be able to access the Office 2010 Connect site for the next few weeks until the public beta.
"Hello Sean,
Thank you for continuing to utilize, evaluate and provide feedback on the Microsoft Office 2010 Technical Preview.
We wanted to notify you the Office 2010 Beta will be available for you to download next month (November 2009).
The Beta release of Office 2010 marks the end of the Technical Preview program you currently belong to. We will release the Beta on public download sites, where you can download and install a newer build of Office 2010 client software. At that time, you will also get your first look at the exciting new features we have added to server products such as SharePoint.
What this means to you as a Technical Preview Program participant is that the Office 2010 Connect site that you have been using will essentially be shut down and you will be directed to the Beta site (location to be announced) for Beta downloads, product information, links to forums, and more. We will provide you with links to the new Beta site on the current Office 2010 Connect site, but product downloads, articles, product information, and newsgroups currently found there will no longer be available on Connect.
In the weeks between now and the release of Beta, you can still access all of the Technical Preview materials on the Office 2010 Connect site.
A reminder, you can access connect at https://connect.microsoft.com/office.
You can also access product news and updates at https://www.microsoft.com/office/2010/.
Thank you for your participation!
The Microsoft Office 2010 Team"