[wp-trac] [WordPress Trac] #38419: Make beta testing an opt-in feature in core

[WordPress Trac]

#38419: Make beta testing an opt-in feature in core
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 Reporter:  mor10            |      Owner:
     Type:  feature request  |     Status:  new
 Priority:  normal           |  Milestone:  Awaiting Review
Component:  General          |    Version:  trunk
 Severity:  normal           |   Keywords:
  Focuses:                   |
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 Currently beta testing of WordPress core (and feature plugins) is
 something you have to be aware of to take part in. This limits the reach
 of beta testing feedback to those who are intimately engaged in the day-
 to-day development of WordPress core and results in feedback that skews
 heavily in the direction of those who build WordPress as opposed to those
 who use WordPress.

 To increase participation in end-user testing of WordPress core and
 feature plugins, active participation in such programs should be surfaced
 more visibly, either through settings during install, a modal pop-up, or
 an alert.

 To be clear, I'm not talking about testing of bleeding edge nightlies
 here, but specific features and feature plugins in Beta or RC state.

 A simple admin alert saying "WordPress 4.7 beta is available. Would you
 like to test it?" would be a huge improvement. Similar can be done with
 select feature plugins, especially if the alert is tied to the feature
 they change/improve (so for a new media feature, the alert would appear
 when the media functionality is engaged: "We are working on a new and
 improved media panel. Would you like to test it?").

 This would of course have to be done sparingly to avoid alert overload.

 == Simplified feedback procedure ==
 Along with the surfacing of beta testing, there should be a way to provide
 feedback on features directly from within WordPress admin. Asking for
 feedback to be posted in a Trac ticket or even a Make blog post limits the
 number of possible responses significantly. An in-app feedback feature
 activated only for testers would greatly simplify the process and most
 likely increase the volume of feedback data significantly. Whether this
 data is mapped to Trac tickets or something else needs to be addressed.

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Ticket URL: <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/38419>
WordPress Trac <https://core.trac.wordpress.org/>
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