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Yes, I test beta software, but only to see whats changed, or whats decent about the software, and to decide whether or not it's worth to get the full version.
Also, I only ever install beta software (+shareware and other trial software, etc) on a virtual machine. That way, when I've finished playing with it (or it screws up and attempts to take my os with it), I can just undo the changes and move back to a fresh install of the os with no polution in a couple of minutes.
I'm suprised more people don't use this method, rather than install beta software, and then taking the next week trying to uninstall it when they don't like it or it goes wrong.
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Yeah, thats what I do too. I use VMWare as well. A great tool if you ask me, very helpfull for this kind of thing - lathough it kinds lags with the graphics, but its ok.
rara avis in terris
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The one nice thing about beta is that it can save you money. I was a beta tester for Star Wars Galaxies. I had high hopes for the game but after seeing the beta I knew I wouldn't play it even for free. Some people may have liked this thing but in my opinion it just flat out sucked. So by trying the beta I saved some cash.
You can get the same result from demo software of a released product. However, beta versions usually have more of the product to look at than a typical demo.
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Usually I install betas from companies I trust. Until I installed Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2. It's really is buggy...
A polar bear is a bear whose coordinates has been changed in terms of sine and cosine.
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Almost all beta software I install is on a virtual machine using Virtual PC
Being in a minority of one, doesn't make you insane
George Orwell
However, in my case it does
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we're attempting a phased conversion to 2005 and the team system. all of our codebase is in .net 1.1 and cant be converted to 2.0 for the foreseeable future.
that leaves us with 2 choices: 1. skip out on team system or 2. find a solution that allows team system in vs 2003. the result was I stumbled across teamplain (by devbiz, who actually makes some pretty badass stuff around team system) that was promised to be released. It looked exactly like what we needed, but wasnt released yet, and when it finally was, it was a beta.
sometimes the few bugs you run into are outweighed by it being the only solution available, and when thats the case, beta is better than nothing!
/bb|[^b]{2}/
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(bleeding edge often == beta)? "Install beta" : "Uninstall beta"
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I don't see a reason for multiple selections... But that could just be me...
Any clues?;P
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"Only if no other works for me" +
"To test new features"
The wording isn't perfect for a multiple-choice question, but I am flexible and forgiving 
Some of us walk the memory lane, others plummet into a rabbit hole
Tree<t> in C# || Fold With Us! || sighist
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I am too... I was just curious
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I tend not to have the time to play about with beta products, and I certainly don't use them for production development.
However, in some cases the risk of waiting before looking at the impact such a product may have on work I'm doing outweighs the risk of using beta software. Examples that spring to mind readily are evaluating the impact of a new OS, development environment, or Office suite.
In particular, having access to VS2005 from Beta 1 onwards gave us the forewarning we needed that this version was not going to be an easy version to integrate (the automation model has significant differences from VS2002 and VS2003, and it's taken a lot of effort to get it anywhere near right).
Another example for us was WTL 7.5. We migrated to it at an early beta stage as the improvements over 7.1 were so compelling. Of course, being a source distribution we could see the changes in detail from release to release...
Anna ![Rose | [Rose]](https://codeproject.freetls.fastly.net/script/Forums/Images/rose.gif)
Currently working mostly on: Visual Lint 
Anna's Place | Tears and Laughter
"Be yourself - not what others think you should be"
- Marcia Graesch
"Anna's just a sexy-looking lesbian tart"
- A friend, trying to wind me up. It didn't work.
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Open source projects aren't trying to make money, so sometimes call themselves "beta" software even when they are completly stable. Commercial apps on the otherhand, can't be sold until the pass the beta phase. I know a lot of commercial apps that claim to be production quality, but really are beta.
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I dont see anything wrong with installing any Beta Software. Just never do it on your main production machinne, dont use it for anything on production and get ready to change anything that you did around the Beta, at soon it comes the new Beta. At the end even when the software goes in production in few days is comming a new patch or some bug fixing. Then who says the production software is not better than a Beta or a CTP.
Giuseppe Turitto.
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testing software is something people get paid to do. why should i work for any other company, for free ?
and, I gain nothing by figuring out a month earlier than everyone else where MS (or whoever) has moved the buttons to in their latest release.
Cleek | Image Toolkits | Thumbnail maker
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Chris Losinger wrote: I gain nothing
Ahhhh, but just think... YOU could be the first to complain about it on the CP forums 
"Nothing ever changes by staying the same." - David Brent (BBC's The Office) ~ ScrollingGrid: A cross-browser 2-way-scrolling freeze-header control for the ASP.NET DataGrid
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yeah... reading how everybody else here swoons over every MS beta release makes me feel like there must be something wrong with me. why don't I love MS's little teasings?
Cleek | Image Toolkits | Thumbnail maker
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Chris Losinger wrote: why don't I love MS's little teasings?
You've got a level head.
The Welsh will always support two teams: The Welsh, and anyone playing England
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Chris Losinger wrote: testing software is something people get paid to do. why should i work for any other company, for free ?
Precisely my thought. BTW, I also remove the dealer's license plate frame from my car. Why the heck should I be a free ad billboard for them?
Chris Losinger wrote: and, I gain nothing by figuring out a month earlier than everyone else where MS (or whoever) has moved the buttons to in their latest release.
A month? With all the delays from Microsoft (now they say the Office 2007 delay will affect Vista), it's more like a year or two, to see what not-so-shiny buttons got moved and where.
Marc
Pensieve
Some people believe what the bible says. Literally. At least [with Wikipedia] you have the chance to correct the wiki -- Jörgen Sigvardsson
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Marc Clifton wrote: Why the heck should I be a free ad billboard for
Seems a bit cynical and "Screw you all! You won't get an INCH out of me!" Fair enough, remove the plate if you want but you don't have to get all paranoid about it.
(I just seriously think if people weren't so defensive the world would be a wee bit better.)
regards,
Paul Watson
Ireland
FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
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Paul Watson wrote: I just seriously think if people weren't so defensive the world would be a wee bit better.)
Conversely, if people weren't so offensive the world would be a lot better.
However, that's the gateway to a huge philosophical discussion regarding the checks and balances that both perform to keep society somewhat on an even keel.
Marc
Pensieve
Some people believe what the bible says. Literally. At least [with Wikipedia] you have the chance to correct the wiki -- Jörgen Sigvardsson
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I don't see how a dealer plate is offensive.
regards,
Paul Watson
Ireland
FeedHenry needs you
eh, stop bugging me about it, give it a couple of days, see what happens.
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