Most users associate the label "stable" as a synonym for nearly bug-free software. Running without major issues like not able to export data or deleting a question.

LimeSurvey devs under stable as functionality, structures and API hasn't changed with that release.

To allow a broader testing and maturing of LS, different tiers of software releases
Or to remove the label "stable" from the download links.

LTS - Long-Term Support
STABLE - feature-complete and longer public exposure and testing
RELEASE - feature-complete but not fully tested.
BETA - not feature-complete and not fully tested


Allow the installer and comfort-updater to select between this tiers (with blocking, since you cannot switch in every way).

Remind : even some big company like apple have some really big issue … with stable release …
See last face time bug.

Maybe this cannot be an excuse to do better, but develop and testing is less easy as it sounds.

BETA should be basically feature-complete. ALPHA is not.

Also, more testing does not automatically lead to more bug fixing. :d

[quote="ollehar" post=185339Also, more testing does not automatically lead to more bug fixing. :d[/quote]
And updating to the newest version of LS does not automatically lead to less bugs.

As a Saas provider you will establish a branch for productive use with a more predicable behavior.
If not, you will not match the expectations of the SaaS customers, you want to e.g. target on Twitter.
The once which currently accept the "LimeSurvey way" are already here.

Also, more testing does not automatically lead to more bug fixing. :d

More testing should at least lead to more "bug finding" which hopefully will also result into more "bug fixing". Otherwise, if bugs that are found are not fixed, it doesn't make sense to search for them or to report them.

Now, if more testing does not lead do any more "bug finding", then this might be a sign that we have a release candidate.

However, I personally think that a software that is not a "consumer software" but rather a business software can't be run on the premise "release often / release early". Especially for research, where you often have a short time window for the field time, where you need to run your survey a major bug like "No export possible" or to "delete questions" is a no go.

I agree that smaller bugs can appear anywhere, but when I use a survey software, during the field time those things can't happen. This is impossible. Because how do I explain to a client why their survey didn't work and we had to run it again, or why we have a 2 week delay, because we have the survey results right there in front of us, but we can't export them to start analysis?

This is why I personally DON'T use Limesurvey for client projects yet. I just can't justify the risks involved. For smaller projects that are less important and critical I might use it, but for big important projects? This won't fly. I can't afford to loose clients over this.

I think my philosophy of "Stable Software" is more in line with Jelo's. A stable software should not contain any major bugs. It should be reliable and if there are bugs, they should be minor and no show stoppers. Can it happen that there might be a major bug in a stable version somewhere? yes, but the chance should be going towards zero.

A lot of my client with big project still on 2.6lts because it's really stable …

I hope 3.X become stable like 2.6lts … currently it's near, really near.

For stability : we must add test …

I hope 3.X become stable like 2.6lts … currently it's near, really near.

Well, if suddenly EM doesn't work anymore (like the case you fixed) it is a show stopper.

Now the problem is that from what I understood, LS 3 will not get any updates in 2020 (will be supported until the end of 2019), which in my opinion is far too short, because I don't think that LS 4 will be ready for production by then.

But this of course depends very much on the definition of "stable" and "production ready".

It's «only» for array number with checkbox option , it's not EM is broken .

I add a test checker for this next week.

It's «only» for array number with checkbox option , it's not EM is broken .

Still a show stopper when you need it in your survey.