Microsoft splits up Windows Beta Channel Insiders

Microsoft has split up its band of unpaid testers, the Windows Insiders, into two groups with the latest updates to the company's Beta Channel. Although Microsoft still hasn't confirmed the final release date of Windows 11's next major update (22H2) it has tinkered with the Beta Channel in a similar way to what it did in 2019 …

[Pascal Monett]

"Previous features may 'disappear' "

Yeah, so may working features that were previously there.

[elsergiovolador]

Minimum wage

Why beta testers are not paid at very least a minimum wage?

They provide a service and at least in the UK you cannot volunteer at for profit organisation without remuneration.

Has anyone tried to report them?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Minimum wage

The telemetry will show the amount of time a user tested a feature, so in a way, they are already breaking UK law by not paying them and not reporting those hours worked.

[Alumoi]

It's not a bug, it's a feature!

Oh, wait.

[2+2=5]

Of course!

> build 22622.290 released last night introduces suggest actions (where Windows 11 will suggest making a call or creating a calendar event when copying a number or call respectively

Of course! I'm kicking myself: all these years I've been receiving emails from people and I've never once thought about ringing them up.

[David 132]

Re: Of course!

Well, obviously. That’s what the letters on a 0-9 numeric keypad are for - you just have to spell out someone’s email address using the telephone keypad and the resulting number will connect to them.

I admit I’m not sure how you dial a ‘@‘ symbol, but I think you can dial the Email-From-your-Landline helpdesk at 999, and ask the nice person who answers the call to walk you through the process.

[elsergiovolador]

Re: Of course!

Imagine copying a value from an invoice and getting a suggestion to call it! I have never called an invoice total.

[Anonymous Coward]

Alpha testers

"By comparing feedback and usage data between Insiders in these two groups, we will get to see if a feature is causing issues with reliability, for example."

So now, there are beta testers and alpha testers, with all new stuff turned on by default, and those folks will assess how much is broken vs. the beta testers ...

They've really removed all testing at MS ... This is no longer sarcasm.

[Jou (Mxyzptlk)]

They still haven't fixed the defective "previous versions"

All 22H2 betas, up to now, have a broken "previous version" tab in the file explorer for local drives. Including this one.

You can see them in vssadmin and other tools, but you cannot access them.

You can create and delete them, but you cannot access them.

And the insider feedback is ignored.

Anybody here seeing the same issue? Are they gonna remove shadowcopy for local drives on a client OS, which they had for about 20 years now?

[Jou (Mxyzptlk)]

Re: They still haven't fixed the defective "previous versions"

I added the question to Microsoft Forums. Includes screenshot and a link to my shadowcopy powershell tools which makes it easy to check and test.

[navarac]

{A/B}x{A/B} Testing

So each of the A & B bits of A/B Testing is being A/B tested now? Getting very silly now.