Hello,
Almost a year ago I worked with the developer of an open source app to maker it easy to make a portable version. A while later I had the most recent version and finally went from test release to pre-release. The app was added to the "ready for release" page. When months crawled by with every now and then a new installer and launcher script I figured creating a new pre-release just to facilitate the updated installer/launcher scripts was not something I wanted to do, as it did work.
Now I'm wondering what's next. Just wait? make a new pre-release? (The required 6 months support has passed a long time ago 
Just release it on the developer's own website (that is if he still wants to talk to me as I talked him into making changes to have an portable version, maybe he already forgot it)
Not to be cynical or something but how many pre-releases in the beta test forum have 'passed away' already due to the passing time. People not gonna use the apps because they still beta, even apps have been resurrected several times by different people.
While other 'not so portable' websites cramming out versions one after the other PortableApps has many pre-release apps hanging in the forum that by now, could be outdated, abandoned or just plane forgotten.
I know there's a bunch of people now taking care of apps going from test to pre-release to release but the actual number of released apps is less than the number of apps in cue.
What could we do to improve this as I still see people enthusiastic working on new apps, maybe thinking it will take a couple of months from pre-release to final release. Take a close look at all the posts in the beta forums and please tell me.... what's next?
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This was a big problem when it was just me ushering apps between stages... I honestly didn't have the time... so we had a discussion in the forums about it and created the release team. It's a team of 10 people whose responsibility it is to say when an app is ready to go from dev test to pre-release and from pre-release to final. Unfortunately, it seems that some of the members may have less time than they did originally and some others may have lost interest. So, although the team was announced and a special mailing list setup in February and the status page we would use for tracking finalized on March 3rd, I think only 4 apps have been reviewed in the 4 weeks since then.
I'm hoping this is just a settling in period, but as there has been little progress and not a single post on the mailing list in the last 3 weeks, I think we may need to re-examine the membership or commitment levels.
I'm guessing you're talking about Virtual Volumes View and, if that's the case, I remember it was pretty close, so let's push it out next week as a final (I'm leaving tomorrow to visit family). Please update your main forum post with a short description and features list that would be appropriate for the Virtual Volumes View homepage.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
The coincidence is that in the end of the last month version 1.0 of VVV was released so I whould look into the app again (ie returning to test release) and start again from scratch.
When a new version of the base app comes out, the app stays at the same level. So you'd still be at pre-release for it. The rationale is that portability-wise, things don't change that dramatically with an app in new versions usually... and all the heavy lifting done by the launcher is no more or less done because there is a new version of the base app.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
If you package up VVV 1.0 and give it a quick test, post it as a pre-release and we can turn it into a final this week.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
I was starting to get frustrated too, so I'm glad you posted this.
The website itself isn't even kept updated, as the test page contains apps that don't reflect the most updated version, etc.
The "ready for release" page is, I believe, this one?
https://portableapps.com/node/11772
Like most normal threads, it's a mix of posts by devs and comments by other devs and non-devs; and it doesn't really read like a list very well.
Wouldn't it be better to structure the page like the Test Release page? A nice table with clear instructions could go a long way.
https://portableapps.com/development/test
And it could, similarly, have a link to it on the main Development page:
https://portableapps.com/development
I've always found the Development section of this site to be invaluable. Even for non-developers, it provides an overview of how apps go from idea to release, and what apps are being developed.
On more than one occasion, I've directed noobs to look there when they ask about apps that are already in development.
I think if the Ready for Release page was added into the Development section, and if that page and the Test Releases page were kept up to date, it would help to stave off a lot of unnecessary posts, while making this site look that more "professional".
What do you think?
I made this half-pony, half-monkey monster to please you.
Development Releases Status is a relatively new page for the Release Team to work at. At the moment the RT isn't working very fast, but I think we're gradually, slowly but surely, getting... somewhere.
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