History Main / PerpetualBeta

* UsefulNotes/{{WINE}} for [[Platform/{{UNIX}} *nix]] has pretty much been in perpetual beta since its inception in the early 90s, owing to having to play catch-up whenever Microsoft makes changes to the API or releases a new Windows version.

* UsefulNotes/{{WINE}} for [[UsefulNotes/{{UNIX}} *nix]] has pretty much been in perpetual beta since its inception in the early 90s, owing to having to play catch-up whenever Microsoft makes changes to the API or releases a new Windows version.
* This is pretty much the case with ''any'' operating systems keeping up to the evolution of hardware. Sometimes developers can't simply make new drivers for new hardware (i.e. due to change of paradigm in hardware design), which means the developers must alter the core (the "kernel") of the OS itself. This is [[JustForFun/{{Egregious}} especially noticeable]] with open source operating systems such as [[UsefulNotes/{{UNIX}} Linux and the BSDs]], that requires you to update what is basically the soul of the system (not as painful nor as dangerous as it sounds).

** And then Windows 10 itself is this. Seemingly taking inspiration from the idea of how specific Linux distros can be updated frequently in an "rolling release" basis, how people nowadays relied more to online services, adoption of software as a service like many other tech giants, the ever increasing number of online users and threats, Windows 10 by default makes automatic updates mandatory, where aside from security updates, new features are patched in and out. There's also the Windows Insider program, a volunteer program where one can use unstable branch similar to Debian example below with newly added features forward from scheduled major update release branch, report issues and bugs, and test variety of features, if not perfect as release branch may have issues too.

** With ''Ultimate Edition'' announced and all DLC released, support for ''New Vegas'' is essentially over, leaving multitudes of unfixed glitched, ranging from crash-to-desktop game breakers to bookkeeping annoyances (Why are the three helmets from ''Lonesome Road'' the only "Heavy" headgear in the game? When [[PoweredArmor Power Helmets]] are "Light?").

* Website/ArchiveOfOurOwn, a {{Fanfic}} site which launched in 2008, is still in beta as of 2021. Creating an account requires an invitation by an existing member or adding your email address to the invite queue (which could range anywhere from a couple of hours to a few weeks depending on how busy the site is).

* A Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad example: many players could not ever foresee Notch, the creator of ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'', ever letting his creation be truly "finished", even after the game [[https://twitter.com/#!/notch/statuses/136078211284090881 went gold]], and far, ''far'' after the game had become a stable experience. [[SubvertedTrope The game left Beta and went into its first "finished" version]] on November 18, 2011, and tons of new content has been added since then thanks to continuous updates more than a decade later.

* Pretty much all of Tony Stark's ''Film/IronMan'' suits seem to be constantly modified, repaired, rebuilt and replaced, which is handy for writers who [[DependingOnTheWriter have trouble keeping his powers straight]].

* Microsoft is often accused of this with varying levels of truth. With its monopoly weakened by users outright refusing to adopt Windows Vista when XP still works just fine (repeated with Windows 7 users refusing to upgrade to 8 and 10), and the increasing popularity and variety of alternatives, the company might be starting to clean up its act. They have been through more than one DorkAge before, though (see: Windows ME).

* Website/ThisVeryWiki ([[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} and others]]) for that matter. Pages are never really 'finished' and there are always new features and changes being made. The scope and the implications of perpetual WIP is discussed in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_is_a_work_in_progress this article]]. This is mindboggling: for as long as new humans are born, there will always be something to add to the body of collective knowledge, assuming Administrivia/ThereIsNoSuchThingAsNotability.

But sometimes it doesn't stick, and the result has the users feeling like they're participating in (and paying for) one big beta test that never seems to end. Often by the time it feels finished, they'll have a sequel out, [[HereWeGoAgain and it starts all over again]]...

* Wiki/ThisVeryWiki ([[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} and others]]) for that matter. Pages are never really 'finished' and there are always new features and changes being made. The scope and the implications of perpetual WIP is discussed in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Wikipedia_is_a_work_in_progress this article]]. This is mindboggling: for as long as new humans are born, there will always be something to add to the body of collective knowledge, assuming Administrivia/ThereIsNoSuchThingAsNotability.

** ''VideoGame/EveOnline'' features an interesting variation on this. Aside from taking game-changing patches and enormous content additions UpToEleven the developer runs a test server available to all subscribers and actively encourages players to help them beta-test the next patch, making the test server a literal PerpetualBeta. This comes partly due to their development strategy, which treats the game as a constantly-evolving entity rather than a 'box' that will eventually be replaced by another box.

* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering Arena'' has seen ongoing criticism for falling into a ''worse'' state than its beta. As the game has grown more complex, adding hundreds of cards and several additional play modes, it's also grown buggier and less stable, compared to its basic-but-stable state during Beta and early release.

* ''{{VideoGame/Warframe}}'' entered open beta early 2013... and hasn't officially released yet, despite at least tripling in amount of content, and having had various large [[TemporaryOnlineContent story events which are inaccessible to new players]]. It continues to have large updates every few months, and there do not seem to be any plans to either stop developing new content, stop revamping existing systems or to actually officially release. It's gone so far that Wikipedia simply lists the open beta release day as it's actual release day.

[[folder:Pin Ball]]
* {{Pinball}}:
** This is a recurring issue with Creator/{{Stern}}'s {{pinball}} machines. ''Pinball/BatmanStern'', for instance, had few modes, instead opting for simply giving the player points. This included the WizardMode, which was intended to be the climactic duel against the Joker but instead gave the player 100 million points, then reset everything back to the beginning. ''Pinball/{{Metallica}}'', ''Pinball/{{Mustang}}'', and ''Pinball/TheWalkingDead'' were all released with lights indicating modes and statuses that never activated during gameplay. ''Pinball/StarTrekStern'', once the player completes Kobayashi Maru Multiball, became UnwinnableByDesign as the programming never got further than that. In all of these cases, Stern DID release patches that made the games feel more complete. On the other hand, ''Pinball/{{ACDC}}'''s normal edition never made use of any of the lights on Angus Young's face despite the face being huge and in the middle of the playfield. The issues regarding incomplete rules gave rise to the [=#WheresTheCode=] protest, which Stern took to heart, and ''Pinball/GameOfThrones'' released with complete code, albeit in need of [[CompetitiveBalance balance-patching]]. That being said, ''WWE Wrestlemania'' will likely forever remain incomplete due to low sales and a critical thrashing from pinball fans and wrestling fans alike (even more so than usual).
** Before Stern, however, were the Creator/{{Midway}} machines from TheNineties. Particular victims were ''Pinball/TheChampionPub'', ''Pinball/CactusCanyon'', and ''Pinball/StarWarsEpisodeI'', as Midway canceled pinball development shortly after their releases and laid off the pinball teams before the programmers could finish putting in the rules.
** Any machine with creative input from Lyman Sheats, Jr. may receive code updates at any time. The ''CSI'' pinball machine, made in 2008, went un-updated and forgotten until Sheats generated a seemingly out-of-nowhere code update in 2015. Even more so is ''Pinball/StarWarsTrilogy'', which was released in 1997 by Creator/{{SEGA}} (despite Sheats currently working at Stern), which Sheats gave a code update for right after ''CSI'', 18 years after ''Star Wars Trilogy'' was released (and before game patches were common).

* ''VideoGame/PowerBomberman'' was released in 2013. As of 2021, the current version is 0.7.6c. The creators have stated that the game will probably never be truly "complete", so it's unlikely it'll ever reach version 1.0.0.

* ''VideoGame/TheSims3'' is ''very'' guilty of this. Bugs are endemic to the game, and they range from "amusing" to "{{game breaking|Bug}}" -- some of the most notable ones are "hotspot" nightclubs that are deserted, the mutilation of the Photography skill and an inventory bug that eventually froze the game. Players have to constantly check the site for patches and pray that the patch will fix their particular batch of problems. Unfortunately, each patch tends to cause almost as many problems as it fixes, and that's before the newest expansion pack arrives to wreak havoc on your game. The developers seem to be playing a never-ending game of whack-a-mole with every new installment. By the way, if you think you can dodge the problems by avoiding the patches, you can't - each new expansion pack requires you to update to the latest version of the game. And heaven help you if you have custom content installed.

* [[Website/{{Smogon}} Pokemon Showdown]] has been in beta since its release, and it's expected that it constantly will be due to the ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' franchise constantly evolving. For one AprilFoolsDay joke, the site staff "launched" ''Showdown''.

While this usually applies to RealLife software and VideoGames, it can just as easily apply to complex machines and other devices in works of fiction. See BetaBaddie and PsychoPrototype for this taken to a more dangerous level, and SuperPrototype for a subversion of sorts, though they sometimes have problems.

** Windows Vista Service Pack 2 is pretty much rock solid. All of those nagging bugs are gone and it just ''never crashes''. The only problem is that it was released on the verge of Windows 7, which is essentially Vista with said service pack and a new taskbar. In fact the whole reason for Windows 7 was to get rid of the Vista name and start with a clean review slate after they fixed all the errors. [[labelnote:Furthermore]]In effect one of the final major updates to Vista replaces the Kernel with the NT 6.1 one used in Windows 7, effectively giving Vista users a stealth update to Windows 7![[/labelnote]]

* ''VideoGame/PowerBomberman'' was released in 2013. As of 2021, the current version is 0.7.6b. The creators have stated that the game will probably never be truly "complete", so it's unlikely it'll ever reach version 1.0.0.