Hello Ian, Monday, August 30, 2004, 10:18:23 PM, you wrote:
> A cynic might conclude that this is just a means of charging people > for an upgrade. Only a fool believes that software development costs > nothing, and I am sure that The Bat! users would be more than willing > to pay for a genuine upgrade. The problem here is that there are bugs > and incomplete features in the present version that don't work as they > should, and these should be fixed before there is any thought of a > version change and therefore a charge made for the upgrade. My background of doing beta work in both proprietary and open source software has lead me to offer the following: Instead of requiring a new purchase for the new V3, (with a one time 30 day trial), as beta testers, they should have unrestricted access to the software for testing, irrespective of a purchase. In other words, testers should not be forced to purchase a beta. In closed source software, several companies use a timing method for each beta version, so that each beta times out in 3-4 weeks, and will not work. This gives the testers time to find/manage bugs, time for the programmers to fix them, and then deliver another beta release in the cycle.. My personal feeling is that only after the bugs have been worked out, and the program works as advertised, should the thought of a purchase be made. -- Best regards, Gary ________________________________________________________ Current beta is 3.00 Beta/1 | 'Using TBBETA' information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html IMPORTANT: To register as a Beta tester, use this link first - http://www.ritlabs.com/en/partners/testers/
