Recently, a first release of the cpg1.5.x series has been packaged: cpg1.5.1 has been released to a closed group of privileged users here on this forum.
No supportThe cpg1.5.x series is currently still in alpha stage (not ready for production use at all) and goes completely, utterly unsupported (that's why there is no button on the cpg1.5.x support board that enables you to start a new thread - only the support forum has been created in advance to have a structure to refer to from within the documentation). Unsupported means: you're not allowed to ask a question about cpg1.5.x at all.
You wouldn't want to use cpg1.5.x on a production site, as many unexpected things may happen when using alpha software. We understand that there will be users who always want the latest and greatest version of an application, but you have to understand that we can not encourage you to use cpg1.5.x at this stage.
Testers wantedThis being said, we're looking for people who are ready to test cpg1.5.x thoroughly and report potential bugs in the application. This test is suppossed to take place on your testbed, which can be a local machine as well as a webhosted platform. As suggested above, you won't get any support for this, i.e. we will not help you how to set the testbed up in the first place. To become a tester, you need to be ready to do some reading first (as there is a lot of documentation that is mandatory to read) and you should have good computer skills, preferably coupled with a lot of experience with Coppermine.
Therefore, this thread exists where you can apply to become a tester - you need to reply to this thread and tell us why you should be promoted to become a member of the tester group. But wait, don't click on the "reply"-button yet: please read first what you should post in your request:
Do not just post silly things like "please let me become a tester, I want it badly". The amount of the letter "E" in the word "please" doesn't matter neither. Instead, we want to hear about your qualification: what will make you a good tester? Illustrate your request with data to back up your posting: it helps to prove that you're experienced in setting up and maintaining coppermine-driven galleries, so it's a good idea to post links to the galleries you maintain (remember to post a warning with the link if they are not safe for work). A method to make dead sure that you will
not be picked as a tester is if you are running an outdated version of Coppermine on your webspace and you're posting a link to it on this thread. Another not-so-bright idea would be posting a link to a gallery with a custom theme that is totally invalid in terms of HTML or CSS well-formedness and validity.
As there currently are very few translations of the documentation available you will need appropriate language skills in English as well, so please back up your request by writing in plain English. You don't need to post a thesis with thousands of words, but we'd certainly here you talk about yourself and your skills as well as your testbed: it might be a good idea to prove your skills to post a test report by posting some details as suggested in the
testing docs.
Things that you should not doReplies to this thread with flames or support requests will result in the posting getting deleted and your account will be banned instantly without further notifications.
How to find out if I have been picked as tester?There will be no notification - just take a look at at your profile summary at the left side of your posting: if your status changes to a group with green, red, purple or orange squares underneath the group names. It doesn't make sense to bump your request - if you're not acknowledged as a tester, there will be no posting or message that says that your request was turned down. Please don't turn this thread into an argument: we'll delete all postings that have that kind of confrontational character.
After having been picked as a tester you can go to the actual
announcement thread for cpg1.5.1 alpha for details and to find the download link.
Why do you release an alpha version only for a closed group? Isn't that against the principles of open source?No, it's not against those principles: everybody is welcome to perform a
SVN checkout to get the source code of cpg1.5.x, so we're not keeping you from getting your copy of cpg1.5.x even if your request for membership in the tester group should be turned down. It's
our decision who we're giving support to and for what level of development that support is given. Please do not argue about that: don't lecture us about our policies unless you're Richard Stallman or Linus Torvalds.
Joachim Müller
- project manager Coppermine Photo Gallery -