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4 Responses to "QotD: Beta Testing"

1. | Reply Bud Landry
   Posted 25 Sep 2005 at 11:26pm #
   

   Seems like I have been involved in quite a few large scale "public betas" (including one associated with this email address). I am not sure if that qualifies for your question.

   I suppose these days, "Public Beta" indeed means, "No communication or feedback expected or acknowledged". You may be reading this in a browser that is a "public beta."

   But occasionally, being officially corralled as a beta tester did lead to actual discussion between users and programmers (or at least PR staff), via mail list or bulletin board or other forum. Bug reports were sometimes expected, and suggestions sometimes heeded.

   At other times, support or beta gatherings were rogue, perhaps including a sympathetic coding insider, and filled with frustrated best intentions, Official response to bugs and UI feature tweak requests often did not consist of more than a new build and a bug fix report, which might include our finds and concerns. Frequently, it may as well have been a brick wall, and it was not unusual for response to be 'if a limb offend thee, cut it off', with an update of a particular program actually going BACKWARD in evolution.

   Is it still beta testing if there is no regular discussion or report of your work?

2. | Reply Moo! The Musings of a Plaid Cow
   Posted 26 Sep 2005 at 9:15pm #
   

   QotD: Beta Testing

   Question: Have you ever beta tested any software (in an official capacity, not by warezing an early build of Photoshop 17 or something)? Yes, I’ve beta tested quite a few different pieces of software: Quicken for two years (Trinity and...

3. | Reply Tim Buchheim
   Posted 27 Sep 2005 at 2:29pm #
   

   yeah, lots of stuff. Everything from the Apple IIgs version of Wolfenstein to the various PS2 online betas (mostly just server load testing, with the exception of the Everquest Online Adventures beta, which was a true beta .. I reported dozens of bugs, and Final Fantasy XI, where there were a few bugs to be found) to the last couple of Mac OS X releases (yes, legal, through an ADC Select membership).

4. | Reply Chuck Plater's Blog
   Posted 30 Sep 2005 at 11:08am #
   

   QotD: Beta Testing

   QotD: Beta Testing: Question: Have you ever beta tested any software (in an official capacity, not by warezing an early build of Photoshop 17 or something)? My Answer: Yes. Back in the day I was a beta tester for...