I'll be brave and list this under getting started, to encourage the newbies as well as the slightly more experienced that some of the more exciting aspects of the Hubitat platform come out early via the beta platform. This means you need to join the beta platform. But then the world of possibilities opens up....
The more people Hubitat has contributing in the betas, the more likely it is that bugs are found and squashed. It also gives users the opportunity to make suggestions for improvements while the firmware is being actively developed.
I would hesitate to encourage newbies to join the beta -- get used to the platform for a few months first. Lots of interesting features and bugs get introduced in beta - thankfully all the bugs get squashed before the general release.
Good point... I probably used the term newbies a little loosely there..... I mean newbies in the sense of those new to the beta program.... Though I did not mean that initialy....
Yeah, good point. People probably shouldn’t be in the beta until they know that they have a stable setup and how to recover from a beta issue.
Edit: It just occurred to me that if more people are contributing, that means less @gopher.ny time for us. Not liking that.
Maybe. You have to have the correct mindset to be in a BETA program. If you expect full functionality then you shouldn't be in a BETA. If you have important dependencies on the stability of your hub, you shouldn't be in the BETA. If you have a "spare" hub for whatever reason, or if you have a hub without critical functions, for example garage door access, then you you could be in the BETA.
Having someone in the BETA that post complaints is not a benefit to the community.
Experience does matter of course. I have learned not to install a beta when I don’t have time to roll back. I also know not to do an update when I’m not going to be around the house all day, because the issues that pop up aren’t generally going to be immediately apparent.
I’m lucky in that my wife doesn’t care. I was down a hub a while back and a bunch of stuff didn’t work. Not sure she even noticed! Did I mention I was very lucky?
Yes to all this This is the first beta in a long while that I've sat out on so far... It dropped while I was in the office and I just haven't had enough time available since to play with it. I may spin it up this weekend, or I may just sit this one out.
Even when not actively participating, it's very cool to have access to the beta posts -- staying in the loop on those developments helps get you ready for whenever you do install it (during beta or at final release).