Dear Fellow Forum Users,
Many of us remember the "Membership vs Subscription" discussions which wasted so much of everyone's time by perverting so many useful Threads.  The Early Release Program (ERP) is nothing special and should not divert every thread for the next 6 months.  One useful way to look at this ERP is that CW is formalizing what most of us already knew, which was; don't download the latest monthly update until enough time has passed for it to be debugged.  This is a well know approach in software development known as "Post Release Beta Testing" or an "Open Beta period".  In the case of Sonar it has been suggested previously that this period was  from 10 to 20 days, or even longer in some cases. 
 
Sonar's motivation is clear, they want to reduce the number of negative customer experiences (and subsequent posts) which occur just after release.   
 
Those of us who do tend to wait really appreciate the early adopters because their unpaid effort paves the way for a more trouble free product.
 
If you do feel a need to argue about the ERP, please use this Thread and keep the other ones clean.
 
Thanks

?
Haven't seen any comments at all relating to this - and it's been available for a few days now. Are you anticipating a controversy?
(Personally I'm waiting for the official release (next week?))

It would be unfair (and downright mean) for me to point to any single post which prompted this Thread.  There are not many examples so far but it seemed prudent to bring the discussion into one place rather than dispersed into every Thread.
 
One thing I wondered about which relates to the EAP is how other Sonar users felt about CW formalizing release dates.  For example, the Open Beta period could start on the 20th of the month and the actual release on the 10th of the next month.  There are a number of Threads around the end of the month which relate to what is known as Anticipation Anxiety.  Marketing people and Casinos exploit this human weakness for their own profit but it can really be a time waster. 
 
Thanks

I agree RD, I think I posted something about how much I appreciate the EARLY RELEASE testers not only do they find bugs but they have reported on how to use some of the new features as well, which will save us all time and trying to figure this out for ourselves.
 
I for 1 really appreciate this program.
 
Jim
 
PS - I haven't really seen too much on the negative side of this program other than the feeling of being left out (but by my choice).  And I eagerly await the official release of SPLAT.  Based upon the info here, I have already upgraded to Melodyne 4 studio in anticipation of the TEMPO extraction tool.

And the silly argument is where is exactly? Didn't that happen ages ago? (as per usual).
Where is the big deal that inspired you to create this thread?
My pov, this thread is rather silly, do you run these forums?

Pre-emptive strike, presumably based on knowledge of internet forums.

FanCake
And the silly argument is where is exactly? Didn't that happen ages ago? (as per usual). Where is the big deal that inspired you to create this thread? My pov, this thread is rather silly, do you run these forums?

Good point FC, it is probably a bit silly (and bit sad) that I feel the need to start this Thread.  I certainly did not want to offend anyone so I thought of trying to post early and corral the discussion into a single thread before there were a lot of posts (and posters to be offended).   However, the use of the word silly was a bit judgemental and therefore would be construed negatively.  Consider it a "marketing strategy" to get people's attention.  BTW, Craig is absolutely right about my intent.
 
No, of course I don't run the Forum, but like you, I like to read them and then comment when appropriate.  That said, there is sometimes quite a bit of extraneous matter and tangential discussions which can take a bit of time to work through.  Your previous posts have been quite helpful so please feel free to contribute to this thread if you have any other ideas.
 
Thanks.

He's the decider!

I've been too busy to download the early release. But I have been taking note of what's been going on, and I gather it's caught a bug already. So I think that's a success right out of the gate.
 
In one of the threads about update frequency, a few people were talking about the idea of having rapid updates, with an occasional stable release. This isn't quite the same as that, but I think it might end up achieving the same goal. Bold early adopters can shake out the early releases, and everyone else can use the formal releases. I suppose we'll see how well that works, but I think it looks promising.

OP got his retaliation in first.