CompuServe Messages

[ continuation ] Therefore, the testers are a critical (and vital) part of the design process who must be prepared to work … and work reliably. But the software author must also treat his testers with respect … listening to what they say with sympathy, accepting that their ideas may be different to his own (and may well be right!) and above all keeping them informed of progress. In all my time, I have only encountered two software authors whose approach was anything like acceptable … one from the past, and one currently writing. The latter is the best author I've ever had to deal with! After all, beta-testing _is_ tough work if you do it properly, and it's usually unpaid (although many authors seem to expect the same commitment that they'd have from a full-time employee) … but it's great fun, and can be very intellectually rewarding. Mike (from the UK)