Also From the Archive: ‘“Beta” Is Not an Excuse’

2006 post from yours truly that applies perfectly to Apple Intelligence today:

The sentiment here is that it’s somehow unfair to developers to treat software labeled “beta” with the same critical eye as non-beta software. That’s true, in the case of actual beta software, where by “actual beta” I mean “not yet released, but close”.

Released vs. not-released is the distinction that warrants critical restraint. Film critics don’t write reviews of rough cuts. Book critics don’t review non-final manuscripts of novels.

Released software that is labeled “beta” is still released software, and is fair game for the same level of criticism as any released software. You can’t “semi-release” your 1.0 just because you want it out there but aren’t yet finished. Being semi-released is like being semi-pregnant. [...]

What exactly is meant by software that is released, but labeled “beta”? That there are missing features? All software has missing features. I’ve never met a single developer working on a significant software project who has completely zeroed out the features-to-do list. Knowing how to draw that line between features that make it for this release and features postponed for later is a big part of the art of shipping.

No, what “beta” means in this context is “buggy”.

Read through to the end, and I even have a badge (courtesy my friend Bryan Bell) that Apple could use to more clearly label Apple Intelligence notification summaries.

★ Tuesday, 7 January 2025