Coming close to a new release!

[giannis]

it almost sounds like you guys are going commercial. could this be the end of freeware version?

[ToMasz]

I get your point, however, I disagree with you...

If we allow all users to beta-test, many new users will download the beta-release and get a very poor experience because of various bugs...
Furthermore, the bug report will get filled with non-bug issues, because the inexperienced users don't know how to make things right...

Take a look at the ... The majority of bugs reported are in fact not bugs, but users in-experience with render techniques...

Claiming that experienced users won't, quote: put the software through its paces as much because they do things the programmer expects and has prepared for, is not the case with KT...

Please don't get me wrong here, but you obviously don't know what kind of processes we have for conducting a beta-test...

Cheers
Kim Frederik

Hi, Team-

We are a design practice with offices in NY and Ireland. Very, very interested in testing KK Mac Beta (PLEASE!) We have a fresh batch of iMac Core Duo 2's chomping at the bit (!)

Howard Duffy, Principal/Design Director
HTDSTUDIODESIGNOFFICE

As an old developper i can say that going commercial is like a self-suicide.
I made "something" a bit famous some years ago and then it went to commercial... Surely we gained "some" money but we lost a lot of users, why?
In commercial way there is TOO MUCH competition and users (and mostly major industries) will ALWAYS choose something tested and merchandised (and we talks about millions of $) , even if it costs few bucks more
Free Software doesn't means that who made it will gain no money...

That's why WE (as kerkythea users) HAVE to donate at least few bucks to developpers, it will keep the "paying demon" off and will surely improve psychologically the creator/s


Living Examples? Blender over all. (and we're talking about opensource!)

They got an impressive payoff with contributions and when they made money petitions (as for the school for poor people) they move a lot of capital. If blender wasn't free, be sure it wasn't the blender we all know.


PS: as for the beta testing things i have to agree with xrok1...
Betatesting for the masses usually (always) is better than for few people,regarding timing,bughunting ... but that's a KT policy i don't want to mess with.. It's just a different point of view.

@ SURFING : I fully agree with you for the commercial thing, and Blender was effectievly the best example...

indigo uses a naming convention on their files indigo#stable,indigo#test to not confuse new users. this way you could post a warning for newer users to stay away from test version. you could also have a more casual "bug" thread where testers could discuss isses before their reported as official bugs and let other users help decide if its a real bug.
hey! call it "bugorfug". i believe this would actually streamline things for the developers because i'm sure even advanced users make a fug or two and this way they could also catch each other before the issue gets to dev. team and takes up time for nothing.

hell make it a sepperate usergroup that anyone can join that way it will stay seperated but accessible, and will keep the complete newbs to a minimum.