Updates!

[k0de]

Where is my Windows Phones 8.1?

What I hate about updates the most is the waiting period. I remember many moons ago when MSFT programs where 99.9% bug free before they were released.

But times have changed things really move fast now a days. My 2 cents. Don't wait for perfection and release the freaking updates on a daily basis and make changes as you go.

Am I alone? Hello out there can anybody here me... What are your thoughts? Should MSFT change the way that they submit updates?

 

[Laura Knotek]

What kind of updates are you referring to? I'm not aware of anything Microsoft ever updated on a daily basis. I'm also not aware of any other platform that gets daily updates. That would just be impossible to manage. Even Android isn't updated that frequently (and some Android devices never get updated at all).

 

[k0de]

What kind of updates are you referring to? I'm not aware of anything Microsoft ever updated on a daily basis. I'm also not aware of any other platform that gets daily updates. That would just be impossible to manage. Even Android isn't updated that frequently (and some Android devices never get updated at all).

Perhaps something like the Nighly Build System used on many Open Source Projects.

 

[Pete]

That may work for individual applications (like Firefox alpha testing), but isn't suitable for a whole phone, or even parts of the operating system.

The closest we have is the Facebook Beta app that gets updated on a weekly/biweekly basis, and even then the updates are very small.

Phone updates need to go through rigorous testing by Microsoft, the hardware manufacturers, and the carriers. None of them are geared toward nightly build testing.

It's not a realistic update model for a consumer device.

 

[k0de]

That may work for individual applications (like Firefox alpha testing), but isn't suitable for a whole phone, or even parts of the operating system.

Well hmm. An entire Search Engine call Nutch was build by Apache. And currently the reactOS open source project is building an entire Operating System. So don't say that Nightly Build is not Suitable for large projects.

The idea is. Get it out fast and fix it later. Anyhow most apps are buggy anyway.

If consumers is the concern then make it a developers preview.

 

[Pete]

Again, nightly builds are for alpha/beta test purposes only. Consumer facing updates are never deployed like this. If they are, it'll be for a very small amount of end users.

 

[Pete]

Nightly/regular builds for developers don't work either. App developers need to know what they're dealing with; no developer will appreciate spending significant time and effort in coding against a particular API to find that the next day it's not their or has changed significantly.

Again, nightly builds are for testing purposes only.

 

[gwinegarden]

As someone who worked in software development for two of the biggest tech companies, I can only ask "are you insane?". Daily updates? Totally ridiculous, unless you are into a very big software project and very near the end.

 

[k0de]

As someone who worked in software development for two of the biggest tech companies, I can only ask "are you insane?". Daily updates? Totally ridiculous, unless you are into a very big software project and very near the end.

Insane? Some what. , Yes I agree that it would be used for testing only just as Aperture suggested. What is wrong with such an idea.

For example. What if Windows Phone 8.1 was already released to developers who want an early update. Would many bugs would have been fix all ready prior to April 2. That's why I said something of this nature would be good if it is released early to dev's.

 

[gwinegarden]

Insane? Some what. , Yes I agree that it would be used for testing only just as Aperture suggested. What is wrong with such an idea.

For example. What if Windows Phone 8.1 was already released to developers who want an early update. Would many bugs would have been fix all ready prior to April 2. That's why I said something of this nature would be good if it is released early to dev's.

1 it would be a logistical nightmare

2 you would be amazed at how many of these updates are withdrawn as causing huge problems. Unless you are part of a team, this would be counter-productive

 

[Pete]

If there are nightly/super-regular builds for WP8, the test team would be internal to Microsoft and even then tightly compartmentalised.

As well as there being stability risks, there are also intellectual property risks involved. If a competitor saw that code existed for a feature that was early in it's life-cycle, they could take advantage in developing it quicker. Microsoft definitely doesn't want any future features from being shown to the public before it's fully ready. App developers have access to updates before the general public, but those images are very mature in terms of development (being very close to Gold builds).

 

[k0de]

If there are nightly/super-regular builds for WP8, the test team would be internal to Microsoft and even then tightly compartmentalized.

Yes you are correct. Is was announced today on the front News at WPCentral.

Windows Phone 8.1 – Microsoft quietly sends invites for confidential SDK Dev Preview program

That really sucks....

 

[3earnhardt3]

Absolutely disagree with the idea of quick buggy updates. Microsoft's schedule is perfect, more frequent than apple and less fragmentation like android. wp8.1 is a huge update with many parts and pieces that have to work together flawlessly, no way you do nightly builds of that.