Beta and Ship (Friday)

In the morning, I go to Gary's company with my first beta version. We install it on several machines, I set up the database and brief his people, and they start playing with it. I run from one to another with my clipboard, writing out suggestions for improvements.

I add to my bug list two major problems and 12 minor ones (mostly matters of taste).

At lunchtime I'm back in my office. I fix all the critical problems and ignore three minor ones. I find another four issues myself , mostly through systematic testing. Finally, the next release is ready. It is numbered 0.9 in my Configuration Management system. It looks like I will have to go through 0.91 and 0.92. I start to despair.

Late at night, I take a break to write some Release Notes and prepare a little installer tool. By 1:00 A.M. I am done. I burn a CD-ROM and scream, "Ship V1.0!!"

I open a pale ale (there's no champagne in the fridge ).

The End. Well, for this round anyhow.