Betas Considered Somewhat Harmful
These days, more and more software companies are releasing “beta test” versions of their software to the general public. People are downloading and installing these betas as if they were released versions. In the right circumstances this can be justified, but I am seeing an increasing number of users – especially in small and micro-businesses, installing beta software without really understanding the implications.
Internet Explorer 8 is a prime example and Microsoft is one of the worst offenders. Internet Explorer 8 is being actively pushed to end users on the Microsoft home page, no less, as if it were a released product. But it is not released and I already have customers who are having issues with it. At TiGra Networks, we participate in many beta test programmes so that we can quickly support our customers when the product is released. In doing this, we anticipate and plan for the disruption that pre-release software can cause, for example we might run new and old versions in parallel, ensure we have regular data backups and we expect to burn a certain amount of time providing feedback and working with the vendor to fix any problems. That’s acceptable to us, it’s part of our job, but for most businesses that would not be acceptable.
What is a beta, anyway? The definition varies from company to company, but Wikipedia has a useful working definition:
'Beta' is a nickname for software which has passed the alpha testing stage of development and has been released to users for software testing before its official release. Beta testing allows the software to undergo usability testing with users who provide feedback, so that any malfunctions these users find in the software can be reported to the developers and fixed. Beta software can be unstable and could cause crashes or data loss.
The last sentence (emphasis mine) is critical. Given that in most cases, there is no official support for beta releases, this could cause serious problems for computer users. In networks that we manage for our customers, we lock down the computers so that no software can be installed without approval. This keeps us in the loop and helps us keep control of the hundreds of toolbars, add-ins and pre-release software, many of which are harmful to business productivity. By locking computers down, we are not preventing the users from running any software, we will happily install whatever the user requests, but it gives us the opportunity for discussion and to point out the pros and cons of what the user wants to install.
In closing, assuming you have complete discretion over which software you install and run, please consider beta versions somewhat harmful. Before installing a beta, carefully consider your justifications and consider whether you are prepared to deal with lost time, crashes and potential data loss. Plan to mitigate any risk. Even better, hire TiGra Networks as your technology advisor and discuss the installation of any new software with us prior to installing it.