Under the Bridge

Here’s a service to be aware of if you’re doing some desktop Mac development and need a beta tester pool, or if you’re the kind of user that glees in poking around in buggy prerelease software: MacDeveloper.net, from the same people who run the most excellent prMac press release service for your Mac and iPhone press release needs. And what is MacDeveloper.net exactly, you ask?

MacDeveloper is an opt-in service for testers who love what the Mac community offers and genuinely want to test. We feel the platform is an excellent alternative to Bundled software avenues. At the same time a developer’s software is being tested, they’re also giving back to the community who supports them.

MacDeveloper makes it fun for Beta Testers. Register to test your favorite software and receive coupons for FREE software, or purchase software at huge discounts.

MacDeveloper for Testers

   * Register and Test software absolutely free

   * Choose only the Software Categories that interest you

   * Earn Points for Testing your favorite Software

   * Use points to purchase software for FREE

   * Use points to purchase software for huge discounts

   * Earn valuable Star Ratings for being a Quality Tester

MacDeveloper for Developers

   * Create Project Channels for only $18.75

   * Upload as many binaries to Project Channels as you wish

   * Search the Beta Pool for Quality Testers

   * Find Beta Testers who genuinely have a desire to test

   * Use Coupons for Testers to purchase your Applications for free or at a discount

   * Excellent method for customer building

We haven’t happened to use it ourselves yet, but if one was to be looking for something a bit more structured than a public beta but didn’t have an inhouse QA staff or the budget for hiring out, this certainly does look like something worth giving a shot; there seems to be a pretty good selection of happy users, anyways, so apparently it works out pretty good for at least some people.

Of course, if even this much effort in beta testing strikes you as too much, there’s always the ‘call the first build that doesn’t burst into flames at launch the “Preview Edition” and start charging for it’ strategy…