BBC BASIC for Windows
General >> General Board >> Call for Volunteers (please read) http://bb4w.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&num=1391707976 Call for Volunteers (please read)
Post by admin on Feb 6th, 2014, 4:32pm
As you should all be aware, the release of BB4W v5.95a at the end of last year was in order to tidy up any loose ends in 'version 5' and pave the way for 'version 6'. Hopefully it will have allayed the concerns of those who expressed reservations about the transition, because as a last resort they can choose not to upgrade.
However two important issues need to be resolved before I can contemplate releasing v6.00a: Compatibility with v5 is, inevitably, not 100%. We need to establish that very few programs are affected by the incompatibilities, and that they can be easily and safely adapted to work correctly.
There is unavoidably a risk that the changes from v5 to v6 will have inadvertently introduced bugs. For years I have been saying that the main reason not to make significant changes to BB4W was that the risk of bugs was too great!Obviously I have done my best to minimise any negative impact, but I am only human (and sadly with very obvious 'waning powers'). So the only way to boost confidence in the new version is testing, more testing and yet more testing!
This is where I need your help. I am asking for volunteers who are prepared to spend time really thrashing v6, exploring its little used nooks and crannies, and weeding out any bugs. This is a task for people with a detailed knowledge of the language, which they put to use in their own programs.
If you are such a person, with a little time on your hands, please contact me privately, by PM or email. I will let you have a pre-release copy of BB4W v6 to play with.
Should there be no takers, or only a few, I will have no choice but to abandon the release of v6.00, since it would be foolhardy to go ahead without extensive user testing.
Richard.
Re: Call for Volunteers (please read)
Post by admin on Feb 7th, 2014, 09:21am
This is a task for people with a detailed knowledge of the language, which they put to use in their own programs.
A few people have asked me to clarify what skills I am looking for. Here's a simple test: look at this little program which runs correctly in BB4W v5 but does not run correctly in BB4W v6:
If you can see why it doesn't work, and what simple change is necessary to make it compatible with both v5 and v6, you probably have the kind of in-depth knowledge that would make you a good 'tester'.