does a beta update overwrite previous beta behavior ...?

[thomaso]

... or is it usefull/working to have more than 1 beta installed to compare versions?

 

Usually I do keep the previous beta versions to be able to compare just in case. Last week it happened that a beta appears to have overwritten a feature which - as far i remember - did work well in its previous beta.

(https://forum.affinity.serif.com/index.php?/topic/659-mask-layer-selection-page-size-instead-object/?p=2226)

 

So I wonder:

 

Are beta versions independent to each other – or do they use some common files?

In other words: Does a former beta still work exactly like its original beta stage - or are some files in common use and features get overwritten by a beta update (pref, system, library files)?

[retrograde]

Interesting question.

[TonyB]

You can keep your previous beta versions but OSX may get confused which one to use for file association. We mainly would like people to use the current version as it make looking at the crash reports easier.

 

The betas also have an expiry date so they might not run if they are too old.

[thomaso]

Okay, thank you, this infos do help.

I'll keep only the most recent app version now.
 

[thomaso]

I had posted questions about understanding beta, unfortunately within a different topic. So I ask here again:

 

> forums structure: by beta? = by date ? Shure?

 

The answer #3 makes me assume any post "knows" about users beta version simply by posting date. (Easy for new posts, no need to look up and type a version number)

 

Otherwise it might be useful to know a particular beta version to a particular posting.

Occasionally it happens that I search in the forum for tags (nice support!) and end up in reading about a "beta 5" within the search results – whereas my experienced version names sound like "1.0." and "17644", "17832", ..."18306". – Five digits versus digit "5".

 

So I wonder if Serif would want to add a forums level about beta info: names, dates, changes ...

Different to topic "Beta Update" it would list- or table-like 'easily' show facts, not comments. Read only.

[Andy Somerfield]

Yes, we have not been clear about this..

 

Initially we referred to the beta versions using an incremental number, starting with 1..

 

We soon abandoned this because it was impractical. I would encourage any user to refer to their current beta build using the 5 digit "end" part of the version number found in the Affinity Designer -> About menu item.

 

For example,

 

1.0.15078 = Version 15078.

 

Overwriting one beta with the next is the preferred way to work - we are less interested in bugs / crashes with non-current beta builds..

 

I will consider providing a forum section listing these build numbers, along with dates etc..

 

Thanks,

 

AndyS

[thomaso]

just curios: what beta was "beta 5" which I found in some posts? I really would appreciate a look-up table with dates, names, numbers, features, fixes ...

(and I wonder that you, Serif, seem not be interrested for your own use)

 

this is a question only, an interest. It's neither a request nor about a bug. More a suggestion than a demand.