I've got an app, "maeFat", that has been languishing in Extras-Testing since early March. Although it has gotten only 1 QA vote (from me!), I know that the package is used by others, because I've received email requests for new features to be added. So it's not a completely useless app, but clearly it doesn't excite anyone who is currently testing N900 apps. I'm sure there must be other people out there with apps stuck eternally in community QA. If you have such an app, I'll test yours if you'll test mine. I'm not trying to get anyone to vote on it without testing it, and I will genuinely test your app in exchange. Anyone wanna swap?

My App is here:
http://maemo.org/packages/package_in...aefat/2.1.0-1/

they are 2 votes now thank you for this app

Edit : after voting and refreshing the package page my vote is gone ! i voted again !

./sifo

Yeah, there's still only one vote. Perhaps the problem is not that nobody will test and vote for my app. Maybe the problem is that votes are not being recorded.

Update: The second vote is there now. Thanks, Sifo!

There's applications in Testing that have been stuck there for ages.
Some have no maintainers, some people haven't voted because they have been told to use the devel version.

I have recently subscribed to the Testing Squad and I am slowly working through all apps in testing (putting them through QA)

There are a good few quality apps stuck on 4 and 5 votes in testing.
There are also lots of apps stuck in testing that have passed QA with loads of votes.

I am also bumping threads where a seemingly stable app is in devel. It seems a shame things don't make it through the repo's like they should.
Especially when a good app is stuck in devel with nobody to push it to testing.

I will get round to QA your app, shortly.
Meanwhile

http://wiki.maemo.org/Testing_Squad

http://maemo.org/packages/repository/qa/fremantle_extras-testing/

Also do you have announce thread for your application? As I don't remember seeing it on the forum.

we really need an industrial standard auto QA

It's hard for me to see how that could really work. Our little corner of the world is small enough that it's likely that nobody will bother to make truly sophisticated malware apps, but I'll bet building bulletproof auto QA is equivalent to solving the "Halting Problem".

In principle, community QA is a really great idea. Our Extras Repository is largely free of worthless fart apps and web page scrapers not because they are prohibited, but because nobody is interested enough in them to test them.

I've done a little testing of other apps, but frankly most of them don't interest me. I care nothing about themes, sports or social networking (I'm an old coot). I realize this makes me part of the problem.

I was basically offering to test someone else's app that I am really not interested in, if they would do the same for me.

I did make an announce thread ( http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=70609 ) but it of course has not been in the Active Topics list for quite a while. I also made a wiki page ( http://wiki.maemo.org/MaeFat ).

Thanks for your work testing apps!

Tested, didn't crash on startup, and voted.

IMO, unless the package is a system package (these usually have to be tested by devs), we don't need to use -testing and -devel repos.

Sorry but I don't agree.
QA is an important part of all maemo applications.
Many issues on TMO are due to people wrongly and unknowingly using all the repo's

Most of us here know a bit more how to modify and repair but there are still a few N900 users that have no idea how to get root (for example)
devel > testing > extras works, it's a proven method for most repo's, we just don't have as many people testing everything.

Did you check optification? CPU usage? powertop before and after?

Although I agree application like this have less risk than binaries and system packages, it still should go through the QA process IMHO.

This is why I am slowly testing as much as I can.

@Ken-Young you should also bump your thread and ask for people to QA. You'll be surpised how many people look at [Announce] threads with a smile!

The qa problem is maiinly due to low visibility of the testing queue. I have loads of apps from testing that I use regularly and I have tried to test but:

1. It is time consumimg to search for app in QA
2. I never know if I am voting for the right app version
3. There is no reminder in tmo which I visit regularly

One solution is to have link inside app directly to qa but this will be there even if the appmakes it to extras (except if it checks from where it was downloaded if possible, or dynamically through internet)

Another solution is to have a direct link or widget on tmo that shows apps who need votes, ordered by a function of number of downloads and inverse votes needed

Lastly, auto-promotion of apps after 12 or more votes could also help.

BTW I just installed maefat, and will vote after I use it for a week or so. Please give speedcrunch a shot if you have time. It's not perfect (ui not completely mobile optimized) but I think it's usable.