Well, if there's no NDA, then there's no secret. I don't subscribe to
Dick's notion that vigorous reflector discussions necessarily provide
"distractions" for engineers. In fact, most engineers are familiar
with far more malevolent distractions (like those in the executive
suites with power who issue impossible fatwas) than anything
generated by a public affinity group. In answer to Dick's "you can
imagine the chaos" comment, the fact is that I cannot imagine the
chaos he suggests; these kinds of statements reflect more of
patriarchal propaganda than any empirical fact, which I will offer
here: America Online (and many other companies, for that matter)
routinely conducts public beta tests where literally millions of
people can opt in and participate in vigorous discussions, and the
"imagined chaos" does not automatically follow. I am certainly open
to a better defense of this exclusive process than what Dick Green
attempted to provide.
Randy, K7RAN
On Aug 24, 2005, at 10:34 AM, Dick Green WC1M wrote:
There's no written NDA, but the beta testers have agreed to keep
information
about beta releases and related discussions private. This is
necessary in
order to provide an environment in which the testers and engineers
can do
their job efficiently with minimal distractions. It also allows for a
certain level of experimentation with new features that may never
see the
light of day. You can imagine the chaos that would reign if every
pre-release bug/feature became grist for the public mill.
Discussions among
the beta test group are vigorous enough as it is.
The Orion beta test group is pretty large and includes very qualified
participants with a wide range of operating interests and technical
skills.
IMHO, they've done an excellent job advocating for the interests of
the
Orion user community, and TT has done an excellent job responding
to problem
reports and suggestions. In fact, every issue discussed on the public
reflectors has been the subject of in-depth discussions between the
beta
testers and engineers before public release of each firmware version.
73, Dick WC1M
-----Original Message-----
From: Don Rasmussen [mailto:wb8yqj@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 24, 2005 11:59 AM
To: tentec@contesting.com
Subject: [TenTec] 565 Orion v2.0 firmware released to beta testers
Any ver 1.x owners here to suggest the specific concerns that
v2.0 should address?
I expect that receiver lockups should become a thing of the
past, whether the sweep is engaged or not.
What are the other "must" fixes?
Can anyone here using v2.0 report if any specific issue has
been corrected, or are early adopters bound by a
non-disclosure agreement for the beta test?
-----------------------------------------------
To: Discussion of Ten-Tec Equipment
Subject: Re: [TenTec] 565 Orion v2.0 firmware released to
beta testers
Great news, Scott. I wish you few if any bugs.
Thanks,
Scott K4VWK
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