Beta Testing New Code for 2012

September 23, 2011

By Connor S.

Excited about the upcoming season? If so, you are not alone, because there are teams already jumping in by helping other FRC teams get ready.  These teams start early by applying – and winning assignments – to Beta Test new robot code.

This year, 147 FIRST teams from around the world applied to beta test one of three languages: C/C++, JAVA, and LabVIEW. Of that 147, 75 teams were chosen (25 for each language), and of those 75, seven are Minnesota teams.

Team 1816-The Green Machine, Edina, will test C/C++; LabVIEW will be tested by Team 2169-KING TeC, Prior Lake, and Team 2530-Inconceivable, Rochester. JAVA has four Minnesota teams assigned: 2177-The Robettes, St. Paul; 2846-FireBears, Roseville; 2977-Sir Lancer Bots, La Crescent, and 3630-The Stampede, Golden Valley.

 If you’re unfamiliar with the term “beta testing,” it is the part of software development where a company developing new software releases it to a limited number of people to tell them what works and what really doesn’t work at all. Being a FRC Beta Test team isn’t all fun and games. First, it involves the task of reviewing the entire software libraries for bugs.  This can be a very long and tedious process, but the reward is great! Even catching one line of ‘bad code’ can make a huge difference in how a robot performs.  The second part of beta testing involves building new code, which can be extremely fun: Perhaps there’s a new UI for writing the code, or some new addition to the libraries that can cut 60 lines into one! That new code is then shared with all teams. Questions are expected and encouraged. Beta Test teams can be contacted via the FRC forums, and many teams may share their findings in pre-season events as well.

In fact, one could view testing new code on your robot during build season as a Beta Test!  For that reason, Beta Testing of the new code on FRC robots before the season helps give developers vital feedback and also helps FIRST because it identifies possible future problems that could arise during the season. It is far easier to find and correct problems with a control group of 75 instead of the, literally, thousands of teams that may all be experiencing that same problem.  Beta Tests also allow testers to observe how well the code operates when it is in an actual real-world scenario, instead of virtual simulation.

This process can be so beneficial to so many people in such an endless amount of ways. It can help rookie teams decide which language is their best fit, and allows for veterans to trouble-shoot before problems develop. We encourage all FIRST teams to get in touch with a Beta Testing team if you haven’t already!