Releasing a beta version of web software seems to have become popular in the last few years, possibly due to the influence of Google. GMail and Google Maps became hugely popular while still in beta. Perhaps it gives users a sense that they're ahead of the curve, getting in on raw new technology before it's officially available. I know I was thrilled when I got my first GMail invite, after seeing them sell on eBay for surprising sums.
It also seems to provide an out for the provider of the software as far as bugs go. When something breaks, you can hardly blame them - it's a beta product! It says so right on the logo. Expectations are lowered.
That second point is one that has never been abused by Google though. I've hardly ever observed buggy behaviour in their beta products. Not so, however, for others who engage in the beta trend. I hold up as the dark side of this phenomenon GMail's doppleganger - Windows Live Mail .
I've had a hotmail account for nigh ten years, and a GMail for as long as they have been available. When Microsoft announced a beta for their new rich client entitled Windows Live Mail, I signed up. It was incredibly buggy. Sometimes it failed to load without throwing javascript errors; other times it couldn't load at all. Performance was terrible. The interface changed on a regular basis without warning. Everything felt rough and unfinished.
Google obviously has a different idea about what a beta test is supposed to be. GMail launched with a slim set of high quality features: an unheard of 2 gigabyte storage capacity, mail archives and tags instead of folders, some nice rich-client stuff like autocomplete in the "To:" field, and not much else. Over time they added features one or two at a time based on user activity and feedback. Each new feature worked as advertised.
Live Mail put out a new version this week that looks pretty great. The performance is snappy, and clicking through the various interfaces I'm impressed. It's been a long road though, and I have to say I prefer Google's vision of a "beta" product - a basic working prototype to which features are carefully added. Microsoft launched their entire feature set at once - they don't need feedback from users to shape the product, they're just making a web version of Outlook. Instead they used their beta userbase as bug testers, and it's a small wonder I've hardly used my hotmail account for years.
