How to Be a Beta Tester?

Factual Questions
1

Just wondering how one can get involved in the beta testing of software packages? It could be any kind of software, but especially technical software? Anyone have experience here?

  • Jinx
2

Head over to http://www.betanews.com
(Even Microsoft, Opera, Norton put some of their new software on that site for the people to try out.)

3

http://sourceforge.net/ – Plenty of all kinds of software in various states of completion. I’m sure some development teams would be happy to gain a dedicated beta tester to hunt and help diagnose bugs.

4

Well, for Microsoft products, you can send an email to betareq@microsoft.com. If the email you need to state your name, complete physical address, main and laternate phone numbers, and the reason WHY you want to beta test.

Here’s the important thing: your request MUST be for a specific beta program and it MUST be during the “open enrollment” period for that program. For example, requests to join the Office 2003 beta needed to be made last November - it’s too late to email them for this now. As Joey said, keep an eye open at Betanews or Activewin for new about upcoming beta programs.

The good thing about MS beta programs is that once your’re in, you’re “in”. I did the above procedure for the DirectX 7 beta and have been subsequently invited to joing the Windows 98 SR-1 (Windows 98SE), Windows NT 5.0 (Windows 2000), Windows Whistler (Windows XP), Office 9, 10, and 11 (2000, 2002, 2003), DirectX 8 and 9 and Windows Messenger beta programs.

Another good thing about MS beta programs is that you always get a free copy of the OS software (but alas, never the Office software) after the program is over, in addition to free “gak” - notepads, t-shirts, squeezy desk toys, etc.

5

Use Windows.

6

Just practise, the more you test the beta you get.

7

I sent a software developer an extensive, illustrated of some improvements I wanted to see in their software. They wrote back, said “Wow. Do you want to be a beta tester?” I did it for two years, posted fruitfully on the tester’s boards and they asked me to be an alpha tester.