“Later today, Apple will open the doors to one million users, allowing them to download the public beta of OS X 10.10 Yosemite,” Kirk McElhearn writes for Kirkville. “This is the first public beta program of OS X that Apple has run since the first release of Mac OS X release.”
“Today’s release is a sign of Apple’s new openness,” McElhearn writes. “In allowing one million users to download the public beta – as well as the hundreds of thousands of people with paid developer accounts – Apple is banking on getting feedback both on reliability and features.”
“But is it worth your while, as an average user – that is, not a developer or journalist – to download the public beta? Probably not. Sure, you’ll get a first look at the next iteration of OS X, but this comes at a cost. This is a beta; as such, you MUST NOT USE IT ON A PRODUCTION MAC,” McElhearn writes. “It is unstable, and unreliable, so if you do use it on your main Mac, you may lose data. To run it safely, you should install it on an external hard drive, or an old Mac, and not entrust any important data to it.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
OS X Yosemite report: Comfort and delight – July 24, 2014
10 things you need to know before installing OS X Yosemite Public Beta – July 23, 2014
Preview: A closer look at OS X Yosemite, just in time for the public beta – July 23, 2014
Apple to release OS X Yosemite Public Beta on July 24th – July 23, 2014
OS X Yosemite public beta release imminent – July 22, 2014
Apple readying OS X Yosemite Public Beta for this month – July 21, 2014
Yawn. Seems as stable today as any released OS since 10.5! 🙂
The second beta was a horror from hell, clearly alphaware. But the current beta is what one would expect from a beta. Buggy but not in any deadly way.
I’ve always run betas on second partitions on my Macs. The worst that has ever happened is ruination of THAT partition. I’m a bit skeptical of any OS X beta reaching out and destroying an entire hard drive. I’d sooner expect that of nasty Internet Java malware or craptastic Flash malware.
I wonder why our experiences are so dissimilar. I run Yosemite on two different machines and Mavericks on several others. I haven’t had any kernel panics, Finder crashes, etc. I installed Beta 1 over the top of Mavericks and just keep updating away.
When these messes occur, I figure it’s because Apple focuses on supporting core hardware, and my 2011 2.5GHz Mac Mini isn’t one of them. Eventually, they sort it out and stability returns.
I have not been having any kernel panics in yonks. But Developer Beta 2 of Yosemite was like some blundering oaf on my hardware, barely working, mostly unusable. I ended up doing a clean install of Beta 1, then running through the three updates that have followed. That worked fine.
Note that I am fastidious about repairing both partitions and their permissions. I found plenty to repair of both. I could attribute spookiness to the messy power we get where I live. My good old reliable UPS is having death throws at the moment, so I don’t have anything running from it. I’ll replace it’s battery AFTER I get my new MacBook Pro one of these months. That’s a bigger priority.
Derek, if you’re unhappy, don’t be a beta tester. The word “beta” more than infers something still under development, something not complete, something likely to have instability. As someone who volunteered to be a beta tester, you should clearly understand that. Your job is not to play, but to seriously bang on the OS and find flaws, bugs and features in need of improvement. Nothing more, nothing less.
Complaining is futile. You have to expect problems in any beta. Find the bugs and report them. Be part of the solution, and don’t complain about the problems.
I’ve worked in the software industry for years. Beta versions are often buggy, and on the surface, look like a disaster. In truth, it’s usually small bits of code that cause crashes, something that can be fixed pretty quickly. In the race to add features, one feature added often breaks something else. Having an aggressive beta testing program can speed up fixing the bugs and help assure that the final version is rock solid.
Instead of complaining, be proud that you’re trying to squash bugs and make Yosemite better for all of us. And for that, we thank you.
There. Feel better now?
Do YOU feel better now? I didn’t even bother to read all of your blahblah as you are entirely wrong and out of touch with the point of beta testing. Get that bug out of your backside and get humane.
I also work in the software industry, and it seems to me that his summary is pretty damned spot on. Beta testing is for the purpose of finding and reporting problems in unfinished software so that they can be fixed. If you aren’t willing to do that, hen don’t sign up. Apple says as much on their page.
IDIOTIC thread with deliberate lack of comprehension of the subject. IASSOTS kids.
I myself am a programmer and I have to agree with Robert and Brian. Derek is out of line.
death throes!!!!
Yeah, I don’t think an OS X Beta would be able to destroy OTHER partitions. However, both the Java malware and “craptastic Flash malware” screwing up an entire drive have happened to my friend.
Oh yes. Actual malware, once it has grabbed administrator permissions, via a security hole or social engineering of the user, can wreck whatever it likes. But I am not aware of a bad beta of OS X ever overreaching out of its partition to wreck a whole drive or other partition. That’s why I’m happy using second partitions for betas. Nonetheless, I do backups of my primary boot partition daily like a good little computer user. 🙂
Agreed, jt016. There have been no crashes or anything. It’s as stable as my previous OS and I get all the great perks!
Yeah. So what? That’s the point of a beta.
I’ll bet 900,000 if the people that sign up don’t understand that. Look at how many people buy Android phones.
Of the 1,000,000 who signed up for the beta test, how many of THOSE people have Andriod? I’ll bet it’s a fairly small percentage.
I have installed the beta, but I have no Android devices in my home or office. 999,999 to go…
Make that 2. 999,998 to go.
i’m guessing that downloading a beta version of a desktop operating system will not have a lot of impact on their mobile operating system decision.
Hold up, what do android phones have to do with an OS X Beta? Seriously, I’m curious.
I only have one mac, but I only use it to browse the web, and it’s all backed up so it is fine if it isn’t ‘stable’ enough.
If a beta turns out to be unbootable after installation, you’re NOT going to be happy. Apple pulled that boner twice with 10.9.4 beta with my hardware. Do NOT install a beta OS as the only OS on your Mac. Terrible idea.
Make a second partition instead and use that.
It’s all working fine so far.
Good. But of course keep a convenient backup handy in case of the worst possible scenario. Backups save our butts.
It’s interesting that Apple has made this version of the beta a ‘public’ beta. It means they’re forcing themselves into a corner of HAVING to pay closer attention to the progress of the beta. Now that the public beta is here, I like the idea. It squeezes out a lazy attitude because now there is far more at stake with a million more eyes on the process of perfecting Yosemite.
(And yes, Apple can be verrrry lazy about beta tests, whether it’s distraction, boredom, not enough staff on the project, not enough people who know what they’re doing, or the horrifying committee effect whereby there are too many people on a project. Thankfully, Apple’s attitude is typically far better than Microsoft’s. I have no idea what’s their problem).
So far they have been very fast on addressing bugs I have reported. I was pretty impressed.
isn’t that the reason why you have a recovery partition? if everything fails, you can still recover your system.
McElhearn has already said he doesn’t like the look of Yosemite so he probably won’t download it until he has no other choice.
I am of the same opinion as Kirk. Not that I’m looking for flames.
Got To Go:
1) The kindergarten red-green-yellow buttons.
2) The Flat-Flatter-Flattest competition for the most ugly and boring icons.
3) The removed title bar from Safari
4) The removal of full URL listings in Safari, unless you click on it. Again, treating us like kindergarteners.
Flame away, but the above stuff is AWFUL, anti-functional and entirely UN-Apple.
Agreed re: above items; and it is still pretty buggy in a few areas, wifi is sometimes annoying for example. The sidebar is now gone in iTunes 12 except when you select playlist then it reappears just for that function. But as stated I am not using the osX beta on a primary computer and am doing app development as its primary function.. so no big deal there. But you know there will be people upgrading their primary systems just to have the latest – and regretting it.. As said am hoping they have a backup…
I do agree that the red-green-yellow buttons look like crap. I didn’t notice anything about safari, because, well, I didn’t launch it.
The bit problem with the new Safari is finding something to grab when you want to move its window on your desktop. Of course Apple left some modicum of real estate to grab. But why the frack are we forced to FIND that little bit of real estate at all? Just grab the eternally standard (from Mac OS v1.0 onward) title bar and go! No scrambling or fiddling or WTF. Just grab the simple bar and go!
If newbies here don’t believe me, check out this screenshot of Mac OS v1.0 please:
WHY Apple wants to kill that wonderful, traditional, fully functional and easy to use title bar is seriously beyond my comprehension. It’s like some buffoon from Microsoft walked in the door, killed an Apple coder and took his identity. Invasion of the coder snatchers. BAD BAD BAD idea. Flame me all you like kids!
“No other choice”
You mean when the Apple upgrade police show up to force you to raise the installed base stats?
His best bet is install windows 8 in bootcamp and spend a day or two learning first-hand what ‘production’ software hell actually feels like.
Dang. That was a wasted click.
We’ve all been running a beta OS ever since 10.7 was released, so what’s the difference.
/s
Joking of course, but I do miss the simplicity and stability of SL.
I agree. I despise 10.7.5, which I’m stuck using on my old (soon as possible being replaced) MacBook.
But now that we’re up to OS X Mavericks 10.9.4 (on my Mac Mini), I’m rather pleased with it! It’s another peak in Apple OS quality.
😀
Paranoia strikes deep, into your heart it will creep
A thousand people in the street
Singing songs and carrying signs
Actually, it’s good advice. Any beta, whether it’s from Apple or another company, is just that. BETA. If you ignore the potential pitfalls of trying out an OS that’s not final, that’s not completed a rigorous set of quality assurance tests, and you run it on your primary data, you do run the risk of losing everything.
Yes, I know. We’re fanboys. We love Apple. I get that. And some of you think McElhearn is a schmuck. But in this case, he’s right. Go ahead and try out the beta. I bet it will be great. But as he suggests, use a dedicated Mac to kick it around and report your findings to Apple, NOT on your main Mac. It’s that simple.
I have beta tested quite a bit over the years, and have found the experience to be valuable and rewarding. I have fond memories of booting up the original OS-X beta for the first time (an epic ‘wow’ experience), and helping Apple by reporting issues and making suggestions for improvement.
But I did so on an older Mac specifically set aside for that purpose.
If you follow that one simple rule above, you’ll be fine. So knock yourselves out. Just be sure it’s not your main Mac, and any data or apps you use are 1) backed up and archived and 2) apps and data you can afford to lose.
Be careful my friends.
The only thing I have issue with McElrhearn’s article is the click bait headline. It would have been better stated “What you should know before installing Apple’s OS X Yosemite Public Beta”. Otherwise, the contents within the article itself seems fine.
I plan on playing with the Yosemite beta on a separate partition (an external hard drive).
You could at least spell my name correctly…
If one uses COMMON SENSE, there is nothing to risk:
a.) you test or do not test a beta OS version, everyone should make backups regularly, no matter what,
b.) come on, don’t we all have a USB image of the previous stable release (Mavericks) ?!!
And yes, i did replace Mavericks with Yosemite PB, and freaking lovin’ it!
Btw, isn’t life more interesting with some risks, challenges, and sudden heart attacks?!! :-))
this guy needs to grow a pair
My grandmother learned to suck eggs years ago!
=:~)
It’d be good if Apple provided a quick guide on how to create a partition and install on that. It’s what I’ve done on my main Mac and it works a treat.
Yosemite is an amazing release, I can’t wait for the GM!
Only an idiot would install it over their current OS. Of course you need to install it on its own partition or external. God, not everybody is a Monkey!
what’s a partition?
It’s that thing around your cubicle. So “another partition” is the one around Mikey’s desk. Get him to try it. He’ll try anything …
You don’t have to call people names just because they have already backups and image on USB of Mavericks and they are prepared to install over existing version…..it is just: why not!? Preferences, preferences…btw, i did not regret the change….
Greetings,
Idiot Monkey
Good luck finding a non-production Mac to install onto.
I have been running 10.10 in a separate partition and it works well enough that I have not booted into 10.9 in weeks and I don’t intend to again until the GM is released and I do the upgrade. Later I will prob do a clean instal.
Loss of Aperture iCloud sharing should be a top reason
hmm.. did not get the invite for the public beta I guess I was after the first million..I guess I will just be seeing it with the rest of the world when they release the final version.
Hey guys, need your help with my situation. I am enrolled for the Beta program with Mac OS x 10.10 (Yosemite), a few hours ago i downloaded the OS and installed it. Since then my Mac does not want to boot. It get to the apple logo… i see the progress bar… which goes about 10% thru and then there is a dark screen…. and no matter what keys i press… nothing happens… Any suggestions?
H/w Details:
Macbook Pro: Retina Display 15 inch, 16GB/1600Mhz/DDR3L RAM, 256 SSD, 2.3ghz quad core intel i7 processor ….
OS i upgraded from: OS x Mavericks
Is there a safe mode i can boot into? How?
Thanks in advance guys..
–Abhi
I’m having the same problem this morning with the same machine..
Hi Ab,
On start or restart hold down the shift key before the chime.
If successful you’ll see “safe boot” in the top right hand corner of your screen.
I’ll wait for the final release… And even longer than that… I don’t need it wrecking any essential apps I use for work.
I’m having the same problem with the same machine specs
I got Yosemite beta from the first release day and installed in my only MacBook Pro late 2013 and it works fine 100% no boot issues and didn’t effect my other partitions. The only thing I noticed about it that the ram usage 6+ GB which is too much for only web browsing the rest all fine about phones I have iPhone 5s gold and iPad 3 I’m not android fan.
Yosemite Beta works exceptionally well. Opens a little slowly like all betas but otherwise perfect. Using parallels 10 with XP and Ubuntu 14.04 and they are working better than ever.
I’ve been using Yosemite for about a month on my main work machine. (MBP 6,2 – 8GB RAM – 1TB SSD)
I have not experienced any problems with the software I use (Adobe Suite mainly) other than having to update some plugins and extensions.
I did experience some issues with some 3rd party system apps that were rendered incompatible by this update (Trim enabler and Little Snitch are the only 2 I can remember atm) One of which required an update, the other I don’t really miss as I use legally procured software these days… Mainly.
I’ve provided a few bug reports on certain issues I’ve noticed, and in the last update, several of those problems have been rectified. One example was the battery indicator hover state not having a horizontal margin. It looked clunky. That issue has been fixed and the battery icon has been re-designed and looks much better. I’m sure this was reported by many people.
I’ve had to use full release versions of major software and OS’s that didn’t feel as complete as this Beta version of an OS, so take from that what you will.
As a designer, sure there are things I might have done differently, like the flat “traffic light” window buttons? (I actually quite like them) But, I’m not on the design team. if you’re really that annoyed, send your extensive resume in and get a job on the next OS design team and do your thing.
Right off the top it needs to be said; Yosemite is an ugly, counterintuitive, overly difficult, amateurish heap of smoldering camel poop. I am trying to be nice here. By far, the stupidest thing I’ve done this year was to “upgrade” to Yosemite from Snow Leopard on my 27” iMac. It was the biggest step backwards into Microsoft Vista hell you could imagine. If you’re thinking of “upgrading” – don’t. Unless you’re the type of person that thinks Justin Biber has talent. Then you’ll probably love it. Honestly, and I can’t stress that enough (I’m not trying to be cute or clever) Yosemite has the appearance and operating charm of a system designed by 15 year olds that think their version of cool is going to be received with cheers by everyone. It is, first and foremost, UGLY. Ugly to the point of appearing as though sabotage crew from Microsoft infiltrated the Apple design and tech center with the goal of running Apple’s past reputation for making products that look great and anyone could use and enjoy. All of the graphics; icons, desktop, dock, menu’s, files, help pages, mail and literally everything else, is so ugly and difficult to read or understand it’s like something you’d expect ToysRus to market. (My apologies to ToysRus) It all looks unfinished, childish and primitive. Think Windows ’95 on a bad day. So dealing with this ugly mess in front of me I thought, OK, so it’s really ugly, it must have some really great features I haven’t discovered yet. WRONG. Oh, it has some new features alright. One day out of eight that I could connect to the internet, messages popping up telling me all sorts of useless information, other apps and things that I really needed to work, suddenly became either useless or frustratingly stupid – all of this and more but the bonus was it was s l o w – really –
s l o w. My once elegant, beautifully performing machine was now an ugly, poorly performing anchor. Luckily I was able to re-install Snow Leopard and return my iMac to the speed, functionality and beautiful appearance it was designed to have. What a difference. The bottom line is, listen to the negative reviews. They are RIGHT.
If you have no taste and are prone to being at the back of the herd like a brain dead follower for no apparent reason, go for it. Hey, so what it’s a nightmare to work with – at least it’s ugly!