I am pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications for our public beta testing of TotalRM, expected to begin within the next 45 days. We need a diverse group of people to help us test TotalRM both for usability and for bugs. This will provide a great opportunity for a first look at the application, and the features it will have. The feedback we receive will help shape what TotalRM is when released in 2010. If you are interested in being a part of the beta test and haven’t already done so, please visit the home page, and enter your email address, first and last name, and click the “Sign Up Now” button.
What is a beta test?
A beta test is a process many software companies go through to improve the overall functionality and quality of their software before it is finally released for existing and new users to use. The point of the beta test is to ensure the software runs in many different environments, as well as to test out new features and ensure they make sense to the people who will actually be using the software. Typically this software has gone through a full-round of testing prior to a beta test (often referred to as “alpha testing”), which may or may not involve users outside of the software company.
It is VERY important to note that any beta release of TotalRM is NOT the final version of the application and as a result Purple Ant does not guarantee the absence of bugs and errors within the software, and while unlikely, it is possible the application could disrupt use of the computer and/or result in data loss. Beta testers use the pre-release software at their own risk and Purple Ant bears no responsibility for any consequences arising out of the use of the beta software.
Taking part in the beta test
If you are chosen to take part in the beta test of TotalRM, you will be expected to download and install the beta version of TotalRM. You will be given some time to just play with the application on your own, to see how much you can learn and infer about the application’s functionality on your own. This is intentional as we would like the application to be as easy to use as possible, so if many users have the same issues figuring out how to do different things, then we’ve obviously failed in our efforts to make it easy.
Next, we will provide you with some scenarios to follow when using the system. Once again we will be testing the intuitiveness of the application, but we will also be testing the functionality.
Finally, we will allow you free reign again in the system, after you’ve become more used to TotalRM, and we’ll ask you to use the application as a part of your business.
We will be with you throughout the process to help with any issues that do arise, via email as well as a special message board (forum) that you and other beta testers will have access too. It is our goal through your usage, and the feedback we receive back from you, to greatly improve TotalRM and make it an application that you and others will be happy to use.
What if I find a bug, or have an issue?
If you find a bug that causes TotalRM to crash, there is an error reporting system built in to TotalRM. You will be asked for a description of what you were doing when the error occurred, as well as your email address. It is important that you be as detailed as possible in your description, as it will help us find the bug much faster, and provide a fix. During the beta test period, entering your email address will be required for submitting an error report. This is to ensure we know who to contact after we’ve resolved the issue, or in case we need to get additional information about your environment or what you were doing when the error occurred.
In addition to the error reporting functionality that is built-in to TotalRM, you will also have the beta tester’s forum available on TotalRM.com. Here you and other beta testers will be able to post issues you are having, and either Purple Ant or other beta tester’s can help you resolve them.
If you don’t feel comfortable posting your issues in the forum, you’ll also have a special email for sending issues to, and Purple Ant will answer them.
How often will updates/bug fixes be released?
It is our plan during the beta test period to release updates no less than once a week, but often times it could be several times a day. We have built-in to TotalRM the ability to quickly update the various pieces of the application without the need for you to re-install the application each time. It is our intention during the beta test and afterwards to use a “continuous deployment” model which allows you to benefit from new features and bug fixes as soon as we have them completed. It is NEVER required that you download and install the latest updates, but if you are experiencing an error, it will typically be our first recommendation to update to the latest version and see if the bug has already been resolved.
What if I see the need for a new feature, or don’t like the way a certain feature works?
The forum will be a great place for posting feature requests as well as feedback on existing features. By posting in the forum, it gives other users the opportunity to agree, disagree, or offer other insights on the same things. It will be through consensus of users that we will implement new features or modify existing features within the application.
What Next?
Go Sign Up!