In a way, I am a little surprised at the number of bugs that are showing up in the latest IOS 5, but Android OS evolutions also show the same characteristics. My question is: Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc all have OS software engineers that are supposed to be expert in writing code. Is the end product so complex that they just can't do it with the inhouse resources they have? Or do they just need more time to write it properly, but don't get it because Marketing demands that the product be released? It would be kind of nice to get a new OS that is just about perfect, with just a couple of tweaks needed, instead of needing a huge laundry list of changes.
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Beta Testing:Why So Many Bugs?
- Thread starter jimbo1mcm
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Dude it's a beta.
It doesn't matter how big the company is, testing in house will never compare to real world testing. There are so many human variables that add up.
That's why it's important to release a beta! so you can get feedback on problems that you would have never found them in house.
It doesn't matter how big the company is, testing in house will never compare to real world testing. There are so many human variables that add up.
That's why it's important to release a beta! so you can get feedback on problems that you would have never found them in house.
iOS 5 beta 1 is extremely more stable and caused less problems with apps than iOS 4 beta 1.........
All the bugs are there because the beta release is where they find the bugs. No matter how good of a programer you are with something as complex as an OS there will be bugs that's why they release it to developers who can use it and find the bugs so they are gone by the public release.
OSs are about the most complex programs in existence. Apple testing every possible scenario themselves isn't going to happen (thinking about test cases, especially unusual ones, can be a challenge in itself), and some bugs can happen only under very specific circumstances that they may never see without outside help.
There are always more features you can add, and it's rare that you get to put code into production that you're 100% happy with. Ultimately, there has to be a cut off point, which means bugs will go out with 5.0 that will get fixed in 5.0.1 and later versions. It's always the same and it's just a fact of life.
With a program as complex as iOS, this will never happen unless major advances in testing come about.
Finding bugs is what the Beta is for. Do you think Android betas or Windows Phone betas are free of bugs? A buggy Beta release has nothing to do with whether the final iOS 5 product is stable.
This is why a lot of people running beta software shouldn't be.
You dont grasp the concept of product development. Its called beta for a reason. Products gets complicated as they evolve. Of course no company wants bugs in their code, everything has to be integrated well. OS needs to be stable to support new functionality, developers need to test their code on new OS..etc...etc...etc
Alpha - Not feature complete, unstable
Beta - Feature complete, somewhat stable but with known bugs
Release Candidate (RC) - All known bugs addressed
Gold Master (GM) - Ready to ship
With Beta software you are expected to have bugs, that is the whole reason it is a beta. Apple releases beta versions of iOS to developers not for them to find & report bugs but to give them early access to the API in order for them to update their apps and create new apps to use the new API features.
The only bugs Apple really care about are those from developers having issues with the API, iPhone developers don't sit there and report things like "Every time I get a new mail notification and access Mail.app from the notification the email shows twice", they know there are bugs like that and so does Apple. Rather a developer reports bugs like self.imageView.animationDuration is adding an extra 2 secs to any value it is set to (completely made up bug that is very unlikely to happen).
The beta is not meant for use by the general public and could well malfunction in ways that could be damaging with real world use if you use it on your every day phone.
Beta - Feature complete, somewhat stable but with known bugs
Release Candidate (RC) - All known bugs addressed
Gold Master (GM) - Ready to ship
With Beta software you are expected to have bugs, that is the whole reason it is a beta. Apple releases beta versions of iOS to developers not for them to find & report bugs but to give them early access to the API in order for them to update their apps and create new apps to use the new API features.
The only bugs Apple really care about are those from developers having issues with the API, iPhone developers don't sit there and report things like "Every time I get a new mail notification and access Mail.app from the notification the email shows twice", they know there are bugs like that and so does Apple. Rather a developer reports bugs like self.imageView.animationDuration is adding an extra 2 secs to any value it is set to (completely made up bug that is very unlikely to happen).
The beta is not meant for use by the general public and could well malfunction in ways that could be damaging with real world use if you use it on your every day phone.
It's for developers to test their apps, nothing more. I typed that very slowly so it's easier to read.
Pharmaceutical drugs are developed by teams of hundreds of doctors, nurses, and other experts (Masters, PhD, etc). Literally each major pharmaceutical drug is reviewed by these experts over periods of up to a decade before it's available for prescription. And about 90% of these drugs don't even make it to market due to side effects or lack of effectiveness. So, really, ANYTHING will have lots of "bugs" if it's intended for widespread use and especially if it's something complicated like an operating system (or a drug).
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+1 that's interesting to know. So basically Apple already knows about most of the bugs mentioned. I'm not really a developer but why do companies release betas with known bugs in, just to get things out quicker? If they would fix all their known bugs before releasing the beta it would make things a lot more fun for simple users who just want the latest features as soon a possible.
+1 that's interesting to know. So basically Apple already knows about most of the bugs mentioned. I'm not really a developer but why do companies release betas with known bugs in, just to get things out quicker? If they would fix all their known bugs before releasing the beta it would make things a lot more fun for simple users who just want the latest features as soon a possible.
See this post:
It's to allow developers to incorporate the new APIs and test their apps. It's not about testing the OS or the built in apps: Apple do that internally anyway. This is why it's not recommended to install this on your only/primary device or for non-developers to install it at all.
I have never run an iOS beta, so I have no idea how buggy they actually are. All the posts here seem to indicate that these betas are for developers to test their programs. It is not advisable to run betas on any device you need to actually use. Seeing some of the bugs people have reported, that sounds like a very good suggestion. If you aren't testing your own apps, don't use the beta. Or use at your own risk, but don't expect everything (or anything) to work.
I always wait for the final release and couldn't be happier. Though I would love to try out the beta.
I always wait for the final release and couldn't be happier. Though I would love to try out the beta.
+1 that's interesting to know. So basically Apple already knows about most of the bugs mentioned. I'm not really a developer but why do companies release betas with known bugs in, just to get things out quicker? If they would fix all their known bugs before releasing the beta it would make things a lot more fun for simple users who just want the latest features as soon a possible.
They release them with bugs so developers can test their apps. When all known bugs are fixed then it is ready for release to the general public, and if developers weren't ready that would be a disaster for Apple. In reply to your last sentence again betas aren't designed for simple users so Apple isn't worried about making things fun for you in the beta.
its not going to be released till the Fall, that is months away do you think they are not working on the iOS as we speak?
the beta is release early so devs have a chance to test their apps with the new APIs, it has nothing to do with them not knowing how to code
the beta is release early so devs have a chance to test their apps with the new APIs, it has nothing to do with them not knowing how to code
Apple will be optimising and re-writing lots of different code so bugs are bound to appear.
Very silly question.
Very silly question.
If they would fix all their known bugs before releasing the beta it would make things a lot more fun for simple users who just want the latest features as soon a possible.
Hmm. That's odd. The numbers 13, 14, and 15 just popped into my head for some weird reason.
I'm back to asking: why does everyone and his slightly younger brother HAVE the darn beta. When folks clearly don't get what it all means.
I'm back to asking: why does everyone and his slightly younger brother HAVE the darn beta. When folks clearly don't get what it all means.
THIS
i was in another section and someone was asked what firmware they had and their response was
"the newest one with the cloud thingy"
that right there tells you how man people have this beta that should not
Oy Vey. This is getting absurd. I'm not an apple dev, but I have been a dev for other products. I've run betas, done testing. I've never seen so many clueless end users with a beta in my life. What's apple doing?
Review the definitions and descriptions of BETA and DEVELOPER and you'll have your answer. "Simple users" aka "end users" who aren't ready to work with a beta should never HAVE one.+1 that's interesting to know. So basically Apple already knows about most of the bugs mentioned. I'm not really a developer but why do companies release betas with known bugs in, just to get things out quicker? If they would fix all their known bugs before releasing the beta it would make things a lot more fun for simple users who just want the latest features as soon a possible.