How to apply to become a Sky Glass tester?

[Miklos]

I am an Audio-Visual and Digital IT Technician at the University if Salford and I have been a beta tester for Symantec and Microsoft for long years. Does anyone know who to contact for applying for a public tester status? Thanks in advance, Miklos.

[GD1]

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@Miklos wrote:

I am an Audio-Visual and Digital IT Technician at the University if Salford and I have been a beta tester for Symantec and Microsoft for long years. Does anyone know who to contact for applying for a public tester status? Thanks in advance, Miklos.

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From what I understand they usually use Employees as Testers and not the general public at large (before anyone jumps on me & says you are all beta testers the reply I give is in relation the the OPs question).

There are sometimes users in the forum who may be privvy to testing but if they are would be unable to say if they have signed NDA's.

[Miklos]

NDA would not be a problem for me - I am well aware how to "behave" when you are a tester and have signed the agreement... 😉

[fizzdisco]

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@Miklos wrote:

NDA would not be a problem for me - I am well aware how to "behave" when you are a tester and have signed the agreement... 😉

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It seems to be Sky's policy that to be a beta tester you have to buy the product at your expense, moan about the problems on these forums, then sit and wait for an undisclosed amount of time for them to (maybe) do something about them. 

[bob1234]

Many of us would apply if we knew how, there used to be a "beta" programme but long since discontinued.

[SDR]

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@Miklos wrote:

I am an Audio-Visual and Digital IT Technician at the University if Salford and I have been a beta tester for Symantec and Microsoft for long years. Does anyone know who to contact for applying for a public tester status? Thanks in advance, Miklos.

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I'm afraid there is no public beta testing available .

[CBUK99]

Could say by just buying the current build and TV you are almost a public beta tester anyway, given the state the whole system seems to be in 🙂

[Miklos]

"I'm afraid there is no public beta testing available ." - but the upcoming patches should also need to be tested - first in a "sandbox" in house environment and then release it to a selected few "public" users before enable the patch for ALL users - appearently they released the .15 version in a rush not fully completing the testing phases... (killing off the motion sensor feature completely)

In an other post - forgive me not remembering who wrote - that Sky will send out the latest patch to a certain group of peole (reviewers) - so they DO make some "sandboxing"... I would be interested in being among those "more equal" people... 

On the other hand I do accept the statement that we are all, who already have the Glass considered to be "early adopters" - unvillingly joining the pre-RTP (Release to Public) stage of the software testing... 😉

[Chrisee]

@Miklos with 32,000 staff Sky have no need to use customers as beta testers and simply don't that really is the end of it.  Staff get early versions of firmware builds to try but are strictly restricted by NDAs linked to their jobs.

[Totalwar2]

This explains why there so many bugs surely they can only spare a few hours at night while they not working.This is not best practise in my opinion.Unless they give a few months off to beta test properly.

[Miklos]

@Chrisee - out of 32000 the selected few X could have easily spotted the motion sensor bug wile they were testing the unreleased build. I simply cannot believe that they have not spotted that error... When you do beta testing there are scenarios to follow simulating real-life situations and watch out for key featutres whether they are still operational after the changes made in the build... It looks like the testers didn't follow the scripts or they did not even bother... 😞

[tarbat]

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@Miklos wrote:

@Chrisee - out of 32000 the selected few X could have easily spotted the motion sensor bug wile they were testing the unreleased build. I simply cannot believe that they have not spotted that error...

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The testers may well have spotted the problem(s), but marketing deadlines so often overall system completeness. At least that's my experience as a beta tester, and also as testing manager in my working life.  Don't blame the testers!

[Chrisee]

@Miklos I dont work for Sky I just told you what their policy on testing was. Perhaps you should apply to work for them? 

[Miklos]

@Chrisee Good point... 😉 but I am happy in my current employment.  Just working in IT for 26+ years makes me wonder why such a well known and respected company like Sky gives so little for the Quality Assurance... 😞

[Chrisee]

@Miklos I think @tarbat put his finger of it marketing trumps the engineers especially when you have a £10m+ advertising campaign planned. I know we met a  few engineers involved in the launch of Q who were muttering about thst release being 6 months before they were ready.