Why did MS release the Alpha Tech Prv to the public?

[deadwrong03]

As long as its updated at least once a month I'm fine and the way they have it set up the slow ring is supposed to be released shortly after the fast ring with bug fixes for the fast ring bugs found

 

[gentry33]

One should fully expect the mobile build of Windows10 to be behind. First it has already been reported that RTM mobile release would follow PC RTM. Second consider billions of users on PCs versus millions on Windows Phone, where would your priority be? The Windows OS is being introduced to the phone not the other way around.

I have not configured the Insider app on my 920 and in light of the issues reported in community forums and elsewhere I am glad for that. I will not need to use the recovery tool to roll back as I will sit and wait for a more stable build.

For the moment I like my device the way it is, working. As an aside take note that I will be one of the first in line for a flagship phone built for Windows10 mobile.

 

[3earnhardt3]

Microsoft gave me exactly what they advertised, can't fault them for that. It rendered my phone useless as a phone, apps didn't work( any of them) and the phone went into endless reboots about 20 minutes after install. All of which were in the "Don't say we didn't warn you" section right before you click accept in the windows insider app.

 

[philxor]

Can't believe people are complaining about this. There are Windows 10 desktop builds even recently where the store is broken, or you have to go into Powershelll and paste in various CLI commands in order to get things to work again. As much caution is they give people about running pre-release software, they still manage to not get it.

 

[dougplanet]

From the FAQ

Download and install the preview only if you: Aren't installing it on your primary phone. If you have a backup phone, that's a perfect candidate for Technical Preview.

There's your answer. If you thought this would be ready for prime time, and put it on your main (or only) phone, it's not on MS.

 

[EMINENT 1]

While I agree this is too early, the system worked fine for me except for pairing to my Band that didn't work. That was a deal breaker. I could deal with the mess of fonts and scaling, I knew those would be the last to get some polish.

But, they should've made sure functions work for everyday tasks. The UI is what's subjective and what's important for feedback, but not at the cost of being able to use your phone.

I really hope they quash the bugs in this release soon because it's still usable to me as my daily driver. I don't care about UI as much now, but communications like bluetooth have got to work.

 

[RumoredNow]

While I agree this is too early, the system worked fine for me except for pairing to my Band that didn't work. That was a deal breaker. I could deal with the mess of fonts and scaling, I knew those would be the last to get some polish.

But, they should've made sure functions work for everyday tasks. The UI is what's subjective and what's important for feedback, but not at the cost of being able to use your phone.

I really hope they quash the bugs in this release soon because it's still usable to me as my daily driver. I don't care about UI as much now, but communications like bluetooth have got to work.

You could not be more incorrect. It was stated quite clearly and vociferously that it was in fact NOT suitable for every day. To then have that expectation is egregious on your part, not Microsoft's.

And the title of this thread bothers me. Who said it is Alpha other than the OP? It is clearly Beta. Just because you don't like the functionality of it does not make it Alpha.

Software release life cycle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[hotphil]

Several of the built-in apps have alpha status displayed.

But I think MS is heading away from the traditional SDLC with Win10. Interesting to see how it goes.

 

[GabrielStorm]

i have the current build on my daily driver. living dangerously. i know how to revert back to 8.1 if i need to.
yes, i know it's on me if something happens. and i have back-up devices if i need them.
i'm well aware of what may happen.

 

[etad putta]

I'm not sure what more MS could have done for the folks who bricked their devices - there were multiple messages that it's unreleased, incomplete and may break hardware etc that people had to click to accept.

There does seem to have been a lot of people who ignored that. I suggest a USD50 enrollment fee may have been useful in elevating the quality of feedback they'll get.

If they paid me $50 I might install it.

 

[Blacklac]

This must be a joke. OP forgot he had to manually download an App just to install this update. Its like he think it was pushed from his carrier OTA...

 

[hotphil]

If they paid me $50 I might install it.

let us know when they make you that offer.

 

[etad putta]

The entire situation just shows poor judgement on the part of MS. Any good that can come out of it will be overshadowed by the disaster that it is in its current condition. The average knuckle head will load this up on his or her daily driver even though there is a warning against it. It would be interesting to hear the debate amongst MS people prior to this release to the public. There had to be someone saying "This is a bad idea!"

 

[etad putta]

let us know when they make you that offer.

Check's in the mail I'm sure.

 

[realwarder]

Every article and website mentioning the preview especially the Microsoft one warns that the preview is unsuitable for daily use and has issues. If people choose to ignore that then that is their choice and they will regret it and needlessly complain. Others that may have a spare phone will enjoy getting a Preview of where Windows is headed on the phone and are thankful for the opportunity to give Microsoft feedback to help tune the features.

 

[Jas00555]

Microsoft has been releasing alpha builds to a select group of people for months now.... It's called people in the fast ring. If you want it to be more stable, pick the slow ring.

 

[etad putta]

But on a positive note, this should slow down the "Its been 30 days, where is the next build?" complaints. Take all the time you fellows need, it's all good.

 

[svaethier]

I have It on my daily phone, only problems I get are that some apps don't open BUT turning my phone off then on fixes that problem, it's stable enough for me and I like the way Microsoft is going, you haters out there calling them stupid should sit down and consider that maybe with everyone wanting something different then everyone else confuses them which is why they are doing this preview, if you download this then you have basically signed away your devices life if It breaks, not their fault only yours so stop being a bunch of five year olds and accept the stupidity you have brought on yourself for installing a incomplete software on your own device.

 

[hotphil]

Microsoft has been releasing alpha builds to people to a select group of people for months now.... It's called people in the fast ring. If you want it to be more stable, pick the slow ring.

Sadly, people will install anything that's put in front of them.
"Fast" and "Slow" were probably poor naming choices. I'd have gone for one of the following (feel free to add):
Unstable/Risky
Face/Murdoch
Full English/Continental
Party animal/Nervous Nellie
Clarkson/May
Scaramooch/Beelzebub
Statham/Cage

 

[MDK22]

On Friday when the servers were having issues, I read something about ' ... over 5000 pops ... '

My understanding was there are over 5000 different combinations of device / carrier / region customizations to contend with - and this may only be MS / Lumia devices. Testing that many configurations can be time / manpower consuming - add in the subset of apps on each device & that number (of different phones) boggles the mind. What I'm saying is my Lumia 1520-2 RM 940 is substantively different from anyone else's because of the combination of apps I've chosen to install.

Sooooo, long story short, MS has enlisted some of us to assist with the testing - because, it may have been their only option toward a relatively (ultimately) clean release. With the debacle of this alpha release (my contention as a software Dev, since it does not include the full feature set), they now have to sort thru the credible comments reported by testers. Some have simply chosen not to Hard Reset their device (on an early report of bricking your phone) which may remediate some of the issues. and, some have just chosen to castigate MS for releasing this and ' ... forcing them to upgrade ... ' - that had me smh.

Gabe Aul has my sympathies, sounds like a daunting task.