If at first you don't succeed... Beta 2

The primary purpose of a beta release is to validate the key features of a new release with real users. Sometimes, however, rather than showing we hit the mark, a beta shows we missed it. And such was the case with our August beta. In short, some of the thinking in the August beta simply failed to "wow" our beta users. Honestly, it didn't wow us either. So we went back to the proverbial drawing board. The second time around, the beta reaction is much different. Here are unsolicited quotes from the November beta users:

I was able to map in 4 projects across 2 servers and it seems like it's working nicely so far.

I created a new workspace at the root of where my multiple workspaces are and mapped them all into the one. WOW. Very nice. This is just what we were wanting.

So let me explain what's in the November beta.

Our goal with this release is to dramatically improve product line development support. If you have multiple projects which share some code, then product lines will benefit you. They simplify day to day tasks, making you more productive and saving you time and frustration. In short, while today you can set up and manage product line development, tomorrow we will handle the details for you, simplifying your development and making you more productive.

Some improvements from the first beta remain. The primary two being the merged cache files with MD5 checksums for each checked out file, and the addition of workspaces to the project browser display. However, we threw out the mount as a versioned directory approach and replaced it with an expanded workspace definition. In the new beta, you mount multiple snapshots into a single workspace. Once set up, all the tools work on the new workspace just as you'd expect. This helps because you don't have to switch between workspaces to check out, check in, check status, etc. Everything is directly accessible in one workspace.

The new mounts are more powerful too. You can still mount all of a snapshot into the root directory of a workspace, like in the current release. However, with the November beta, you can mount multiple snapshots into a single workspace, map them anywhere in that workspace, and even map just part of a snapshot. The beta users like this ability very much.

In the final release, we also expect to support defining and operating on sets of snapshots with a single operation. The idea is you define the set of snapshots making up a particular product in your product line, then you will be able to map the set to a workspace, update/promote changes in the set, branch the set, etc. Stay tuned for more details as we get nearer the final release.

If you'd like to join our beta program, send me a note. We have room for one more beta user.

As always, we appreciate your business, and your feedback that helps us serve you even better.

We wish you the very best during this Christmas and holiday season of celebration and new beginnings.

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