Question: What is a counter or tracker that is under test?
Answer: Trackers and counters which may be under a testing phase which is also known as “Beta” testing and is done so to allow a new program (in this case a tracker or counter) to be tested in a real-life situation in order to find any possible bugs in the program.
Question: What exactly is a Beta version program?
Answer: When writing a new program, the concept is initially designed in one’s head and then later written in the initial program. After this initial code is written, and after it has gone through its “Alpha” testing stage, it is released to the general public for testing. In the case of our counters and trackers, we cannot always find every single bug and rather than fully release it with potential issues, we ask that you test it for us and tell us if you find anything wrong with it so that we can make the counter or tracker better.
Question: Why would you Beta test?
Answer: When writing a counter or tracker, there are many lines of code involved not just what you see, but also what is on our servers to make that program work. Unfortunately though when writing the programs there can be bugs in the code which may not work on every computer or in every browser and as a result we ask that you test out the program to see if it works right. This Beta testing is important as it allows us to keep this service available to you without having to charge an arm and a leg for it. Beta testing also allows you the end user to be part of the development process and ensures that the program will do what it was intended to do.
Question: How long will the Beta version trackers be available?
Answer: When we release a counter or tracker under Beta testing the goal is to get as many testers as possible to allow us to find the bugs quicker and get them repaired. However even if we do find all the bugs in the program, we may or may not release the Beta version to the end user (you) as it may have too many issues with compatibility. As a result we will discontinue the Beta testing and remove all that is associated with it. On the other hand we may also choose to make it a release candidate in which we will still close down the Beta testing system but only for a short period of time while we prepare to release it on a full scale.
Summary:
If we decide to make any changes to our services offered or even expand those services, we start quite simply with the “Idea” of the change. This idea makes its way into an initial source code which then becomes known as “Alpha”. When the program is in Alpha it is passed on to other programmers to take a look at and try to find as many bugs as possible. However it is not always possible to find all of the bugs and as a result, we release the program as a “Beta” version to the end user.
The goal is of course to help keep the costs of developing a new program down by allowing you to help find the bugs in the program. While only a couple of developers looking at the source code may be good at finding these bugs, hundreds or thousands of end users using the program in a real life situation will find the bugs a lot faster and as a result we are able to offer these services to you without charging you an arm and a leg.
Once we are confident with the potential of the program and have found all of the bugs, we will make one of two decisions. The first is to scrap the whole project all together while the second is to make the program into a “Release Candidate”. Once it has been determined to be a release candidate, it will soon make its way into our extended services which we offer. However, either way we go, the data collected from the Beta testing like web site stats etc. may no longer be available or may only be available in a limited capacity and for that, we would like to go ahead and apologise now for any inconveniences.
