Re: [cobalt-users] RAQ4 OSUpdate 2

[Bruce Timberlake <bruce.timberlake@xxxxxxx>]

baltimoremd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> 
> On Fri, 22 Feb 2002, Michael Gabriel wrote:
> 
> > too many, time for os update 2.1 !
> > cobalt is getting very slow with updates, havent they sold
> > enough raq4s?
> > since the constantly bad updates we are running a spare raq
> > just to test them. i'm sure others are to, how about a beta 
> > tester program sun ?
> 
> There have been numerous requests to Cobalt/Sun to start such a
> program...but it appears to be another common sense idea that's
> ignored.

Not true. There is a defined beta test cycle for all new products. Most
of our testers are large hosting companies who have hundreds or even
thousands of RaQs deployed, and who provide their own support for the
products.  The amount of suggestions, etc, they give back are rather
large, and as much feedback as possible gets incorporated into the
release version of the product.  Suggestions which don't make it into
initial release are kept in a queue for future OS Update inclusions,
etc.

There are no resources to run a beta testing program for patches and
updates, and IMHO, that stuff should all be done internally anyway. 
While I cannot defend every single patch that has ever been released, I
know that QA has a large focus internally in Sustaining Engineering. 
And more resources (bodies) are being put in there on an ongoing basis. 
OS Update 2 has been in testing for months, but it was a very large and
complex patch, and end-user unsupported modifications are not taken into
any account when QA'ing a patch (that would add a much longer time to
the QA cycle, so you'd see updates even less frequently than you do
now).

> But, since RaQ's are for folks who don't know *nix, it may be
> beyond the folks at Sun/Cobalt to either understand or appreciate
> the fact that there are RaQ owners/admins who could actually help
> in the development of a better product.

Please get in touch with your local Sun sales rep or Sun Cobalt product
specialist and ask for information about beta testing.  It's not out of
the realm of possibilities for us to consider new testers for the
program, especially if the current batch of testers don't seem to be
approving products which are up to your level of standards.  If you're
not sure who that Sun rep would be, please reply off-list to me with
your contact info and I will pass it along to the various Product
Managers for upcoming product versions.

--
Bruce Timberlake, Sun Cobalt Technology Engineer
Email: bruce.timberlake@xxxxxxx