Want to beta test for ATI? I had a nice chat with Terry, read on .....

***Zardon*** · Apr 1, 2003, 03:26 PM

With the exciting news recently that ATI are going to be getting some lucky end users to beta test drivers for them I thought it would be a good idea to get some more information on this for everyone interested. So being the nice approachable guy he is Terry Makedon set aside some time today for a phone conversation with me. It was very relaxed and ill give you snippets of the conversation which he wanted to pass on to all you guys (and ladies if we have any), who will be applying for the beta testing program. Ive put Terrys responses in bold type so its easier to follow:

Personally I think its a really fantastic idea and it will certainly make your end users feel a lot more involved but how important do you feel this beta testing will prove to be? I know you guys have a lot of internal testing already thats why im asking.
This beta testing will be invaluable. It helps us get a wider range of systems to test on. Many times we have bug fixes, which we like to get further coverage on. As you know in the past when we have had certain bugs fixed I had sent you a beta driver to test for me further. The more systems being tested the better!

When do you think you will get this rolling into action?
The applications will start in the next day or so, and the first beta driver will be available before this week is over.

How many beta testers are you aiming for overall? Im sure you need a manageable limit to ensure its not too hard to track.
Not finalized but we are looking to start at somewhere less than 100 people. I want to expand that number once the mechanism is in place though.

Im sure you are wanting to get a good variety of PC systems and ATI cards to ensure the feedback you get is from a good possible crosssection of end user hardware, whats your plans for this?
In the beta program application there are various questions about systems and usage. For example I will be looking for at least one beta tester that uses multiple monitors. I will also be looking for beta testers running different operating systems. Basically looking for as much varied coverage as possible.

What about Macintosh hardware and drivers, will this play a part or is the demand not high enough to warrant this platform inclusion, I already know the answer, but I felt I should ask for the few mac users out there.
At this point the beta program is only for Windows drivers. The CATALYST program is just for Windows right now, but things change fast in this industry.

Is there an age limit to being a cat beta tester? nope

Will the beta testers be signing an NDA agreement? (non disclosure agreement) and perhaps you could explain this procedure to interested parties.
Yes, anyone accepted, as a beta tester will have to sign a beta tester agreement. It basically states that you cannot talk about the drivers publicly and you also can’t pass on the drivers to anyone else. It is a standard legal agreement which you would have to sign and fax back to me before you are an official tester.

Can you explain the driver protection routines you are putting into place to ensure leaks dont happen?
Each beta tester will have their own driver. So for example if there are 50 beta testers there will also be 50 unique drivers. If a driver ever leaks we know exactly who is responsible for the leak, and can take the necessary action. I havent finalized the rules yet but any beta tester found to have leaked a driver will immediately be removed from the beta program and may potentially face a breach of NDA suit.

What level of commitment are you expecting from the beta testers?
This is for the hard-core testers. The weak hearted should not apply ;-) Seriously I am looking for dedicated testers that will provide feedback and are willing to do this because of their interest in CATALYST. If a beta tester does not provide feedback in a timely manner I would have to replace him/her with someone on the waiting list.

Xp2000 · Apr 1, 2003, 05:04 PM

Zardon,
Will you see if you can help me get on this team. If you recall i ask you about this very thing once before and you offered some advise. I took it but now that this is here and upon us I would really like to perticipate in it. I Am not trying to beg or anything but Ive ask and wanted to do this for a long time. You know this is true. Will you see what you can do in terms of helping me out. I would really apprecaite it and wont let you down.

Erroneus · Apr 1, 2003, 05:16 PM

pleeeeease let me into to..... come on no beging, yes it's beging, priv msg would be more in place then a open forum post!! btw. great job ATI, nice to se some firms takes their drivers and customers seriously.

Robert McClelland · Apr 1, 2003, 06:15 PM

I would like to join! I do benchmark all the time each driver set that is out ever time I downloads the new set I gain points on my video card big time (

Scoop · Apr 1, 2003, 07:11 PM

Sounds mighty good mate.
Count me in if you want me, you know where to contact me.

Kind Regards
Scoop

Motoki · Apr 1, 2003, 07:51 PM

Thanks for posting that info. I assume info will be posted here with regards to how to apply, or will it be on ATI's website?

iCzMan · Apr 1, 2003, 10:12 PM

do i smell april fools? hee :P

Fahim · Apr 1, 2003, 10:43 PM

Hi,

I want to Join the CATALYST Beta Driver Program. I always do Benchmark & I've a Broad Range of Graphics Cards to Compare with. I have a Database with the comparison of both ATI & NVIDIA Complete Driver Set from begining to the end.

So, I think as i do Benchmark with my Graphics Boards, it would be better if i can send my report directly to ATI. So, I want to be a Beta Tester of CATALYST Drivers.

Fahim · Apr 1, 2003, 10:51 PM

Hi,

I want to Join the CATALYST Beta Driver Program. I always do Benchmark & I've a Broad Range of Graphics Cards to Compare with. I have a Database with the comparison of both ATI & NVIDIA Complete Driver Set from begining to the end.

So, I think as i do Benchmark with my Graphics Boards, it would be better if i can send my report directly to ATI. So, I want to be a Beta Tester of CATALYST Drivers.

Here is the list of my current Graphics Cards:

01. ATI RADEON 32MB DDR (166,333)
02. 3dfx Voodoo5 5500 64MB (166,166)
03. ABIT Siluro GeForce2 MX 400 64MB (200,183)
04. STMicro KYRO II 4500 64MB (175,175)
05. ATI RADEON 7500 64MB (290,460)
06. ATI RADEON 8500 64MB (250,500)
07. ASUS AGP-V8200T2 GeForce3 Ti 200 64MB (240,500)
08. ATI RADEON 9000 PRO 64MB (275,550)
09. MSI MS-8850 GeForce3 Ti 200 128MB (200,460)
10. Leadtek WinFast GeForce3 TDH 64MB (200,460)
11. Sapphire RADEON 9500 Atlantis PRO 128MB (275,540)
12. ASUS AGP-V8420S GeForce4 Ti 4200 128MB (260,550)
13. GIGABYTE MAYA II GV-R9700 PRO 128MB (325,620)
14. Soltek SL-X600 SIS Xabre 600 64MB (300,600)

And I'm waiting to buy ATI RADEON 9800 PRO & NVIDIA GeForceFX 5800 Ultra.

nicoch · Apr 2, 2003, 04:00 AM

I would like to join

epox 8rda+ 2100+@2800+ liquid cool
bus syncro 208mhz (no mod hw) ram Adata bh5
2 wd800jb
plextor 40x

radeon 9500 128mb@9700pro mod hw-bios hercules-335/310 liquid cool core ,passive ram
driver neutral catalist 3.2
benckmark 3d2001 1493-3d2003 4884 -ut2003 fly 200- match 78 all test at 1024- defaul ati control panel -cpu @2600+
2 xp home
--------------------------------------
aopen ak77 8xn 1800+@2000+
mushin pc3200
radeon 7500
wd120jb
-----------------------------------
12 year computer hw

ToshiroOC · Apr 2, 2003, 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by iCzMan
do i smell april fools? hee :P

Not april fools

Triball79 · Apr 2, 2003, 04:54 AM

Hi.

I have third party ati card, Hercules 3d Prophet FDX 8500LE, and i use the powered by ati drivers from the ati page.

Many of the ATI cards nowadays are from third party developers, and i could put my effort in testing the compatibility of the drivers on third party ATI cards.

Apr 1, 2003, 03:26 PM	#1
*Zardon* lifeless Join Date: May 2002 Location: Driverheaven Posts: 31,959 Rep Power: 3148	Want to beta test for ATI? I had a nice chat with Terry, read on ..... With the exciting news recently that ATI are going to be getting some lucky end users to beta test drivers for them I thought it would be a good idea to get some more information on this for everyone interested. So being the nice approachable guy he is Terry Makedon set aside some time today for a phone conversation with me. It was very relaxed and ill give you snippets of the conversation which he wanted to pass on to all you guys (and ladies if we have any), who will be applying for the beta testing program. Ive put Terrys responses in bold type so its easier to follow: Personally I think its a really fantastic idea and it will certainly make your end users feel a lot more involved but how important do you feel this beta testing will prove to be? I know you guys have a lot of internal testing already thats why im asking. This beta testing will be invaluable. It helps us get a wider range of systems to test on. Many times we have bug fixes, which we like to get further coverage on. As you know in the past when we have had certain bugs fixed I had sent you a beta driver to test for me further. The more systems being tested the better! When do you think you will get this rolling into action? The applications will start in the next day or so, and the first beta driver will be available before this week is over. How many beta testers are you aiming for overall? Im sure you need a manageable limit to ensure its not too hard to track. Not finalized but we are looking to start at somewhere less than 100 people. I want to expand that number once the mechanism is in place though. Im sure you are wanting to get a good variety of PC systems and ATI cards to ensure the feedback you get is from a good possible crosssection of end user hardware, whats your plans for this? In the beta program application there are various questions about systems and usage. For example I will be looking for at least one beta tester that uses multiple monitors. I will also be looking for beta testers running different operating systems. Basically looking for as much varied coverage as possible. What about Macintosh hardware and drivers, will this play a part or is the demand not high enough to warrant this platform inclusion, I already know the answer, but I felt I should ask for the few mac users out there. At this point the beta program is only for Windows drivers. The CATALYST program is just for Windows right now, but things change fast in this industry. Is there an age limit to being a cat beta tester? nope Will the beta testers be signing an NDA agreement? (non disclosure agreement) and perhaps you could explain this procedure to interested parties. Yes, anyone accepted, as a beta tester will have to sign a beta tester agreement. It basically states that you cannot talk about the drivers publicly and you also can’t pass on the drivers to anyone else. It is a standard legal agreement which you would have to sign and fax back to me before you are an official tester. Can you explain the driver protection routines you are putting into place to ensure leaks dont happen? Each beta tester will have their own driver. So for example if there are 50 beta testers there will also be 50 unique drivers. If a driver ever leaks we know exactly who is responsible for the leak, and can take the necessary action. I havent finalized the rules yet but any beta tester found to have leaked a driver will immediately be removed from the beta program and may potentially face a breach of NDA suit. What level of commitment are you expecting from the beta testers? This is for the hard-core testers. The weak hearted should not apply ;-) Seriously I am looking for dedicated testers that will provide feedback and are willing to do this because of their interest in CATALYST. If a beta tester does not provide feedback in a timely manner I would have to replace him/her with someone on the waiting list.

Apr 1, 2003, 05:16 PM	#3
Erroneus Loving my Windows 7 Ent. Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Denmark Posts: 12,914 Rep Power: 76 System Specs	lol pleeeeease let me into to..... come on no beging, yes it's beging, priv msg would be more in place then a open forum post!! btw. great job ATI, nice to se some firms takes their drivers and customers seriously. __________________

Apr 1, 2003, 06:15 PM	#4
Robert McClelland PAX Tweaker, PAX Expert. Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Some Where in Ohio Posts: 6,292 Rep Power: 102 System Specs	I would like to join! I do benchmark all the time each driver set that is out ever time I downloads the new set I gain points on my video card big time ( __________________ "XTREME AUDIO IS CRAP!" "There no support for it. It's crapist card on face of the earth it should be throw into the sun"

Apr 1, 2003, 10:43 PM	#8
Fahim DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: In Front of my PC Posts: 42 Rep Power: 0	Hi, I want to Join the CATALYST Beta Driver Program. I always do Benchmark & I've a Broad Range of Graphics Cards to Compare with. I have a Database with the comparison of both ATI & NVIDIA Complete Driver Set from begining to the end. So, I think as i do Benchmark with my Graphics Boards, it would be better if i can send my report directly to ATI. So, I want to be a Beta Tester of CATALYST Drivers. __________________ AMD Athlon64 X2 6000+ ASUS CROSSHAIR AM2 Motherboard 2 x 1GB Corsair XMS PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz SDRAM 160GB+500GB+750GB+1TB+1TB+750GB+250GB+750GB+750GB+ 1TB+120GB+400GB [COLOR=green]NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB (650,1940)[/COLOR] [COLOR=#008000][color=red]ATI RADEON HD 3870 512MB (800,2340)[/color][/COLOR] [COLOR=#008000][color=red]ASUS AX800 XL 256MB (??)[/color][/COLOR] Coolermaster Real Power 1000W PSU

Apr 1, 2003, 10:51 PM	#9
Fahim DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: In Front of my PC Posts: 42 Rep Power: 0	Hi, I want to Join the CATALYST Beta Driver Program. I always do Benchmark & I've a Broad Range of Graphics Cards to Compare with. I have a Database with the comparison of both ATI & NVIDIA Complete Driver Set from begining to the end. So, I think as i do Benchmark with my Graphics Boards, it would be better if i can send my report directly to ATI. So, I want to be a Beta Tester of CATALYST Drivers. Here is the list of my current Graphics Cards: 01. ATI RADEON 32MB DDR (166,333) 02. 3dfx Voodoo5 5500 64MB (166,166) 03. ABIT Siluro GeForce2 MX 400 64MB (200,183) 04. STMicro KYRO II 4500 64MB (175,175) 05. ATI RADEON 7500 64MB (290,460) 06. ATI RADEON 8500 64MB (250,500) 07. ASUS AGP-V8200T2 GeForce3 Ti 200 64MB (240,500) 08. ATI RADEON 9000 PRO 64MB (275,550) 09. MSI MS-8850 GeForce3 Ti 200 128MB (200,460) 10. Leadtek WinFast GeForce3 TDH 64MB (200,460) 11. Sapphire RADEON 9500 Atlantis PRO 128MB (275,540) 12. ASUS AGP-V8420S GeForce4 Ti 4200 128MB (260,550) 13. GIGABYTE MAYA II GV-R9700 PRO 128MB (325,620) 14. Soltek SL-X600 SIS Xabre 600 64MB (300,600) And I'm waiting to buy ATI RADEON 9800 PRO & NVIDIA GeForceFX 5800 Ultra. __________________ AMD Athlon64 X2 6000+ ASUS CROSSHAIR AM2 Motherboard 2 x 1GB Corsair XMS PC2-6400 DDR2 800MHz SDRAM 160GB+500GB+750GB+1TB+1TB+750GB+250GB+750GB+750GB+ 1TB+120GB+400GB [COLOR=green]NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GTS 512MB (650,1940)[/COLOR] [COLOR=#008000][color=red]ATI RADEON HD 3870 512MB (800,2340)[/color][/COLOR] [COLOR=#008000][color=red]ASUS AX800 XL 256MB (??)[/color][/COLOR] Coolermaster Real Power 1000W PSU

Apr 1, 2003, 05:04 PM	#2
Xp2000 DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Posts: 51 Rep Power: 0	Zardon, Will you see if you can help me get on this team. If you recall i ask you about this very thing once before and you offered some advise. I took it but now that this is here and upon us I would really like to perticipate in it. I Am not trying to beg or anything but Ive ask and wanted to do this for a long time. You know this is true. Will you see what you can do in terms of helping me out. I would really apprecaite it and wont let you down.

Apr 1, 2003, 07:11 PM	#5
Scoop DriverHeaven Alcoholic Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Round the corner from the chip shop and over the pond... Posts: 182 Rep Power: 0	Sounds mighty good mate. Count me in if you want me, you know where to contact me. Kind Regards Scoop

Apr 1, 2003, 07:51 PM	#6
Motoki DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 51 Rep Power: 0	Thanks for posting that info. I assume info will be posted here with regards to how to apply, or will it be on ATI's website?

Apr 1, 2003, 10:12 PM	#7
iCzMan DriverHeaven Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 39 Rep Power: 0	do i smell april fools? hee :P

Apr 2, 2003, 04:00 AM	#10
nicoch DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0	I would like to join epox 8rda+ 2100+@2800+ liquid cool bus syncro 208mhz (no mod hw) ram Adata bh5 2 wd800jb plextor 40x radeon 9500 128mb@9700pro mod hw-bios hercules-335/310 liquid cool core ,passive ram driver neutral catalist 3.2 benckmark 3d2001 1493-3d2003 4884 -ut2003 fly 200- match 78 all test at 1024- defaul ati control panel -cpu @2600+ 2 xp home -------------------------------------- aopen ak77 8xn 1800+@2000+ mushin pc3200 radeon 7500 wd120jb ----------------------------------- 12 year computer hw

Apr 2, 2003, 04:54 AM	#12
Triball79 DriverHeaven Newbie Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Europe Posts: 1 Rep Power: 0	Hi. I have third party ati card, Hercules 3d Prophet FDX 8500LE, and i use the powered by ati drivers from the ati page. Many of the ATI cards nowadays are from third party developers, and i could put my effort in testing the compatibility of the drivers on third party ATI cards.