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View Full Version : Alpha and Beta testers, why do we do it?



W2IBC
January 29th, 2009, 08:15 AM
Well I got in a convo with someone today and they asked me what o.s. i was using. and I told them I been playing around with the ubuntu 9.04 alpha.

they looked at me and said ALPHA! you mean your using a o.s. that isn't even released totally unstable and gives you headaches when stuff breaks on it.

I said yeah...

They looked at me and asked.... Why?

So now that got me thinking. why do you go out and test these things that are in a Alpha or Beta stage. (yes we all can make the thing were testing better by reporting bugs ect) but why else do you do it?

I guess for me. I like the challenge of using something unstable you never know exactly what is going to happen when you boot it up. (will it work, what will break.) and its also fun (at least i think) finding a fix when something is broken.

so guys/gals why do you like to test stuff in Alpha/Beta

igknighted
January 29th, 2009, 08:20 AM
Because we (or at least I) crave trying the absolute latest software available!

Giant Speck
January 29th, 2009, 08:30 AM
If people didn't alpha-test or beta-test software, then developers wouldn't be aware of the bugs in their software before releasing it.

W2IBC
January 29th, 2009, 08:43 AM
If people didn't alpha-test or beta-test software, then developers wouldn't be aware of the bugs in their software before releasing it.

while this is the main reason, what other reasons do we do it for.

*with out a doubt testers are needed. this thread is more for the fun reasons we may also test

ohmyiv
January 29th, 2009, 08:49 AM
I'd say mostly because I want to see how often I can break my machine in a day :D ;)

A very small part of likes saying "I've been using that for a bit now, where have you been?" :p

jrusso2
January 29th, 2009, 08:50 AM
If people didn't alpha-test or beta-test software, then developers wouldn't be aware of the bugs in their software before releasing it.

Thats true and the reason I stopped doing beta testing when I saw common bugs with lots of reports that were not fixed before release even though it was a major bug.

igknighted
January 29th, 2009, 09:53 AM
Thats true and the reason I stopped doing beta testing when I saw common bugs with lots of reports that were not fixed before release even though it was a major bug.

That doesn't mean they didn't try. I've had a bug with the intel driver on my laptop that got passed on upstream and has taken months to fix (just got a fix this week, actually). The bug has been known since the early alpha days of 8.10, and I know for a fact that there was work going on with it since then. Sometimes it just isn't possible to fix every bug in time.

pt123
January 29th, 2009, 09:54 AM
Thats true and the reason I stopped doing beta testing when I saw common bugs with lots of reports that were not fixed before release even though it was a major bug.
Me too I reported some serious usability bugs in Gutsy alpha, and they still aren't fixed.
So I came to the realisation that there aren't enough active developers for the Linux Desktop or many fail to see "usability" as being very important.

Then you have Gnome they are so awful at feedback, or discussing what is in the works.

jespdj
January 29th, 2009, 10:16 AM
why do you go out and test these things that are in a Alpha or Beta stage. (yes we all can make the thing were testing better by reporting bugs ect) but why else do you do it?
Because you are curious about what is coming in the next version of Ubuntu?

I am not using Jaunty Alpha; I'm not even using Ubuntu 8.10, but 8.04 - because I need my computer for serious work and there are some known issues with 8.10 on the hardware that I have that are show stoppers to me.

I'm looking forward to 9.04, I hope those issues will be fixed, and when it's out I'll see if I'd want to upgrade. I'm certainly not going to install it the day it comes out.

Johnsie
January 29th, 2009, 10:25 AM
On Windows beta testers get software for free that they would normally have to pay for.

On Linux the benefit isn't that great apart from being able to keep up with the latest Linux software. If you're using the latest stable versions of Ubuntu then the chances are that most of the software you are using will be outdated. For example, Amarok 2 was released months ago and Ubuntu 8.10 only has Amarok 1.45.

Sometimes with an Alpha/Beta you will find things working that didn't work before and that can be helpful. For example, when I got my eeepc 8.04 had barely any support for eeepcs, but I heard somewhere that 8.10 was being developed with eeepcs in mind so I installed the alpha of 8.10 and it worked much better even though it was just an alpha.


Involving yourself in alpha/beta testing also gives you a better understanding of what direction the software is moving in and gives you a chance to air your opinion of that before it is made final. The theme of Ubuntu was nearly changed last time around, but a few people voiced concern and that never happened.

Delever
January 29th, 2009, 01:43 PM
Alpha testing reminds why stable versions are called stable.

blackgr
January 29th, 2009, 03:40 PM
someone has to do the dirty job! :P

uberdonkey5
January 29th, 2009, 04:26 PM
Alpha testing reminds why stable versions are called stable.

+1!

tested a few alpha versions,but am giving up... it is just my impatience for new features that makes me use them, but ultimately they are more hassle than they are worth! However, I feel guilty NOT trying them as alpha testers help so much with the production of the final stable version!

Skripka
January 29th, 2009, 04:43 PM
Why do kids shake their Xmas presents on Xmas Eve?


Also, testing needs done to get things out of testing and stable. The more testers, the better and sooner a release can be.

W2IBC
January 30th, 2009, 01:58 AM
very good comments so far keep them coming.

I still do find it fun to test. as stated getting to play with the latest (and sometimes not so greatest) items is fun.

dragos240
January 30th, 2009, 02:02 AM
I do it occasionally because i like helping :D.