TicketsCAD v4 beta program — invitation and terms

[Eric Osterberg]

Thanks for your interest in helping shape TicketsCAD v4 ahead of its public release. This message outlines what the beta program asks of you, what you get in return, and the ground rules that keep the work safe for both of us. Read it through; if you're in, the registration form is at the end.

The short version: I'm building TicketsCAD v4 as an Apache 2.0 open-source CAD platform for volunteer fire, EMS, ARES/RACES, CERT, and small-agency dispatch — niches that commercial CAD vendors have largely abandoned. You'll get early access to a working but pre-release system; in return, you'll use it in a real (non-life-safety) scenario, tell me what works, what doesn't, and what's confusing.

Why this program exists: the gap between "code that runs in my lab" and "code that runs in a real agency's environment" is exactly where TicketsCAD lives or dies. The agencies who join the beta are the ones whose feedback will shape the public release.

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Beta Tester Agreement

By registering for the beta program you agree to the following terms. These terms apply only during the beta period; once any specific file or feature lands in a public release under the Apache 2.0 license, the restrictions on that content fall away.

1. Confidentiality

• No public sharing of files, screenshots, UI captures, specs, or design docs from the repository without prior written approval.
• Restriction on a given piece of content automatically lifts when that content becomes part of a public release.
• You are responsible for keeping your local copy reasonably secured. That means: apply vendor updates promptly to your operating system and supporting infrastructure, and use a secure configuration (no public-internet exposure without authentication, no default credentials, TLS for all administrative access).
• TicketsCAD updates should be installed promptly — within roughly 36 hours of notification. Tracking the git repository is recommended; a git pull plus a php sql/run_migrations.php is usually all that's needed.

2. Use restrictions

• You acknowledge that TicketsCAD v4 is pre-release dispatch software and that you assume responsibility for all issues that arise from your use of it.
• The software may not be suitable for life-safety dispatch in its current state. Drills, exercises, training scenarios, and ARES/RACES practice nets are the intended beta use; actual emergency dispatch for life-safety situations is not.

3. Feedback obligations

• Commitment to actively use the software in a representative scenario — a drill, a planned exercise, a non-emergency operational scenario where you'd otherwise use a CAD system.
• File bug reports by email to ejost...@gmail.com (a structured issue tracker comes later in the program).
• Check in at least every 7 days with a brief status note covering what you've tested, what worked, and what needs improvement — positive feedback and constructive criticism are both useful.
• Flag specific UX confusion and documentation gaps as you encounter them; screenshots are strongly recommended.
• Surface anything in the install or admin flow that required external help to figure out. Those are the documentation holes worth filling before public release.

4. Open-source contribution framing

• TicketsCAD v4 will be released as Apache 2.0 open source upon public launch.
• By participating, you're helping shape an open-source contribution to volunteer fire, EMS, ARES/RACES, CERT, and small-agency dispatch — niches underserved by commercial CAD vendors.
• Any feedback, bug reports, suggestions, and documentation contributions you provide are licensed to the project for use without restriction.
• Optional code contributions follow the project's existing pattern: Apache 2.0, DCO sign-off on every commit, no AI co-author trailers.

5. Liability and no warranty

• Software is provided AS-IS, with no warranty of any kind, express or implied.
• No liability for data loss, downtime, missed dispatches, or any operational disruption arising from your use of the software.
• You run the software at your own risk.

6. Tester conduct

• No transferring access to other people — repository access is granted per-individual.
• No reverse-engineering, decompiling, or building a competing product from this code during the beta period. (The Apache 2.0 license will permit this freely after public release; the pre-release NDA window does not.)
• Good-faith testing only — no attempts to exploit the software for non-testing purposes.

7. Termination

• Either party may end the testing relationship at any time, for any reason, with no penalty.
• On termination: you stop using the software, delete local copies where practical, and return or destroy any documentation marked confidential or not yet publicly available.
• Surviving clauses after termination: confidentiality (until public release), liability disclaimer, and the feedback license assignment.

8. Branding

• You may say you're a beta tester for TicketsCAD.
• You may not claim endorsement, affiliation beyond that, or use the project name or logo in your own promotional materials without permission.
• Public mentions like "we use TicketsCAD for our drills" are fine; commercial use of the name is not.

9. Geographic and regulatory responsibility

• You are responsible for your own compliance with local laws around dispatch operations, radio communications, data retention, and personally-identifying-information (PII) handling in your jurisdiction.
• If you use the radio or communications integration features, you are responsible for your own FCC licensing (or your country's equivalent) and applicable on-air identification rules (§97.119 in the United States for amateur radio).

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How to join

1. Register at https://training.ticketscad.com/beta-tester. The form takes a few minutes and asks for contact details, your agency, your expected scale, and your GitHub username for repository access.
2. You'll get a reply within 3 business days — either an invitation to the GitHub repository with installation instructions, or a note explaining why this round isn't the right fit (capacity, scope, or compatibility reasons).
3. First-week kickoff: install in a non-production environment, get a basic incident through the system, and send your first weekly check-in.

If you have questions before registering, reply to this email directly.

73, Eric Osterberg N0NKI TicketsCAD

PS: Most likely, invitations will be sent this afternoon. Two new videos have been posted a a few deleted videos have been restored after talking with youtube about their claims of PII violations.

Now available: instructions on how to update using GIT for both Windows and Linux.

[Arnie Shore]

All, I've looked at a lot of code in my time - hitting six decades -- and I just haven't seen the quality and completeness Eric is laying down here.  Not even in high-$ commercial stuff.  

And FREE!

As a volunteer!

C'mon guys ; help him out here!  Volunteer what you can do to help!

AS

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[Jeff Carrier]

I wouldn't mind testing V4 either.  I'd probably have to test it in an ARES capacity first but I'm also running tickets for my very small ambulance service.  

[Eric Osterberg]

That sounds great,

If you can submit the application right away, I'll try and get you included in today's first batch. I'm granting access to early adopters right now.

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/open-source-cad/CAA_aZLhajyqJVJ%3DYnB2f2ux%2Brk%3D%3DmYx-586Gv5reXvatX1rs6g%40mail.gmail.com.

[Darren Deakin (UKDeek)]

My day job is working for a regional UK ambulance Trust in the emergency operations centre, and I use CAD software that costs a huge amount of money, and TicketsCAD gives a lot of the same dispatch functionality as that software, such as resource tracking, two-way data, road netting (nearest available resource to an incident), etc.

I will ALWAYS champion TicketsCAD and it is nice to see it is still being supported and being developed.