Are betas allowed to be listed or must only stable versions be listed?

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lwc
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Are betas allowed to be listed or must only stable versions be listed?

#1 Post by lwc »

Someone has updated ShareX's listing to present a beta version, is that allowed?
Nowhere in that listing is the word "beta" mentioned which makes it look like a stable "official" version.
If it's not allowed, the FAQ should reflect that.
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updated listing.png
pre-release.png

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Midas
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Re: Are betas allowed to be listed or must only stable versions be listed?

#2 Post by Midas »

If I recall correctly, although Beta versions aren't welcome in the database, some exceptions are allowed -- I'm sure webfork can further substantiate that.

Special
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Re: Are betas allowed to be listed or must only stable versions be listed?

#3 Post by Special »

It's not a beta. It out and released by the dev, a pre-release... he likes to wait a week or so before triggering the auto-updater to the masses in case any critical issue are found just to be safe.

billon
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Re: Are betas allowed to be listed or must only stable versions be listed?

#4 Post by billon »

As already mentioned by Special, it's not beta.
Every release of ShareX is marked as "Pre-release" for few days.
Of course we can wait, but TPFC always must be in the avant-garde!

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Re: Are betas allowed to be listed or must only stable versions be listed?

#5 Post by webfork »

Midas wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 6:37 am If I recall correctly, although Beta versions aren't welcome in the database, some exceptions are allowed -- I'm sure webfork can further substantiate that.
Yes, we accept beta software into the database. I haven't added it to the FAQ just because it's not frequently asked about.

There are a few reasons:
  1. Novelty. When there's nothing else like it in the database, early stage stuff is fine. I definitely would have added Exselo if it were portable, even though it was definitely in early development (not sure of the status now). Camstudio was in beta for a very long time
    .
  2. Quality. We've seen a lot of software listed at "beta" that's really at a release-quality level. If it doesn't crash and does everything you need it to do but is still beta because the dev is a perfectionist, it's fine. Kompozer is *still* in beta and I've easily spent at least 200 hours with it. It very rarely crashes.
    .
  3. Lack of standard. Developers aren't really following the alpha-beta-release standards anymore, which used to be:
    • Alpha - buggy, outline of a program, maybe a vague proof-of-concept.
    • Beta - mostly works, some bugs, a little crashy
    • Release - bugs resolved, features work, few crashes
    This is due to a lot of factors including very stable frameworks, rapid release cycles, or intensive software testing suites that weren't available 10 years ago.
    .
  4. Safety. Some tools (I suspect) stay in perma-beta status to avoid anything resembling liability. "Oh your whole company broke while using beta software? Sounds like bad judgment."
    .
  5. Other - Some exceptions that have come up over time:
    • 7-zip - critical security issue
    • Everything - at one point the release version lagged way behind the beta so we listed both.

To be clear, I do lean away from beta since portable software maintains a "just works" approach (one of the advantages of being self-contained). I try to test them thoroughly before adding or voting them in.


Related:
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/what-does ... ally-mean/

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Midas
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Re: Are betas allowed to be listed or must only stable versions be listed?

#6 Post by Midas »

Thanks for detailed write-up. :)

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Re: Are betas allowed to be listed or must only stable versions be listed?

#7 Post by webfork »

Midas wrote: Sun Nov 11, 2018 2:21 pm Thanks for detailed write-up. :)
Sure thing :)

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Re: Are betas allowed to be listed or must only stable versions be listed?

#8 Post by lwc »

Midas wrote: Sun Nov 11, 2018 2:21 pm Thanks for detailed write-up. :)
Likewise.

Did you think about including a "status" field, simply to honor the authors' choice (for all the reasons you listed) and avoid any misconceptions?

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Re: Are betas allowed to be listed or must only stable versions be listed?

#9 Post by billon »

lwc wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 10:42 am a "status" field
There is already "Version"

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Re: Are betas allowed to be listed or must only stable versions be listed?

#10 Post by webfork »

billon wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 10:49 am
lwc wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 10:42 am Did you think about including a "status" field, simply to honor the authors' choice (for all the reasons you listed) and avoid any misconceptions?
There is already "Version"
I agree with billon: as it doesn't come up often and the term "beta" just doesn't have the same meaning it once had, a separate field probably isn't necessary.

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Re: Are betas allowed to be listed or must only stable versions be listed?

#11 Post by Special »

ProgramX v2.00 final released!!!!

2 days later...

ProgramX v2.01 released, fixed a small bug.

lwc: omg why was this not posted as a beta.

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Re: Are betas allowed to be listed or must only stable versions be listed?

#12 Post by lwc »

Special wrote: Wed Nov 21, 2018 10:56 am lwc: omg why was this not posted as a beta.
No...and even if I did, it's not relevant to my point that I think programs' authors should be respected for their choices. If they chose the term "beta" then I'd trust they had a reason.
If "version" here included the word "beta" I'd be all for it (e.g. v2.3 beta).

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