Author: Arturo Ochoa
Date: 04:14:22 09/06/00
Go up one level in this thread
On September 06, 2000 at 01:03:29, Adrien Regimbald wrote: >Hello, > >I saw the huge thread on beta-testing, and while I didn't read the whole thing >(it quickly turned into petty insult matches), I feel I should point out some >misconceptions. > Hello: Adrien, I am too missed that you have made the decision to participate in this arid polemic. But, I will do too :( >1. A beta tester is not a "real tester". A new definition: Beta tester is incorrect, and the concept is "real tester". :) I looked for this concept in my books of Software Engineering and I only found the Beta Testing concept but... :) A beta tester simply tries the major >features of the program and suggests improvements, reports bugs, etc. A "real >tester" is actually part of the development team, and in fact, sometimes this >phase of devlopment in a serious software project can occupy more time than >actually coding the whole thing. These testers systematically try to break the >program - doing things that no-one would normally do, verifying outputs for test >inputs using various techniques - black/white box testing, morph testing, >recursion testing, etc, etc. This concept is called simply Software Quality Metrics or Software Quality Assurance. Don't get complicated so much. >These testers are advanced coders themselves, and >are highly paid for their work. > >2. Beta testers usually do not contribute significantly to the program - they >point out small bugs, make suggestions, etc - mostly cosmetic issues and >smoothing out unexpected problems with the GUI or perhaps a major functionality. This is a value judgment if you don't have the Statistics that strengthen this point of view. Do you have Statistics if all, do read you well "ALL", the not real Beta Testers carries out slight observations? For example, I can tell you, Adrien, that I am a Fide player very good ranked and I am also a Specialist in the Software Engineering area. But, I don't want to detail anything else. Of course, I have five o six Chess programs of which I am a "Beta Tester". I won't to say what the Programmers Names are because I am respecful and confident to the original Authors. They think, for example, that my Beta testing Hobby is good and useful for them. I have spent hundreds of hours in testing these Chess Programs and you cannot say to me this is a light testing for the Techniques I have applied to evaluate the Quality Software Level of this programs and their strength. > Suggesting that a beta tester be paid anything for the 20 or 30 hours they >spend "tinkering" (read - playing) with a program when perhaps a whole team of >highly trained professionals for most likely a period of years over long and >grueling hours is absurd in the extreme. > Ok, in this case you are right! :) Additionally. I keep private my Beta Testing or "Real Testing", as you called it, with these Chess Programs because it is only a Hobby and I don't want to win the American Lottery for this. I think when an Author of a Chess Program has sent to me his Chess Program is an act of trust (This is my value judgment in this posting :) ) I think to have his program by nothing it's a great gift for me. Only that. If I have made the decision to Test the Chess Programs, second, to send to them my feedbacks, third, to send them my Testing Results, fourth, to train with these programs, fith, the Authors think my hobby job is useful for them, and so on, I cannot share the point of view that my hobby "Beta Testing" job is light or useless. I think as much the Chess Programmers as the "Beta testers" shouldn't participate in these controversial and arid positions. The fact is the relation Chess Programmer - Beta Chess Programeer has existed for several years. What is the real problem with this? To be paid or not to be paid, Shakespeare should begin to collect his payments for his rights. :) I think the mentioned "relationship" is a personal matter of the persons who establish it. No more, no less. Best Regards.
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