Where can I discuss Apple's Beta Seed program?
Apple has an OS X Beta Seed Program, but the site only contains information about how to join, how to send feedback to Apple once you are in, and a rather sparse FAQ.
Due to the confidentiality of the program:
Is the pre-release software I am installing confidential?
Yes, the pre-release software is Apple confidential information. For example, don’t install the pre-release Apple software on any systems you don't directly control or that you share with others, don’t blog, post screen shots, tweet or publicly post information about the pre-release Apple software, and don't discuss the pre-release Apple software with or demonstrate it to others who are not in the OS X Beta Seed Program.
it is tempting, but impossible to ask questions with any hope of receiving an answer on sites like this. Is there a place that Apple provides for discussion of the program?
Solution 1:
How you obtain Apple's pre-release software governs which forum Apple provides for discussion and support of the software as well as a place to exercise the ability to discuss the software with others in the pre-release program along with you.
I'm aware of three mechanisms for this:
- Developer - https://developer.apple.com/programs/
- AppleSeed: Software Customer Seeding - https://appleseed.apple.com/sp/welcome/
- OS X Beta Seed Program - https://appleseed.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/
For registered developers, you can look over your agreement for details and the proper discussion forums are at https://developer.apple.com/devforums/
For the public beta seed, I haven't found the location of that forum publicly disclosed, but I would be surprised if they don't have a place to discuss things there as well in terms of a more specific forum than the main Apple discussions forums.
I wouldn't try to use the public Apple support communities or this Q&A site for specific questions about pre-release builds or products, but getting a pointer to where these are actually hosted seems fine to host here.
And here - we now don't close beta questions as long as they are specific and otherwise valid questions about Apple products, services and such.
- http://apple.blogoverflow.com/2015/08/beta-ios-9-and-el-capitan-questions-allowed/