Meet the Top Community Testers for NetBeans 6.8

February 2010

Michel Graciano: Stay Connected to the NetBeans IDE through Beta Testing

Tell us about your background as a developer and NetBeans user.

I have been developing software professionally since 2003. My main project these days is a desktop product based on the genesis framework and my team uses the NetBeans IDE as its primary IDE. We make use of all tools in the IDE: CVS, Matisse, database access, editors for XML, Java and SQL, and so on. Many people ask me: "Why NetBeans?" The answer is simple: We work with a desktop product, with Swing as a main toolkit; using Matisse is necessary to reach the level of productivity we need. By using plugins we create for the IDE and that allow us to create special components pallets, update center, editor validation and hints and so on, we can increase productivity in our day-to-day work.

As a NetCAT participant you experienced NetBeans 6.8 before the masses did. Your thoughts on the new features and the quality?

Well, the best improvement in my opinion has been in memory consumption and performance. The latest release is awesome in this matter. Working on a huge free form project with several source roots and thousands of source files, my memory consumption decreased by 20-30%. I could see several memory leaks were fixed. When the Garbage Collector runs, almost every memory allocated is released for use again. NetBeans 6.8 is the first release in years that I experience no issue loading and waiting for a patch or update.

Have you participated in other software Beta testing programs? Can you compare them to NetCAT?

No, I have not participated in testing programs for other products.  

What motivates you to contribute to the NetBeans project?

This kind of program is necessary to make every release as good as possible; to have the community be invested in solving bugs and suggesting enhancements. As a software developer, I know that regressions happen, and the earlier they are identified and addressed in a program like NetCAT the better for everyone. This is a big motivation for me.

NetBeans is the community's IDE, so we all need to help to keep the tool as stable as possible, including related plugins. This type of relationship is what keeps open-source projects alive and successful.

How would you encourage other users to participate in future NetCAT cycles?

If the NetBeans IDE is important for your daily work, I can't see why you would not consider joining NetCAT. NetCAT helps make the tool better release after release. We test as many scenarios as possible; there's nothing better than to work with the daily builds and be connected to the tool as it grows.