What is Parallels up to?

As one of those who just wants support, I salute you for pointing out this glaring problem.

The easiest way for Parallels to make these discussions immediately more useful to customers would be to have a separate forum only for beta testing.

David

 

I suggested that a very long time ago. It began an interesting relationship with persons here who are very much against many process improvements that have been suggested.

There's good news: There is a beta forum now. You have to be an official beta tester to participate in that forum. Better late than never, and hopefully it will bring much needed order to this forum.

 

No. I haven't joined the beta testers group as I didn't want to assign away my rights to speak my mind.

 

Seems there isn't any active beta testing in progress yet, judging from the posts here. Also, I don't think applying for beta testers makes you automatically one. It's still up for Parallels to decide. Closed betas and open betas each have their pros and cons. I don't want to miss out on anything here so I signed up.

Personally, I don't think signing up for closed beta group is 'signing away the rights to speak my mind', because unless you're a beta tester you're not supposed to have the beta material in the first place, and thus cannot speak about it AT ALL. But the beta testers can have feedback to Parallels and, to a limited extent, to public. If the product is in its release form, I can speak out about it like anyone else.

 

So am I missing something here?

You wanted a beta group/forum. Now there is one but you're NOT participating in it? So does that mean that what you thought was a good idea was "good" for others in some way but it isn't actually good for you.

Again, perhaps I'm missing something here but it seems just a bit inconsistent to have been so demanding of something but then not be involved in it when it happens.

 

Sonny boy, get off your soapbox. (Seems to be a lot of sudsy people on this forum.)

What sort of humorless nerd takes the time to berate another poster in some sort of 3rd party defense? If you have a point, make it. Otherwise, stop lecturing.

I signed up for the VMware beta, because they had the good sense to indicate there was one. And yes, I even contributed to the bug list.

And don't tell me what Beta testing is all about, I was developing software when your mama was still wipin your hiney... which there is every indication has not yet ceased.

 

Woah guys, calm down! This is getting way out of hand. Everybody just stop being so defensive and calm down.

To add to the discussion, I hope that we will still be informed of beta products to test even if we are not signed up, I don't have the time to actively hunt out bugs in the betas but i can still give constructive feedback, which is what most of the forum members do. Even just to keep all the beta comments in one sticky, another forum would be even better.

 

It was a good idea because it is the right thing to do for the community, not because it benefits me directly. I get paid a lot of money to write things and I'm not going to sign that away. I'm not important to the beta program at all, in fact, so have no need/reason/benefit for joining it. I can and will continue to help here with the end users that are the direct beneficiaries of my earlier advocacy. Life is full of examples where one can advocate something that is good for the community even if it is not something that is finally practiced by the advocate. I can advocate abortion on demand and never find a reason to experience it as an example. If you need an example of hypocrisy then consider global warming, carbon credits, and Al Gore.

Perhaps you've noticed the not so subtle change in this forum now that betaware issues are not interspersed with released product support issues? Nice, don't you think?

 

Unless you've been accepted as a beta tester you may not know about current beta projects unless someone violates the agreement and speaks of it publicly.

Read the intro page carefully:

Pay attention to that last bullet point and in particular the last sentence. Even when you are innocent you still have to pay for a lawyer should they choose to sue you for any alleged violation of the agreement. I'd rather not put myself in that situation.

 

Well I did submit for beta testing. I use it on parallels about 5 times a week about a total of 25 hours because I program in visual basic for school. I hope I get approved.