Existing users, 
There's a new growing trend for developers over the past year or so to throw their beta software out onto version tracker or macupdate for general public feedback. I'm not looking forward to a year from now when the version tracker traffic is triple what it is today due to betas for pretty much everything.
It's always kind of tempting to try these out. Imagine if Apple posted all the Leopard betas here, I guarantee the temptation would get the better of many unsuspecting folks. Imagine if the FDA did this... In the case of LittleSnitch, I've found all this beta stuff to be quite problematic and I'm sorry I participated in their testing. So I've learned a lesson and I'll wait for the real McCoy. Ordinarily, software posted here is pretty robust and, because it isn't beta, isn't really likely to harm your machine as much as something not ready for prime time. Maybe the version tracker guys should consider making a beta section and nip this in the bud.
Now let the flood of 'you brought it upon yourself' responses begin...
Little Snitch
Informs you when an app tries to establish an outgoing Internet connection.
Version: 2.2
Leave the beta testing to the beta testers - sriggins
mmueck:You brought this on yourself! heh, no, but seriously, betas are for people who a) need the beta functionality or b) Want to help test to make the product better. Small developers can in no way test every environment, so if you think a developer releasing software means it is not beta (ie bug free), you are just kidding yourself.
Developers can get close to what they think is usable and hopefully won't cause major issues, and release it, where everyone updates and then BOOM, some major issue on <insert machine X with OS revision Y here> that the developer simply could not test, and it bites a lot of people.
Or the developer can release a beta, which is in essence a warning, and a request for help. Those of us willing to take the risk, do, and we find bugs, report them, and when a "release" is made, at least more eyes have seen the software.
Another example is World of Warcraft. They don't release betas per se, but they do have a "player test realm" which is a different server that uses a totally different client. Players can make new characters there, try out new content, new features, etc, with two rewards: 1) they get to see stuff before everyone else and 2) They get to help find bugs so when the changes go live, the game will be more fun.
Even with hundreds of thousands of players helping on the PTRs, many bugs get through. Just can't fix or find em all.
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Monday, October 08 2007 @ 04:39 PM PDT