Major changes in Beta releases etc.

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geizer
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Major changes in Beta releases etc.

Postby geizer » 25 Mar 2009

Looking back to my experience trying new Beta releases...

If a new beta that is due for release has some heavy changes done to a particular part of the program, or a datafeed, IT MUST BE MENTIONED. PLEASE INFORM THE USERS THAT THERE ARE SOME BIG CHANGES. NOT JUST SOME CHANGES.

It's a two-way road - you issue the beta with sufficient information, then users decide if they want to try any particular feature. Users must be informed so they can estimate which of the big changes to a code might compromise their trading and which likely not. Recent examples made me very cautious with TSS betas - 1st is DRM and 2nd is the redesign of the iqfeed dll. None of which was covered sufficiently. Keep going in this direction and soon there will be no volunteers left to test-drive betas. Next you will have to carry this task along. I know it is a common practice in the development process but you have to be honest describing how significant the changes in each beta release. I'am not talking about simple fixes but about major changes to algorithms/methods. Let me repeat it again: If changes are not communicated to users clearly with details, you will have no volunteers left to contribute their time to beta versions. I think it easy to understand.
-Pavel
Last edited by geizer on 25 Mar 2009, edited 2 times in total.

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Postby geizer » 25 Mar 2009

Some more thoughts:

Releases can be broken down to two categories:

1. Stability Improvement Releases
Version number ends with an even number (example: 5.0, 5.2, etc.)

2. New features Releases
Version number ends with odd number (example: 5.1, 5.3, etc)

I believe this approach is used by Linux community (please correct me if I'm wrong).
Each "Stability improvement Release" will include minor and major fixes only.
Each "New features Release" will have new features introduced and any major changes to modules/algorithms.
All of the above should help users to get better experience with software and TSS in general.
Thanks for listening,
-Pavel

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Andrew Kirillov
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Postby Andrew Kirillov » 26 Mar 2009

Pevel,
I understand your concerns. We publish what's new for each and every version we release.
You never know how your minor changes will affect performance.
Sometimes we make major features and they work fine. Other times we make small changes that make big troubles for users.

So beta is beta. You should understand it. If you don’t want to risk, it is understandable. It is your choice. We have plenty of enthusiasts who are happy to try something new and give us feedback.
I do know that you use betas. It means that they are better for you than the 4.0 release.

Regarding versioning. We use the first number for major changes and the second one for minor ones. It is a standard industry practice.

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Postby geizer » 26 Mar 2009

Andrew thank you for answering,
It's true I use betas. The main reasons are: to try the scanner and see what I can do with it. The second reason - I like that trend lines linked to symbols not chart windows. That's it. I am satisfied with the overall speed as it is and not desperate for that edge provided by speed increase. During the past couple of weeks I did switch between latest beta releases many times (now I'm using the v4 because of the iqfeed, you might guess).

Version numbering was mentioned for one simple reason: it would be nice to have a break from new features and just to have a plain "fixes only" release.
-Pavel

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Postby Andrew Kirillov » 26 Mar 2009

The next beta is coming in a few days. It has fixes only. But technically speaking it has some new features, because what people name a bug we call a feature. So it is always a mix. For instance a cursor will visible on a grey color background. It is a new feature, not fix. It could be unreliable.
It is very good that you and other demanding customers (= experienced users) test drive betas. Your interaction with Marina allowed us to improve IQ feed and find a source for your issues. The sooner issues are reported – the higher chances we will fix it timely.
So the next build is 99% bug fix.


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