Testing testers
One of the challenges most independent developers will face is finding good testers for their applications. I’ve been relatively lucky with Hyperspaces - my users tend to take the time to tell me what’s going on when they submit a crash report, or start a new conversation on GetSatisfaction. What I have had troubles with is finding enough people willing to help test upcoming releases - right now, I have a great new release of Hyperspaces ready for a few keen souls to try out, but nobody has downloaded it! If you’re a user - please - give it a go, let me know what you find. If you’re a developer, read on…
So what do other independent developers do in this situation? My tests (unit and functional) tell me that the release is OK, but after some earlier mishaps I’m much more cautious about just throwing out a new update via Sparkle. I don’t have the money to spend on hordes of formal testers, and I’m pretty sure people do actually use and love my app - is it right to harness that goodwill for my testing purposes? Or should I just be saving up to pay some testers? What’s a reasonable amount? Questions, questions, questions…