It is very concering that so much OSS is not mature or it may be mature but it’s still in beta. What I find dishearting is when I see a version number like 0.8.2-rc1? This is telling me that this is the first release candidate for a beta version of software. What makes this discouraging to even use is the line in the GPL that reads, “THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED…”. Adding a disclaimer to a beta release is not very conforting. Or how about v0.3 with a no warranty disclaimer? Is something that is v0.3 even worth looking at let alone using?

Imagne what you would have if you only used Delta versions of software to set up a Linux box. You’d have very little. Yes, I know tere are plenty of quality app that are not in beta but the majority of the stuff is. Like Google relesing a pre-beta (Alpha?) version of their photo manager. But since it’s Google they can do that. No they shouldn’t. They should set an example of not releasing pre-beta or beta junk.

There is another reason for this abundance of pre-beta, beta and rc apps; because we are an ADD Society. Events unfold on the internet at the blink of an eye. O’Reily sent a Web 2.0 user grou a C&D letter. The group then posted the letter on a blog. With in hours an Anti-O’Reily / Anti-Web 2.0 movment starts. But the funny thing is most of what makes up Web 2.0 is BETA! Ajax, beta. Ruby, beta, PHP and AJAX beta. Beta Beta Beta. Even Adobe has an Ajax frame work and guess what? That’s in beta too!! Instead of Web 2.0 it should be Beta 0.2-RC9.

Will anyone every release non-beta software? Even Microsoft releses beta crap. (Please no jokes) They release beta apps to their paying MSND customers. But they do it in a controlled planned manner. They release 2 betas and then 2 relese candidates and then a delta release. Then a few months afther the delta they release a patch. After the patch come a new beta and then a patch and a beta and so on.

The fact to the matter is no software will ever be a Delta release because it’s alwaying being “improved” in some way. From bug fixes to enhancments to ports and forks all software is Beta. But this still does not make me feel any better when I need a app and it’s version 0.8.2-rc1 and comes with a disclaimer.