According to our lecture slides, perpetual beta is the keeping of software or a system at the beta development stage for an extended or indefinite period of time. It is often used by developers when they continue to release new features that might not be fully tested. Perpetual beta software is not recommended for mission critical machines. However, many operational systems find this to be a much more rapid and agile approach to development, staging, and deployment.(Wiki 2012)
I am going to show a video which is demonstrating people’s life in perpetual beta.
As those people mentioned, that makes people more consider those tools they use, they are involved into those processes of creating and improving software. That is a global activity, customers would like to try those tools, and tend to be a developer, which can help them to achieve their goals.
Beta QQ
As the last blog post has introduced QQ. In this post, I am ready to keep this route to analysis that tool. According to O’Reilly mentioned, one of the perpetual beta features is releasing early and releasing often.(2005, Sep 30). Tencent QQ has released totally 6 versions of Beta from 2009 to 2011, which are: QQ 1.0 beta 1, QQ Concept beta 3, Tencent Messenger beta 3.3, QQ2011 beta (Traditional Chinese), QQ2011 beta 3 build 0115, QQ2011 beta 4 (Simplified Chinese) . As we can see, those beta were released more frequent in 2011. In 2012, there was a new beta being released with Tencent QQ, which is QQ2011 beta 4. In QQ2011 beta 4, it improves software update methods. Customers can select software update methods-the system will automatically install it when there is an update, when they are installing it or from the system configuration. In addition, there will be another option which is reminding me when there is an update without installing.
There will be three new functions in it: the function of voice and video chat has been upgraded which allow users make video chatting more clearly and fluently; multiaccount can login at the same time which will dramatically reduce operating time; recommending friends is another useful function, users can provide 5 friends to their other friends at one time. Those useful functions were created based on internal and external of company.
In conclusion:
Widely customers provide their requirements and suggestions so that companies can come true those tasks and achieve the goal of attracting more users.
As we can see, there are a number of merits which companies apply one of the web 2.0 pattern of perpetual beta. The customer would like to involve into the process of building up and improving those tools, and companies can save their cost and realize customers’ requirements easily.
In case there will be some would like to try this amazing tool, I will provide a link to you. An amazing trip start from here. That download link is for both mac and other operation system.
References:
Perpetual beta. Wikipeida. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_beta
Lifeinperpetualbeta. (2010, May 4). Life In Perpetual Beta Trailer. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YTJfS3FfZo
O’Reilly, Tim (2005-09-30). What is Web 2.0. Retrieved from: http://oreilly.com/web2/archive/what-is-web-20.html?page=4
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