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.