Beta testing

[vinny002]

Hi, guys!

I wanted to try out the Alpha version of the next generation of the space shuttle mission simulator. I'm anxious about trying it out!

               Cheers,
         Vincent

[Admin]

Yes, you wish!

The sim hasn't reached the Beta stage yet, so it's a long wait even for the Beta team

/Admin

[vinny002]

Hi, Admin!!

That's great!!! I'm very excited about the beta testing of the next generation of the space shuttle mission simulator!! How long do I have to wait before I try out the beta testing?

[christra]

Vinny,

he said 'you wish', not 'you will'. There is a slight difference between these words.

Sorry...

[uri_ba]

The current beta team (me included) wouldn't be happy to hear they lost their "prime crew" they worken hard to earn :-)

[Spaceguy5]

*Envy* =p

[spaceboy7441]

Vinny,

he said 'you wish', not 'you will'. There is a slight difference between these words.

Sorry...

Yeah it is very difficult to get onboard. I have been trying for at least a year now but nogo. But don't worry it will just make the release that much better.

[Puma]

I wish the test pilots the best...God speed!!...we need the sim very much!!

[Spaceguy5]

I wish the test pilots the best...God speed!!...we need the sim very much!!

Nah, we don't need it. We just want it really, really badly =p

[vinny002]

Hi, guys!!

It sounds like the SSM2010 is going to be much better than SSM2007 because the SSM2010 will have high resolution earth textures like you see in google earth and many, many more!!

                   Cheers,
                Vincent

[Cygnus]

 

[davidrobinsonjr]

To paraphrase the popular song: " All I want for Christmas is my new Shuttle Simulator."

[awralls]

It should also be noted that testing is not about getting an early sight of new software. It's about...er, testing. It can be dull and repetitive (I have run STS-1 in testing well-over 250 times!) and it can be hard to provide feedback in a meaningful way as rapidly as the developers might wish. Also, because YOU think something should be changed, it doesn't mean that the developers agree, and there's no guarantee they'll change things the way you might like (When is 'Ingress' the same as 'Egress', Alex? :-) )

Actually, the reward is not, as some seem to think, getting one's hands on the sim before everybody else. Rather, it is looking back at earlier versions and seeing how it has developed and the small part you have played in that progress.

I don't know if I'll be asked again, but I am proud to have played a tiny part in the original version.

I suggest that the original poster is careful what they wish for!

Regards

Andy

[uri_ba]

I agree with Andy,
seeing the product being shaped in front of your eyes, sometimes directly by your inputs is something very satisfying. but Having to fly the same mission over and over again, the re-testing problematic spots, the run the whole thing again once a build is up... it's very demanding...

[christra]

Good comments, Andy and Uri. 
I see every test as a challenge to find something that does not belong there. And I still have a list of things that need to be solved (in my opinion  ) but the priorities of the development team are sometimes different. As a tester you have to accept that. Seeing, finding or testing a new feature is nice but you have to watch all the time if it works through all missions or during the whole flight.
It is easy to overlook something in a complex software. The users will blame the development team, but as tester you know that it is your fault. You should have detected the bug.