I voted "Felt like it was rewarding" but for me it also applies "I will beta test again but to a select few vendors". And I mean Sandboxie. For me doing it for SBIE has not only being a joy but also been beneficial since basically all problems that I have experienced and reported have been taken care of. The programs that I use work great sandboxed, not all of this programs are used by many SBIE users. Some of the problems that I seen would still be there if I didn't beta test SBIE running my everyday programs. Bo
Thank you everyone for your responses. Keep them coming. Beta testing still interests me, but i sometimes felt as though going through the testing phase, feature requests or even feature enhancements or even something simple as the way text describes something, was a waste of time, even though bugs were acknowledged and fixed. Some vendors don't want to know about how to make their software better, intuitive, simpler and logical, they just want you to find their bugs. So now if i do decide to beta test im more inclined to be selective in whom for.
I used to but not anymore. For me stability became more important than anything else. So I just stick to what I know works.
I beta test for a select few vendors, mostly in the areas of anti-executable, policy restriction, and light virtualization.
For me has beta testing been rewarding, because it gave me a better understanding regarding troubleshooting issues, collecting of information, and through dialogues with other testers a better basic understanding of my system. (At the moment I am beta testing for Emsisoft)
I used to be more inclined to test, many years ago, but these days I only install Sandboxie betas. The simple fact is, tzuk's betas always behaved like final releases. I no longer have the desire to test. I am more focused on keeping my computers running, and when they are running fine, I enjoy NOT fooling with them. Poll selection: I will beta test again but to a select few vendors
I run betas of Kaspersky, Norton, ESET, and used to beta test WinZip. Haven't found a lot of bugs someone else didn't already beat me to but sometimes...
I beta tested SSM for Max Burmistrov (the initial developer of SSM), then for System Safety Limited after they took over development. I also beta tested KernelEx for 98SE and a few of the other unofficial upgrades for 98. Beta testing these taught me more about Windows than anything I've done before or since. I'm no longer actively beta testing primarily because I'm running unsupported operating systems.
In the past it has been useful for getting early exposure to bug fixes for bugs I have reported and needed a fix ASAP. Works both ways, they get some free testing, I get my fixes sooner I quite often install beta software just to find out about new features, I frequently provide feedback (bug reports + feature suggestion/improvements), then again I provide feedback for release products too.
The categories don't fit me, so I haven't answered. However the best fit...When, am I not running a beta? Never!
I did beta test for some vendors in the past like WSA, Norton AV, Emsisoft AM, Sbie, NVT ERP, etc. Not seeing myself beta testing any time soon.
Yes, am testing now for MBAE, MBAM, Hitman Pro Alert. Also have done for Avast in the past. Very selective for who I will do it for.
I do but only for Emsisoft. (It could be called Alpha testing since they are very very early builds) Although i havent done any testing in the last year or so but i do check for new things.
I used to run all of the avast! betas and now I have the Malwarebytes beta on all 5 computers but I am very careful about which ones I will choose. Yes, I've become a chicken.
