Re: [PEDA] Beta testing (was Pulsonix vs Protel vs Protel Pheonix)
snip (2) If I *were* testing Phoenix beta, I'd be able to say that, unless I signed another NDA which prohibited it. If Protel informed me specifically that the fact of my testing was confidential, then it could be a violation of the NDA even as it stands, though it might be difficult to enforce because it could easily be argued, in defense, that the bare fact of my occupation in testing was not information, whether written or oral, exchanged between them..., which is what is covered by the NDA. But I would strongly advise PAltium to get Phoenix into Beta as soon as possible. The program could be quite buggy as long as it does not regularly reformat the hard drive ;-) The fact that Phoenix is in beta release will generate excitement in anticipation, and I'm sure that Altium is aware of that. So it should not be secret. So I conclude that it is not in Beta yet. Abdulrahman Lomax Altium might not subscribe to the same view. They could, conceivably, argue that publicising that beta testing is currently occurring (which the general public would infer in the event that a beta tester disclosed that) has the potential to compromise their commercial interests, in that their competitors would then be aware as to when beta testing is occurring (whereas they would not be aware of that if none of the beta testers disclosed that). Whether such an argument would stand up in a court of law is of course another matter (assuming that Altium did initiate legal action against a beta tester who publicly disclosed that). Even if the public at large are not aware of whether beta testing is currently occurring or not, many would still infer that this probably is occurring at present, on the basis that Altium has announced that Phoenix will be released before the end of Q1/2002. While I suggest that that release date should be taken with a grain of salt, that still doesn't alter the proposition that Altium might not want any of its competitors to discern when beta testing started, and/or how long has been assigned for that. I am not currently beta testing, so I am under no obligation to keep that fact to myself. It also follows that I don't know whether beta testing is currently occurring or not, so I don't conclude that this has definitely not started as of yet. Given that Altium will try and release the public version of Phoenix before the end of this quarter (as they have already publicised that release date), or failing that, as soon as possible after that deadline, I would hope that beta testing has in fact already started; the alternative scenario implies that the beta testing phase will be very short in duration, and with the programmers under considerable pressure (from other sections of Altium) to release the final version of this ASAP. In a previous post, I suggested that perhaps Altium could release a public beta version before the end of next month. That would give them some breathing space, while also permitting them to retain a large measure of credibility. And users at large would have the chance to find and report outstanding bugs (even if it was too late in the piece for suggested enhancements to be implemented, unless these were of a trivial nature to implement). Regards, Geoff Harland. - E-Mail Disclaimer The Information in this e-mail is confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee. Access to this e-mail by anyone else is unauthorised. If you are not the intended recipient, any disclosure, copying, distribution or any action taken or omitted to be taken in reliance on it, is prohibited and may be unlawful. Any opinions or advice contained in this e-mail are confidential and not for public display. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * To post a message: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * To leave this list visit: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/leave.html * * Contact the list manager: * mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Forum Guidelines Rules: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/forumrules.html * * Browse or Search previous postings: * http://www.mail-archive.com/proteledaforum@techservinc.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Re: [PEDA] Beta testing (was Pulsonix vs Protel vs Protel Pheonix)
At 04:01 PM 2/13/2002 +1100, Geoff Harland wrote: snip The fact that Phoenix is in beta release will generate excitement in anticipation, and I'm sure that Altium is aware of that. So it should not be secret. So I conclude that it is not in Beta yet. Abdulrahman Lomax Altium might not subscribe to the same view. They could, conceivably, argue that publicising that beta testing is currently occurring (which the general public would infer in the event that a beta tester disclosed that) has the potential to compromise their commercial interests, in that their competitors would then be aware as to when beta testing is occurring (whereas they would not be aware of that if none of the beta testers disclosed that). Let me see if I understand. If Protel allows beta testers to disclose that Phoenix is in beta test, then the competition will know that it is in beta test. Gee, I hadn't thought of that! I suppose that all the press releases about what is in Phoenix wouldn't be enough to get the competition off their collective duffs, but when they hear that it is actually in beta, why, then they will go out and hire droves of programmers to deal with the emergency. They will also offer Protel beta testers large sums of cash for allowing them a sneak preview, thus corrupting the Protel user community. Obviously, for the public welfare, and for reasons which have now become clear, beta testing must be secret. *What is the problem with the competition knowing that it is in Beta?* They know -- they have known for a long time -- that it is coming. They have some idea of what is in it, the big deal, probably, being the autorouter. They gain no advantage by knowing that it is in beta. None. I was being sarcastic, of course, but the only gain I could think of was that they could try to bribe a beta tester. And they could do that anyway. Risky business, though. On the other hand, right now someone contemplating a Protel purchase might be tempted to think that Phoenix is vaporware. As soon as it is known that it is in beta, that obstruction vanishes. In other words, secrecy for beta equals loss for Protel and Protel users. Sure, they might not agree. But, as I said, I'd be surprised. It's not in beta, Occam's razor. They would have to have selected a whole new crew of beta testers, which would kind of trash the idea of having experienced users beta test. Yes, it's a problem. But it may not be such a big one. Sure, it means that Phoenix might be released with inadequate beta testing. But if patches to fix bugs are quickly available, and if the bugs are not bad -- which they might verify in a month of beta -- then it is no longer so important that everything get found and fixed before release. Sure, they should do beta testing for a longer period, if they want to avoid reinforcing the bad reputation that has plagued Protel. But quick response to bugs and complaints will be more important. Tsien gets bug reports and fixes the software and sends a patch within days, I think. That might be too fast, but not necessarily [EMAIL PROTECTED] Abdulrahman Lomax Easthampton, Massachusetts USA * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * To post a message: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * To leave this list visit: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/leave.html * * Contact the list manager: * mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] * * Forum Guidelines Rules: * http://www.techservinc.com/protelusers/forumrules.html * * Browse or Search previous postings: * http://www.mail-archive.com/proteledaforum@techservinc.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
