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JETSET843D

What is beta testing?

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Hello there:-wave Firstly i apologise if this subject has been mentioned in a previous post.I am just wondering if one of the experts can give me an idea of what beta testing actually is?I'm aware there is an alpha stage and beta stage and not sure what happens after this.I would guestimate a fortune that this products isn't close to release and i envisage at least another month of testing. I say this becasue the testing has been going on for about a month. Forgive me for my ignorance but i would think this is insufficient time to test a product as complex as the 747-400.Course i want this more than anyone else but i'll just have to grumble and wait, reading Harry Potter - I don't know if anyone has purchased the book but it's fab and i'm hooked - the perfect cure to pass time while PMDG continue development of their productHope testing is going wellJamie:-jumpy

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Basically - all the features are coded in and when beta starts it's our job to test the plane by not only flying it the way the average customer who buys it will, but by taking it to the limit and actively trying to make it do things that it shouldn't. If we find something, it's entered into a bug database and fixed by the respective developer responsible for that part of the airplane.


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Guest Babubhai

So is this beta testing still taking place ???

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Beta cycles are comprised of rigorous testing and is done in stages (although not everyone does it the same). Of course the idea is to work out all the kinks for each new beta until you reach what is refered to as a GOLD or release canidate condition which is also tested to assure quality. Beta testers are basically non paid Quality Control specilaists. It's best to be single during this process too or you might up up being ;-) We are progressing along just great, some minor stuff to work out (because you expect perfection ;D) [h4]Randy J. Smith[/h4]

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>>So is this beta testing still taking place ???Are you kidding?They not only finished beta but sent all beta testers for all-paid 5-star cruise to the Bahamas with all the booze and unlimited fun. You are not going to see the product before everyone is back and sober enough to sign it off.Michael J.

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>>>>So is this beta testing still taking place ???>>Are you kidding?>>They not only finished beta but sent all beta testers for>all-paid 5-star cruise to the Bahamas with all the booze and>unlimited fun. You are not going to see the product before>everyone is back and sober enough to sign it off.>>Michael J.>:-lolWhere do I sign up?!


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Guest Knikolaes

Harry Potter - - - heheh -- ironic I just got done watching a potter movie before reading that post.I have never read any of the books but my sweetie is a major Potter fan to the limits of the universe itself.As for Beta Testing, it's actually where they sign over the product to a secret government agency and that agency tests it using all of the technical knowledge known to current science, then they turn it over for Charlie testing to us, the customer, who test it on behalf of the company for a small fee known as a "purchase price". If successful, then said company starts sending all of the Charlie testers to the Carribean to live on their own property there.I am signing up for Charlie testing meself.K I need a glass of milk. **smiles** Take care.

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Firstly, I'm glad someone asked this question.Secondly, I don't want to take anything away from you guys but...............How can anyone other than a real Boeing 'Test Pilot' actually beta test an aircraft for simulation?How does someone that has never flew a real '747' to the limits call themselves a 'beta' tester?Please don't take this question out of context, everybody who calls themselves a 'simmer' is eagerly awaiting this product and I am too, for one.Dave T. .........On the lovely warm Devon Riviera and active 'FlightSim User's Group' member at http://www.flightsimgrpuk.free-online.co.uk/


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Guest Knikolaes

**smiles** If you read the profiles of the beta testers, you'll see that the beta testers do actually consist of pilots of the aircraft.That is, of course, in addition to the other souls who's job is to beta test other areas such as compatability, stability of the program, coding, graphics, etc, etc, etc. I believe they also mention on the web site as well how this is tested by actual pilots.PMDG, of course, correct me if I am wrong in this reply :-)

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Guest AJ

>Firstly, I'm glad someone asked this question.>>Secondly, I don't want to take anything away from you guys>but...............>How can anyone other than a real Boeing 'Test Pilot' actually>beta test an aircraft for simulation?>>How does someone that has never flew a real '747' to the>limits call themselves a 'beta' tester?>>Please don't take this question out of context, everybody who>calls themselves a 'simmer' is eagerly awaiting this product>and I am too, for one.>>>Dave T. .........On the lovely warm Devon Riviera and active>'FlightSim User's Group' member at>http://www.flightsimgrpuk.free-online.co.uk/Simply put, because this is not a real plane, even if we want, hope, and expect it to be just like one. There is a great deal more to beta testing a commercial entertainment sim like this, than testing its performance relative to the standard and nonstandard procedures used by pilots. First of all, since the majority of the people who will buy the product are not real airline pilots, it is a certainty that many will do things with this simulation that would not even occur to a real pilot. Someone has to check how the plane performs when treated this way. For example, in the FMC, there is a specific format for inputing runways for departure and arrival. YOu must enter "05L" and not "5L" or even "5 Left." It would probably not even occur to a real 744 pilot to try entering "5L" into the FMC. Nevertheless this is probably a common mistake among novice simmers who don't read the manual carefully enough. Now suppose it just so happens that entering "5L" into the sim's FMC results in a crash to desktop instead of the proper error message that should appear on the FMC's screen. Boom, you are going to have some rightly annoyed customers. Afterall, even if they shoul,d have read the manual, the sim should have responded realistically and not by crashing to desktop. Thus, they need have some testers who think and fly like ordinary amateur flightsimmers, to catch bugs that real pilots might miss becasue they are following proper procedure. Andrew

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>Which one of the 'beta' testers IS the '744' real pilot?>If you carefully followed this forum you would have noticed there are a few 747 pilots among beta testers. Whether they now want to 'report' to you is a different story ;)Michael J.

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Well, this is the list of 'resident' beta testers, I don't think there are any 744 pilots on that page (could be wrong) - and this is what he was asking. There are 'real' 744 pilots among beta testers who are not on this list but who posted on this forum in the past.Michael J.

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