The beginning
An alpha test as many of you know is the first phase of software testing during development. Typically, alpha tests are not commonly performed by end users. There is a shift in some software industries where developers are allowing this by invite to end users. It provides early feedback on basic mechanics, user interface and possibly some load testing. This is the early stages of software quality assurance.
What's next
In concept, the beta test is a privately shared version of software that plays a much more important role in the overall quality of the finished product. It gives end users a chance to really kick the tires on something that is nearly ready to release into the wild. Last minute bugs and usability issues get sorted out. After the beta test, developers give the code a last once over and it's prepped for a release candidate.
Then what
With all of the bugs worked out, literally, software is wrapped up into an installer with some documentation and release notes. Now it's ready for human consumption. Reliability, stability and compatibility are all ironed out. Most of the time. What happens when a bug is found in the field, after release? It gets reported, logged and fixed for an update or patch. Does this mean that quality control is lacking? Not in so many words. It means that during all previous testing there was a scenario that did not play out. The exception was not discovered.
Be a part of it
Enfocus has been doing some serious forward thinking. How about we let some end users volunteer to run a pre-release version of Switch through its paces? This is like track day for software. Let's run Switch around the real world track to get the kinks out and make use of valuable end-user input before the final version release.
Switch has evolved from an automation tool into an enterprise level platform on which to build workflow. It continues to mature and Enfocus envisions Switch to grow deeper into the core of business and further into the veins of production automation. Our users have been requesting features and showing strong interest in joining an extended pre-release cycle during the Switch World Tour events. We happily want to facilitate early feedback from hands-on experience. Now, we are giving them a chance to be a part of the final development phase of each Switch release.
