narration-sd/craft-beta-usage.txt

## craft-beta-usage.txt
[edited and preserved from a Slack reply 09 Sept 2017]

...I think we all feel the Bend (Craft Central) advice is very accurate about not using the beta for production; rather keeping Craft 2 going for public use there, while doing preparatory development internally on Craft 3 crossover and particularly, plugins.

Reasons: there are still breaking changes going on, as well as loopholes which show up every week in parts you may think are fully working at first.

This is because a) nice things occur by opportunity and the team's thoroughness, as the recent complete replacement for the better of the task system, and b) besides taking on a big jump in the underlying framework, Yii1 -> Yii2, this beta has brought a lot of other valuable advances meaning sometimes rather complete rewrites of fundamental code.

I would say the Craft team, with persons in Europe and Australia as well,  is as good as it gets for all of this, just needing the chance and the feedback we give beyond thorough  testing to tie down all the possible loose ends, due to the breadth of what the software offers.

I and others do run pseudo-production sites to prove all stages including deployment work -- another thing that has changed, and will change again, including significantly for all plugins, as well as the Commerce package if you use that.

I have also had a detailed discussion with someone who invites certain selected persons to use such a pseudo-production site for non-critical experience, because the total system which Craft fronts there is very complex, so he is doing a controlled shakedown much like this beta itself. High competency is needed there, though, as it means significant rewrites of his own code often enough over beta stage updates, per what's mentioned above.

I hope this gives enough overview for good  judgement.
	[edited and preserved from a Slack reply 09 Sept 2017]

	...I think we all feel the Bend (Craft Central) advice is very accurate about not using the beta for production; rather keeping Craft 2 going for public use there, while doing preparatory development internally on Craft 3 crossover and particularly, plugins.

	Reasons: there are still breaking changes going on, as well as loopholes which show up every week in parts you may think are fully working at first.

	This is because a) nice things occur by opportunity and the team's thoroughness, as the recent complete replacement for the better of the task system, and b) besides taking on a big jump in the underlying framework, Yii1 -> Yii2, this beta has brought a lot of other valuable advances meaning sometimes rather complete rewrites of fundamental code.

	I would say the Craft team, with persons in Europe and Australia as well, is as good as it gets for all of this, just needing the chance and the feedback we give beyond thorough testing to tie down all the possible loose ends, due to the breadth of what the software offers.

	I and others do run pseudo-production sites to prove all stages including deployment work -- another thing that has changed, and will change again, including significantly for all plugins, as well as the Commerce package if you use that.

	I have also had a detailed discussion with someone who invites certain selected persons to use such a pseudo-production site for non-critical experience, because the total system which Craft fronts there is very complex, so he is doing a controlled shakedown much like this beta itself. High competency is needed there, though, as it means significant rewrites of his own code often enough over beta stage updates, per what's mentioned above.

	I hope this gives enough overview for good judgement.