Windows 98 is due out late this spring, and it appears Microsoft is going to issue as much publicity as it did with Windows 95.

Just recently, Microsoft announced plans that it would sell rights to beta test its new product. Yes, it may be hard to believe that Microsoft is actually selling the rights to work for them.

Beta testing is usually a job that is handled by a select few that take time to go through a new product and find bugs that the company could not find. For this they are usually but not all the time paid from the company or receive a special gift from the company. Sometimes the beta testers will take the risk for free just to see the product.

Microsoft is reversing the role; in this case, people will be taking a risk with their computers and doing an important job for Microsoft without most of the usual benefits that come with beta testing.

The sad part is trying to figure out why Microsoft is doing this with less than two months till Windows 98 comes out. The beta testers that still want to try this product will have to pay $39.95 for the privilege. A good question is: would you pay $39.95 for the same software product in two months?