Posted by Erland Sommarskog on 09/17/05 00:51

DA Morgan (damorgan@psoug.org) writes:
> That may well be true. But is still no guarantee that what is in the
> Beta is in the production release or that it has been implemented in
> the same way.

Only in the sense that there is no guarantee that what is in the RTM
version is also in SP1. OK, so Microsoft is still free to make breaking
changes, but the impact on the code base has to be small, not to
endanger the quality of the product.

>> Keep in mind that there are quite a few installations out there, which
>> already are running SQL 2005 in production,
>
> Then they deserve what they get. Anyone that would put a Beta into
> production is a mashochist or a fool and demonstates a lack of
> professionalism.

Well, if you downloaded the beta from microsoft.com, and put a system
on a production from that, you would not only be unprofessional - you
would also be violating the license. There is a some sort of general
go-live license for SQL 2005, but it applies the Express Edition only.

Those who run other editions of SQL 2005 in production do that as part
of a Microsoft programme, where they have close interaction with Microsoft.
Certainly, you have to be a bit brave, but it's not insanity.

>> Guess what? Microsoft has NDAs as well, and when I first got access to
>> beta 1 two years ago I was under NDA. However, Microsoft did release
>> beta 1 publicly at PASS already in November 2003. Beta 2 was distributed
>> with MSDN. If you want to try it (OK, just joking :-), the latest CTP
>> is available on http://www.microsoft.com/sql/2005/productinfo/ctp.mspx.
>
> So it really isn't Beta at all. It is pre-release copies: Basically
> marketing and public relations.

Yes, that is certainly part of it. But not only. Microsoft very clearly
are interested in the feedback from the user community. Both with regards
to bugs, as well as opinions on features.

> Anyway, from a commercial point of view, it appears
>> to me that Microsoft is doing the right thing. By making betas of the
>> new product available early on, more people get to play it, learn it
>> and know it, and will thus be more inclined to deploy it early on.
>
> Other software companies seem to do well keeping their Betas as Betas.
> I don't see SAP or IBM or anyone else thinking what you describe is
> ethical.

I can't escape the feeling that your attitude is that becuase Microsoft
does it, it's bad. That's not a very professional attitude.

I have never had reason to try software from SAP and IBM, but I have
also been involved in beta programmes for PowerDesigner, a data-modelling
tool from Sybase. And I have never signed an NDA about that.

If IBM, SAP or Oracle prefer to keep their betas closed until the product
is released, they may feel that that business model fits them well. I
don't believe for a second that think public betas as "unethical".


--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@sommarskog.se

Books Online for SQL Server SP3 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techinfo/productdoc/2000/books.asp

[Back to original message]