Jun 23

Written by:
6/23/2011 9:50 AM 

The Beta is out! The Beta is out! 

Why is this important?

First let me give you some background.  As late as the end of 2009 I was being asked if DotNetNuke (DNN) was for real.  In fact I was being asked so many times, that I was doing speeches entitled “Is DotNetNuke Ready for Primetime?”.  The discussions almost always ended being up more about the corporation than the software itself!  Yes, the status of the software was always discussed, but the questions always came back around to the longevity of the DotNetNuke Corporation. People were wanting to use DNN but in many cases were just afraid to.  In the end, most companies I talked to decided to use DNN because it exceeded their needs in its then current form, and no one knew what the future would hold except that there would be change.  And change things have!

Imagine taking an old Volkswagen that almost runs, and deciding it would be a good project to make work (we can call this “I Buy Spy Portal”).  You get it running, but you know you can do better.  So you put a hot-rod-engine in it.  Now it runs great but drives like a VW (we can call this DNN Version 2).  Now you really get serious and put a new frame and suspension system in it.  The car rides great, but you still wouldn’t want to take it on a road trip (we can call this Version 3).  Now we put a new transmission in it. Much better! But still a pain to drive (We can call this Version 4).   Now we replace all the wiring and connections so that all these new parts can work together and tack on even more improvements.   We balance the load, balance the tires, blueprint the engine, add a few bells and whistles and Voilà! we have Version 5.  And what a car!  It runs and drives like a luxury sports car,  But! It still looks like an old VW.  However, because the framework is so good, people (other the car enthusiasts) are starting to want it and saying things like “we can make it look better”. 

So what do we get with Version 6?  How about a new body so that people watch as we drive by; A new modern dashboard so we can see how fast we are going and how much gas we have left when we see the blue lights behind us; New leather seats so we are comfortable; A new communication center to connect us with our friends, tell us where to go and give us suggestions for what to do!  You get the idea.  Version 6 is not only making it easier on developers to make it appealing and easy to use, but easier and more appealing for the end user as well. 

OK… so why is the Beta for Version 6 important?  First; it came out in the announced timeframe.  This shows control over the project. Second; it seems to be stable.  Some visual items and a few features need to be cleaned up, but so far so good.  I checked in Gemini (the bug support system) and the forum used for the Beta release and was pleasantly surprised! In Gemini (limited by version 6.0.0B!) the status of every issue was CLOSED!!!! Now that does not mean that there are no outstanding issues (as can be seen from the forum), but I must admit I was surprised.  The Forum is an interesting read to see what people are running into, and thus my evaluation that it seems to be stable.  This shows control over the product.

I must say that I am impressed.  So far I have seen not even a hint of a problem that could hinder an on time production release in late July.  And last but not lease, I am having fun just looking at the changes.  That is what I recommend you do as well.  You are starting to see all kinds of blogs and I’m sure you will see videos showing up soon. but the best thing to do is to start working with the Beta now!  Run it through the things you normally use.  When you find something not quite right, report it!  I don’t know about you, but this Beta has just made me want the release version that much more!

My prediction is that this will be the smoothest release ever of DotNetNuke. My kudos to the “Corp”.  Keep up the good work!

Darrell