Add to 
del.icio.us
Digg this
February 23, 2009
Last week, Microsoft said it won't be releasing a second beta to its Windows 7 operating system, but instead
will move it directly into a release candidate stage. Needless to say, the move has some Windows testers
disillusioned.
Those testers say that, due to a lack of test builds, they cannot properly test Windows 7 to see if the
bugs they submitted have been fixed in the first place.
Some explained how the lack of test builds and the speed with which Microsoft is moving towards RTM for
Windows 7 is limiting testers' overall abilities to check if their bugs are fixed.
While Microsoft acknowledges that its Windows team is getting some feedback through the Windows 7 beta, some
testers still think it isn't enough.
"That won't fix rogue usability issues, or odd application incompatibility issues, or driver issues etc. So
if anyone from the beta team reads this, please rethink your strategy and think about releasing some more
builds for testing. It can't hurt, it can only help the end product," wrote one beta tester on his blog.
Since then, Microsoft has asked some disgruntled testers to contact it directly with any concerns they
might have.
"Feel free to email us the specifics on what you think Microsoft isn't listening to. We're trying
hard to be inclusive of folks with the broad beta - we're getting a lot more coverage than we would have
previously in limited technical betas," a Microsoft memo said.
Historically, and with previous Windows releases, beta testers and not the public would often get monthly
code reports so that they could see how their bugs were doing and if progress was being made. With Windows 7,
this is no longer the case, and thus it's a great deal of dissatisfaction.
Beta testers may certainly have a point...
With only one more release note to go before the official launch, it makes you wonder how Microsoft is
going to catch all the bugs the first time.
It might not be a bad idea to release a few closed test releases to please the test crowd and catch some
last-minute bugs.
Of course, nobody should expect Microsoft to be so expedient...
Source: Tech Blog.
Add to
del.icio.us
Digg this
