CompuServe Messages

CBM (actualy CATS) takes input from all on what features the users want. This could be via letter, or communications via public networks that those folks vist. They also hold regular developers conferences and anyone willing to pay the fee can attend. They also allow almost anyone to become a certified developer for an initial fee of $75 plus a yearly fee of $50. How do they judge "Joe Average User's" ability to properly test software…especially OS software? Becoming a certified developer is one of those ways. There are very good reasons for secrecy. Number one, features in the beta releases aren't firm. Things change. As with 1.2 and 1.3, copies of the software got out very early (early betas) and suddenly there were lots of folks who were very upset that some had the software,and they didn't. Not only that, some features either changed, were dropped or added as the beta levels went up. Again…that caused problems. There is no firm date for the release of v1.4, it may be weeks off, or it may be months off. If they allowed leaks, just like v1.3, magazine articles would be full of stuff about v1.4 that may never appear or when it does appear, it may work differently than the reviewer stated it would work. And again, folks (some) would get upset because the feel that CBM may have promissed some feature..and itdidn't appear. Finally, like all beta software, it can cause you problems. It can crash your machine, it can wipe out files, etc. Folks could give it a bad reputation..undeservedly (is that a word?) because they wouldn't understand what they were dealing with. If the release version gives you problems, fine then knock it…but not a beta version. v1.4 is a significant change from v1.3. Some software will break under it…and thus CBM would like to know what software is going to break, and to make sure that they aren't to blame (authors didn't follow the rules..not that CBM has buggy code or broke their own rules). That's why only developers should have it at this stage, and why secrecy is necessary.