Has the new release strategy changed the number of active Beta users?

[Corgi]

I've been dismayed by the number of reports that the production release of 2.5 fails immediately in various ways. 

Obviously there's no way for me to tell what percentage of users are experiencing problems, but it's prompted me to wonder whether the decision to release more frequent 2.x versions, each with fewer changes from the prior release, has changed the character of the Beta program.

It's easy to imagine that this change in production strategy has reduced the effectiveness of the Beta programs:

1. The Beta for each new 2.x release appeals to fewer potential Beta testers, since it has fewer new features and bug fixes. Thus, there are fewer users who might get really excited by the new Beta.
    
2. Beta weariness -- with more frequent product releases, there are more frequent Betas. I'm sure some Beta testers must tire of putting each new Beta release through its paces. 
    
3. Schedule pressure -- With a compressed schedule for version releases, there's less time for the 2.x Beta to mature.

I haven't studied the numbers, so these are speculations.

[loukash]

5 hours ago, anto said:

You don't need to make a beta version 2.5.1 and test for a month.
Fix 2-3 bugs every week and you won't have such problems.

This!