Time for the Insider Program to end?

I know this will come across as beating a dead horse (hate that phrase, by the way), but quality assurance issues in Windows is frustrating. I don’t know if they’re leaning on the Windows Insiders crutch too much or their systems are incapable of triaging bugs properly. I know my experience is not reflective of everyone’s experience, but I’ve been using Windows since 3.0 and I’ve used Windows version that were more stable than this. I feel like every release is of the quality of a buggy fast ring release, even the ones that go public. I don’t know if they have become too reliant on insiders to find problems. I wouldn’t complain if the program ended tomorrow.

My 1803 problems:

Moving an window from one monitor to another crashes the app half the time.

Copying and pasting inconsistent and unreliable.

Bluetooth connectivity is unreliable. Could not connect several bluetooth mice to my PC. Started after release and ended randomly.

Random crashes after connecting to a VPN (randomly started and randomly stopped).

My 1809 problems:

Lost files.

Low display brightness that is fixed after a reboot.

Low sound that is fixed after a reboot.

Mouse cursor disappears. Fixed after a reboot.

Battery icon freezes in the taskbar on random occasions.

Copying and pasting from UWP apps is unreliable (still!).

Uninstalling a Win32 app set as a startup app ocassionally causes Windows 10 to crash on logging in. I had to find utilities to do a full cleanup to get this working.

Conversation 10 comments

  • skane2600

    21 October, 2018 - 7:21 pm

    <p>At the very least I think the program should not be used as the primary post-developer QA process.</p>

  • lethalleigh

    21 October, 2018 - 7:30 pm

    <p>Can you imagine how buggy W10 would be if the Insider Program ended?</p><p><br></p><p>I think the program still has value for MS. No program will ever catch all of the bugs. Besides, the program gives fans the feeling they are contributing to the development of W10.</p>

  • AnOldAmigaUser

    Premium Member
    21 October, 2018 - 7:58 pm

    <p>Peter Bright has an excellent article on the problem in Arstechnica.</p>

  • hrlngrv

    Premium Member
    21 October, 2018 - 9:51 pm

    <p>The problem with the 1809 release vis-a-vis the Insider program is that Insiders <strong><em>had</em></strong> reported the file deletion issue in Feedback, but it wasn't heavily up-voted. It seems the MSFT people responsible for monitoring Feedback weren't using effective text filters to gauge severity of issues separate from up-votes. It may go without saying that MSFT isn't seeking more details on high severity but low frequency problems.</p><p>Is that a failure of Insiders providing effective feedback, or a failure of MSFT to distill as much useful information as possible from their relatively informal and scant-details feedback system or developing a better follow-up system with Insiders who report high severity problems? If more the latter than the former, would scrapping the Insider program magically fix things?</p><p>Will MSFT admit a mistake and reestablish a professional QA department for Windows? Spinning this a little differently, how many more perceived crappy upgrades will MSFT need to roll out before MSFT admits Windows has serious quality problems?</p>

    • jimchamplin

      Premium Member
      22 October, 2018 - 10:44 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#355315">In reply to hrlngrv:</a></em></blockquote><p>My worry is that this sort of thing is going to start showing up in Windows Server. That'd be just about all that's needed to sour IT on Microsoft on-site software and spark a mass exodus to another more reliable platform.</p><p><br></p><p>On the other hand, if the core OS team is now under the Server banner, we may see the quality improve.</p><p><br></p><p><em>Maybe.</em></p>

  • rob_segal

    Premium Member
    22 October, 2018 - 9:53 am

    <p>The current mission of Windows 10 development should be as clear as the one that followed Vista. Fix the problems users have with Windows 10 and you have a really good operating system on your hands. Microsoft was able to do this without leaning so much on an insiders program. Reducing the dependency on Insiders while better leaning on internal QA personnel and processes (existing, improved, and new) might be a necessity.</p>

  • wunderbar

    Premium Member
    22 October, 2018 - 10:00 am

    <p>I don't think the insider program needs to end, as there is merit to it. But using it as the primary feedback and QA program doesn't work.</p><p><br></p><p>They need to stop taking feature requests through it, and actually establish a proper QA department within the company again.</p>

    • jimchamplin

      Premium Member
      22 October, 2018 - 10:41 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#355355">In reply to wunderbar:</a></em></blockquote><p>Amen!</p>

    • Tony Barrett

      22 October, 2018 - 10:46 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#355355">In reply to wunderbar:</a></em></blockquote><p>Don't forget, Windows 10 is all about features, features, features! This bi-annual 'upgrade' has to be seen to contain something new every time, and it has to try and keep attracting new customers to the platform. Bugs can wait!</p>

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