Testing Menkayonta

[Noah Diewald]

Hello everyone,

Menkayonta is not finished, but it is already functional for basic data entry and searching. I have had a couple of people test the software already, and they have provided helpful feedback. If anyone would like to try the software out (you will need a Mac or Linux at this point), please let me know by emailing me directly (not the list). I can send you a link to the software to install, and some basic documentation for getting started. Just to be clear, given the unfinished state, you should expect to find bugs. If you are accustomed to Dative, there will be some significant differences. There is also a long list of planned features that are not there, yet.

If you hit something you'd like to report, such as a bug or a request, the most organized way to go about things is to first look to see if someone already mentioned it at the site below:

https://codeberg.org/fieldsoft/menkayonta/issues

You are encouraged, though by no means required, to create an account at that site to report bugs and make feature requests. Hopefully the number of people testing and using the software will grow, and it is good not to have a lot of people saying exactly the same thing, or to have to search through many emails to find specific requests and bug reports. Despite the benefits, I understand that the codeberg site may seem intimidating or unfamiliar to some people, so I have every expectation that people will be messaging me directly with questions, comments, requests, etc.

Creating a codeberg account is safe. They are an ethical EU-based non-profit dedicated to providing tools for open source software. They do not collect data or send out advertising messages.

https://codeberg.org/about

For testers, I will soon start providing updates on a regular basis. Alan and I will also be able to provide URLs that allow you to try out the synchronization feature next week.

The programming work is very time-consuming. Documentation can eat up a lot of time that could be spent on adding features. In the near future, I will send a link to a Wiki, or similar software, where people will be able to document how they use Menkayonta, provide "recipes" for others, and copy edit basic documentation. Even before the Wiki is up, you may consider anything that you could usefully share about the testing experience, or improve about the very rough documentation that I'll send you. 

Just to be clear, if you decide to be a tester, do not use the software for any real work. You'll likely have to delete anything you enter when the next version is out.

Noah