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Who does not want added noise reduction and faster render times? I have been using the weekly build since I got back from holidays no prblems yet... Sounds like most folks round these parts use them as well.. I do keep both versions...

I understand that but my question was why what I said about weekly build is disappointing?

Open Source Software (OSS)  is different from commercial software. Since the developers works in different locations, often in different continents, the code is modified and stored in a common repository, which, in the case of Lux, is saved in a part of the luxrender.net server. being able to see each other's modifications is important in order to cooperarate. If the developer where not checking-in their modifications into the common repository there would be no other way of sharing the code. Unlike commercial software, OSS has publicly acceessible repositories.

Out of the kindness of their heart a group of developers take the code snapshot every week or so, and they compile it for a given platform. They don't have to. Satva creates the Linux version, Lord CRC does the Window version and Jens and J compile the Mac OS versions. 

Keep in mind that code is developed in a dynamic fashion. Somebody has a cool idea and that developer starts coding it. It might take weeks or even month for that feature to be finished. In the meantime several things are tried. Some approaches might work and others don't. For example, after months of developing Reality 3, which is a complete rewrite of Reality, I have regained the ability to render through it only a in the last 3-4 weeks. 

So, while features are added and finished you have "in progress" code. That stuff might work or not, it might completely crash the program or even your machine. Unlikely, but it can happen. Nevertheless the developers keep producing weekly builds. 

At some point the developers feel that the code has stabilized enough to be usable. That is when the builds are marked as "beta."

Beta software is software that is "feature complete" but that has a few bugs left. The bugs can be actually pretty serious but all the features are in. 

Alpha software is very early software that is in heavy development and that doesn't have all the features. Feature might be added or even removed. Before alpha there is software in development that is so incomplete that will not run at all or only in controlled situations.

So, long story short ( too freakin' late Paolo! ;) ) , the weekly builds are just that. You take a snapshot of the current development because this is OSS. With commercial software you don't have this opportunity. 

 

I hope this helps in understanding the whole deal :)

 

Cheers.g

Paolo

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