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From: Dre
Subject: Beta 34
Date: 30 Sep 2009 18:57:33
Message: <4ac3e25d@news.povray.org>
Hi, is there any reason why the windows version of 3.7 beta 34 installs 
into:

 c:\documents and settings\<username>\application data\povray

when using XP without asking??  IMO thats a really bad place for software, 
in a user profile!!!

I then tried to run it only to find out it has an expire of....TODAY! 
Terrific.  This put me off the beta versions last time, the one time I 
decide to try the new version out again and again I'm locked out. 
Wonderful!

Why wont 3.7b let me install it where I want?

Why does 3.7b have an expiry date in it when there is no new beta to take 
its place?  (why does it have one at all!??!?!)

I've been using POV for years and years but this sort of thing makes me look 
elsewhere, its really not neccessary...

Cheers Dre


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From: Warp
Subject: Re: Beta 34
Date: 30 Sep 2009 19:21:27
Message: <4ac3e7f7@news.povray.org>
Dre <and### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> I then tried to run it only to find out it has an expire of....TODAY! 
> Terrific.  This put me off the beta versions last time, the one time I 
> decide to try the new version out again and again I'm locked out. 
> Wonderful!

  You can extend the beta period of the program with a couple of mouse
clicks. Isn't it wonderful?

> I've been using POV for years and years but this sort of thing makes me look 
> elsewhere, its really not neccessary...

  Also ranting is not really necessary. Beta software is beta software.
You can't expect a full feature set.

-- 
                                                          - Warp


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From: Sabrina Kilian
Subject: Re: Beta 34
Date: 30 Sep 2009 20:19:28
Message: <4ac3f590$1@news.povray.org>
Dre wrote:
> Hi, is there any reason why the windows version of 3.7 beta 34 installs 
> into:
> 
>  c:\documents and settings\<username>\application data\povray
> 
> when using XP without asking??  IMO thats a really bad place for software, 
> in a user profile!!!
> 

Because of Microsoft. This was discussed a lot on one of the beta
groups, the reasons are all there if you would like to read over them.

> I then tried to run it only to find out it has an expire of....TODAY! 
> Terrific.  This put me off the beta versions last time, the one time I 
> decide to try the new version out again and again I'm locked out. 
> Wonderful!
>
> Why wont 3.7b let me install it where I want?
> 
> Why does 3.7b have an expiry date in it when there is no new beta to take 
> its place?  (why does it have one at all!??!?!)
> 

Because it is beta. I know, Google has destroyed the meaning of that
word by getting people to feel that beta applications can be stable and
require little user testing. But for most software folks, beta really
just means "We need more people testing this than just our internal test
team, so here, have at."

The expiration is there because, without it, people think that Beta 24
is stable enough to be running now, and would still be reporting bugs in
it that have been fixed. If you really want to use the beta version,
wait for the button and click it.

> I've been using POV for years and years but this sort of thing makes me look 
> elsewhere, its really not neccessary...
> 
> Cheers Dre 
> 
> 

Look back at the stable version. If testing software, finding unexpected
bugs and reporting them, or having a program crash doesn't appeal to
you, a beta is not the right place.


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From: Dre
Subject: Re: Beta 34
Date: 30 Sep 2009 22:54:11
Message: <4ac419d3@news.povray.org>
"Sabrina Kilian" <ski### [at] vtedu> wrote in message 
news:4ac3f590$1@news.povray.org...
> Dre wrote:
>> Hi, is there any reason why the windows version of 3.7 beta 34 installs
>> into:
>>
>>  c:\documents and settings\<username>\application data\povray
>>
>> when using XP without asking??  IMO thats a really bad place for 
>> software,
>> in a user profile!!!
>>
>
> Because of Microsoft. This was discussed a lot on one of the beta
> groups, the reasons are all there if you would like to read over them.

I'll go check them out, thanks for the heaps up.

>> I then tried to run it only to find out it has an expire of....TODAY!
>> Terrific.  This put me off the beta versions last time, the one time I
>> decide to try the new version out again and again I'm locked out.
>> Wonderful!
>>
>> Why wont 3.7b let me install it where I want?
>>
>> Why does 3.7b have an expiry date in it when there is no new beta to take
>> its place?  (why does it have one at all!??!?!)
>>
>
> Because it is beta. I know, Google has destroyed the meaning of that
> word by getting people to feel that beta applications can be stable and
> require little user testing. But for most software folks, beta really
> just means "We need more people testing this than just our internal test
> team, so here, have at."
>
> The expiration is there because, without it, people think that Beta 24
> is stable enough to be running now, and would still be reporting bugs in
> it that have been fixed. If you really want to use the beta version,
> wait for the button and click it.

So because there is an arbritrary date set, testers have to put up with 
annoying nag messages?

>> I've been using POV for years and years but this sort of thing makes me 
>> look
>> elsewhere, its really not neccessary...
>>
>> Cheers Dre
>>
>>
>
> Look back at the stable version. If testing software, finding unexpected
> bugs and reporting them, or having a program crash doesn't appeal to
> you, a beta is not the right place.

I've used beta's for years yet POV is the *only* program without fail that 
has these unneccessary restrictions.

Oh well, looks like I'm on my own here, back to your regular programming.

<looks around for other renderers to try>

Cheers Dre


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From: Jim Henderson
Subject: Re: Beta 34
Date: 30 Sep 2009 23:25:36
Message: <4ac42130$1@news.povray.org>
On Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:53:50 +1000, Dre wrote:

> So because there is an arbritrary date set, testers have to put up with
> annoying nag messages?

Yes, the reasons for this have been explained in other threads 
previously, but basically boil down to "old beta versions are 
unsupported, so rather than chase down bugs in old versions, the old 
versions expire so beta testers are forced to move to what's current".

As Sabrina said, if you don't want the inconvenience, don't use the beta, 
use the release version instead.

That's the team's decision, and it's based on years of running betas and 
having to deal with people reporting issues in the beta.  It works for 
them, and since they *volunteer* their time to write the code (and it's 
their code, more importantly), they get to decide how to run their betas.

Jim


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From: Christian Froeschlin
Subject: Re: Beta 34
Date: 1 Oct 2009 03:54:41
Message: <4ac46041@news.povray.org>
Dre wrote:

> Why wont 3.7b let me install it where I want?

In a nutshell, you need to select "install for all users"
during the installation to install under program files. This
requires administrator privileges at least under Vista and
it's probably safer to have them under XP as well.


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From: Stephen
Subject: Re: Beta 34
Date: 1 Oct 2009 06:00:50
Message: <3ev8c515dilpmrnqtspo55dns88tco80nj@4ax.com>
On Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:54:46 +0200, Christian Froeschlin <chr### [at] chrfrde> wrote:

>Dre wrote:
>
>> Why wont 3.7b let me install it where I want?
>
>In a nutshell, you need to select "install for all users"
>during the installation to install under program files. This
>requires administrator privileges at least under Vista and
>it's probably safer to have them under XP as well.

I have to temporally switch off UAC to install the beta on my Vista system or it
does not install.
-- 

Regards
     Stephen


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From: Sabrina Kilian
Subject: Re: Beta 34
Date: 1 Oct 2009 06:38:39
Message: <4ac486af$1@news.povray.org>
Dre wrote:
> I've used beta's for years yet POV is the *only* program without fail that 
> has these unneccessary restrictions.
> 
> Oh well, looks like I'm on my own here, back to your regular programming.
> 
> <looks around for other renderers to try>
> 
> Cheers Dre 
> 
> 

There is a difference between using beta software, and beta testing.
Since the POV-Ray advice is "use 3.6, it is stable" it is obvious that
they are not looking for people to just use the beta version.

If you aren't used to beta testing, I guess it seems like a lot of hoops
to jump through, waiting to hit the button to extend the timer. But,
compared to the NDA and test schedule of playing a beta MMO, or the
several times a week download of code for a multiplayer online game,
this is nothing.


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From: Warp
Subject: Re: Beta 34
Date: 1 Oct 2009 07:06:39
Message: <4ac48d3e@news.povray.org>
Christian Froeschlin <chr### [at] chrfrde> wrote:
> In a nutshell, you need to select "install for all users"
> during the installation to install under program files.

  Perhaps the installer could make this crystal clear so that the user will
be fully aware what will happen if the selection is or isn't made?

-- 
                                                          - Warp


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From: clipka
Subject: Re: Beta 34
Date: 1 Oct 2009 10:22:34
Message: <4ac4bb2a$1@news.povray.org>
Dre schrieb:

> So because there is an arbritrary date set, testers have to put up with 
> annoying nag messages?

Yes, exactly :)

BTW, that message will annoy you only once a week - doesn't sound too 
bad to me.

> <looks around for other renderers to try>

Feel free to do so.


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