cph127 has a good point about what they call “the rise of beta”: the very fact that . everything is launched as beta and everything happens to be unfinished. They wrote a beta-manifesto, here are some excerpts:

• being in beta is a natural state of life. Everything aroundus is either evolving or dying.
• beta is playing. Experimenting. Trying.
• beta is constant learning.
• beta is profiting in the true nature of the word “profit”. Making progress.
• beta is never perfect. Never completely without fault. Just like any human being. Everything can be made better. Allways. Achieving temporary perfection is better than aspiring for the ultimate perfection that is never reached.
• beta is release as soon as it is safe. But never sooner. Only daredevils flies planes in beta or takes unfinished medicine.
• beta is a natural state of things. Your body is in perpetual beta until you die (maybe..)
• beta is evolution. Many small gradual changes. Suddenly they may seem like giant leaps.
• beta is revolution. Not completely in control. Just like the real world.
• beta is open. Ready for dialogue. Open for change. Positive for co-creation.
• beta stands for things that changes. Change with consistancy.
• beta creates feedback loops for companies, individuals and products.
• beta is honest. Not superficial.

Why do I blog this? First I think the “beta” phenomenon is interesting as a shift in our society from all-set product to constantly evolving “stuff”; the assumptions behind this are both important (product can be improve and are opened) and intriguing (everything needs to change change change…). Second, what will be curious IMO is whether this beta mindset will also reach the pervasive computing world: we would then have unfinished objects and services. After the blue-screen of death for your bathroom, there would then be uncompleted features that you might not be able to use with a “beta-meter” close to the flusher…

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 16th, 2006 at 10:34 am and is filed under User Experience, Culture. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.