Google Considers Taking Beta Tag Off Gmail

Barence writes "Google is considering removing the beta tag from Gmail — and other online services — a mere five years after it was first launched. Google has become somewhat synonymous with seemingly endless beta cycles. Many of the company's most famous services, including Gmail, Docs, and Calendar all still carry the beta tag. Google now admits the eternal beta cycles could be damaging consumer and business confidence in its online apps. 'It's a minor annoyance and something you'll see addressed in the not-too-distant future.'"

Comments

Google Beta

[dspkable]

I believe more people probably know what Google means then they know what Beta means. Google has become the biggest of the BIG companies (without imploding or needing government bailout). 8 to 1 searchers use Google over Microsoft Search Engine, so what Google's 'beta' is, is really what the industry standard has become.

Put a Beta Tag on Slashdot

[Anonymous Coward]

Put a Beta Tag on Slashdot
(in case you can't read the comment titles)

Jesus. Why does Slashdot always look totally broken?

Re:Put a Beta Tag on Slashdot

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah...turn off javascript. Seriously all this "Web 2.0" crap makes my web browser jump all over the place on the main slashdot page. Why can't it just be a simple layout without all the mess? I've got two devices that have embedded Opera...works great everywhere except slashdot, where it sends the browsers into high-cpu hell trying to render all this junk.

Re:Put a Beta Tag on Slashdot

[Phroggy]

I liked the new AJAX comment form, but then they broke it. It's still functional, but the CSS is horked now.

Re:Hahaha

[Tihstae]

Now that they have tested that it indeed can have outages, it is ready for release. Until they had outages, it wasn't fully tested.

Re:Google Beta

[E IS mC(Square)]

But that's the irony! Some (not all) of Google's Beta products are miles better than other "production" products. Go figure.

Tarnished reputation

[spyrochaete]

How can Google be taken seriously in an enterprise environment if their most stable and successful offshoot project takes 5 years to come out of beta? They should have done this 3 years ago or more. Gmail has been sufficiently stable all this time, yet this self-deprecating beta designation has constantly served as an admission of being non-committal to SLA.

Re:Tarnished reputation

[harryandthehenderson]

How can Google be taken seriously in an enterprise environment if their most stable and successful offshoot project takes 5 years to come out of beta?

Probably the fact that the version used by paying customers isn't a beta version? The "beta" version is the free-for-use version that they use to beta test any new features they add.

They should have done this 3 years ago or more.

Why? The free, public version is always going to be in a beta state since that's it's entire purpose.

Gmail has been sufficiently stable all this time, yet this self-deprecating beta designation has constantly served as an admission of being non-committal to SLA.

I'm pretty sure all the corporate customers they have would say otherwise.

Re:Tarnished reputation

[Tei]

"How can Google be taken seriously in an enterprise environment if their most stable and successful offshoot project takes 5 years to come out of beta?"

The Beta tag let Google make changes that judge will make the service much better. These changes withouth the Beta tag are mostly "disallowed". Removing the Beta tag is much like a pact "We will not make mayor changes to the service, that will break your work". In my book great changes to make a service better is a good thing, the level of breaks of Gmail is high, but I can live with it. I will feel sad that the tag will be removed, because will mean maybe much less errors (or maybe not), but It will sure mean less and less enhancements of the service. And I blame the people like YOU.

Re:Tarnished reputation

[rob1980]

The only difference between a "beta" product like Gmail and any other software product requiring monthly patches is the fact that Google is honest enough to still call their product a work in progress. Like you said it's sufficiently stable for most folks, but I'd argue that they aren't any more non-committal to their SLA than other companies are to getting their product right on the first try. And anybody in charge of purchasing software for their organization - assuming they're doing their job properly and getting sufficient information before making decisions - will be aware of that fact.

NBD

[NES HQ]

Sorry, but this is not a real big deal outside of communities like /. Beta is just another one of 'those fancy tech terms' for most folks, so regardless of whether or not Gmail is beta or not in beta millions of people will still use it as their primary mail service.

Re:Whew!

[Anonymous Coward]

That'll make things better!

Not as long at it only runs on QT and Linsux. Where's the support for good, highly secure operating systems like Windows Vista?

Marketing Ploy

[pz]

Leaving beta as a part of the name of a given service well beyond the normal limit was a marketing ploy. It generated lots of press and ardent discussion. The tact has run its course. They're removing it as another marketing ploy. That will generate another wave of press and ardent discussion. Ho hum.

Re:Please tag this.

[Eudial]

Indeed. It's all Duke Nukem Forever's fault. Because that is no longer almost to be released, the entire structure of stuff that happens after hell freezes over is unraveling.