Welcome to Elten beta testing

Hi everyone, and welcome!

This group is where we try new versions of Elten, work out what needs improving and help turn promising changes into things people can actually use.

This place covers Elten, the desktop client for Windows, Linux and macOS. Eltenger is a separate project and will have its own testing group in the future.

The Red Book is our shared place for tracking bug reports, feature proposals and suggestions for changes. New reports start in "Red Book of Endangered Bugs: Waiting Room", then move through the appropriate milestone and verification forums. There are already a few reporting rules there: please read them, use the available templates and check whether somebody has already reported the same thing. They help us keep track of ideas and follow them through.

"Beta Releases" contains threads for individual versions. Those are the places to discuss that particular release: what has changed, how it feels and anything in the release notes that needs explaining.

We are fairly relaxed about conversation. A quick question, a passing comment or an occasional "remember when Elten used to..." in a release thread is absolutely fine. We are people testing a program together, and a little conversation comes with the territory. If that conversation turns into a bug report or a concrete proposal, though, please put the full report in the Red Book, or add the details to an existing report. A problem tucked between a changelog and a nostalgic anecdote is very easy to lose.

"Discussions on New Features" is there for longer conversations about ideas and how things could work. Once there is a specific change to track, give it a proper report as well.

Please also keep an eye on "Fixes Awaiting Testing". Try the relevant version and tell us whether the change works, especially if you were affected by the original problem. Confirming a repair is every bit as useful as finding a bug. It gives the moderators the evidence they need to move the report into the archive.

For everything else, make yourself at home in "The Common Room". Introduce yourself, get to know people from other countries, talk about your interests or start whatever conversation takes your fancy. We are an international community, and it would be a shame to know one another only as the person whose microphone stopped working in beta 17. We can even discuss there why Python is a terrible programming language. Elten's creator considers this a settled matter and accepts no appeals. This is, of course, a joke - Python programmers are welcome, although the creator reserves the right to sigh theatrically.

If you would like to help with the code, the Elten repository is open to contributions. Experienced developers, people learning and those working with AI coding assistants can all help. A small, carefully tested fix is a good place to begin; documentation and translation work matter too. Ask questions, discuss substantial ideas and share what you are working on.

Please be patient with one another, especially across language barriers. Clear, imperfect English is welcome, and translation tools are fine. Disagree with an idea as vigorously as you like while treating the person behind it with respect. We have plenty of bugs to argue with already.