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Topic: Where is non-beta version to download?< Next Oldest | Next Newest >
Ordinant
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Posted: May 02 2006,08:06
Hello Magnus,

I would love to try your Bookmark Converter, but I only see a downloadable version labeled "beta."

Life is just too short to beta-test other people's software. Please provide a known stable version to download and install. If you want to also offer a beta version of some new version you are working on, that is fine. But please do not force new users into your testing program: I just want to convert some bookmarks, not join a club.

If you insist on offering only one downloadable version, then please step up to the plate and call it a full release, not a beta.

Thanks.
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Magnus Brading
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Posted: May 02 2006,18:17
Sorry for the "beta" word in the name of the current release. It really is very stable, no bugs have been reported in it for many months. Due to hardware problems I just haven't been able to make it final. :( You can safely download and use it.

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Ordinant
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Posted: May 04 2006,02:15
I fear you missed the point. My suggestion for now and the future is to always provide at least two downloads: the last stable full release for the majority of customers, and a separate beta release of the next version for a small group of testers.

As a matter of principle, I will not use beta software (except as required by my job). I work in the software industry, and the term beta has gotten way out of hand. Companies like Google leave the beta label on products like news.google.com for THREE YEARS. That is not a beta release, that is a sloppy 1.0 release that Google did not want to take responsibility for. To me, and to most end-users, the term "beta" means "not ready." Why would I want to use software that is not ready?

I am well aware that no software is ever truly finished, and that there is always something more to do. That is why developers need the discipline to take the reins, draw a line, sign their work, release whatever is ready, and then move on--on a separate development branch--with the next version.
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Magnus Brading
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Posted: May 04 2006,13:01
I understand your point. The reason though that the old stable version is not currently provided is that it no longer works for the current browser versions (since they changed their formats etc).

And that would be even worse for me, if people downloaded the stable version and it did not work. See what I mean?

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2 replies since May 02 2006,08:06 < Next Oldest | Next Newest >

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