Comments on: A long winding road out of beta

Is a two-year beta really a test? Bloggers, developers argue over whether companies like Google stretch the beta concept too far.

The only problem is...

The only problem is is that any company that keeps the product in beta for one, two, three years or longer had better get it right otherwise they are going to look like *****.

Microsoft has had Windows in beta since 2.x but they still haven't gotten it right. Though they do have the guts to say their products are out of beta when in reality they are still in alpha testing, at least one it comes to bugs and security holes.

Frankly, I don't trust companies that have beta for years and years it tells me they have no idea about what the process of creating something, testing it and getting it out and then starting work on the next version. Keeping a program in beta for 5 years so they can keep adding features to it is just stupid and it not a product I would buy unless I had no choice (like Windows).

Robert

[201293546946733175101343322673]

So?

People who complain will always complain, no matter what. People complain when the beta is too short. People complain when the beta is taking too long. People complain when the final product is too expensive/cheap/insecure/hard to use/whatever reasons. No idea why you pick Windows alone, like other products are the greatest in the world :)

[Ubber geek]

bugs and security holes

http://www.analogstereo.com/volvo_740_owners_manual.htm

[Marcus Westrup]

New speak

"beta" is becoming a marketing term that means: You can't sue us if your machine is trashed, because the program is still in beta.
Many licence agreements state that beta software is for evaluation purposes only, and may not be stable. Use at your own risk.

Exactly

When people *****, they can just say: "Well we told you it was beta"

[2smokingbarrels]

Newegg.com beta testing new website

Newegg.com is currently beta testing their website. If you visit the AnandTech forum here -- http://forums.anandtech.com/messageview.aspx?catid=38&threadid=1509489&enterthread=y -- you can see screenshots. If you visit www2.newegg.com it redirects to a login screen --https://secure.newegg.com/app/LinkToNewVersion.asp?From=new -- interesting!