The past two releases of the Freak firmware have not been of the quality I expected. Both versions 3.4 and 3.5 had issues because I rushed to have something ready.
For all users, the most stable version is 3.2. You can download it here: https://github.com/modlfo/VultFreakFirmware/releases/tag/v3.2.
To avoid these kinds of problems in the future, I need more people to test upcoming versions. To address this, I will change my process for releasing new versions. My current process is as follows:
Add a feature or fix an issue.
Test the feature or fix.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 until there are significant improvements that worth release.
Ask for beta testers through social media.
Wait for feedback.
If there is no feedback, consider the release ready.
There are a few flaws in that process. The first is that when I make a fix or add a feature, I test the change in an isolated way. I expect that the change has no impact in other features. So for every change, I really need to go through all the combinations of modes and filters in order to make sure everything works fine.
This process has a few flaws:
When I make a fix or add a feature, I test the change in isolation. I assume the change does not impact other features, but in reality, every change requires testing all combinations of modes and filters to ensure everything works properly.
My social media reach is limited. Only users who are active on social platforms may see the posts. I need to connect directly with users willing to test new versions. Paraphrasing, a famous saying, “The absence of reports is not evidence of the absence of bugs.
If you think you can help me test upcoming versions, please send me an email so I can add you to a list of "official" beta testers. I will contact you whenever I have a new feature that needs testing.
If you'd like to contribute right away, I’ve prepared a new beta version, 3.5. You can download it here: https://github.com/modlfo/VultFreakFirmware/releases/tag/v3.5 .
Please test it if possible and let me know whether you encounter any issues or if everything works fine.
In this beta, I removed the Stabile-OTA filter. The reason is that it started causing the module to hang. When I initially added Stabile-OTA, it worked fine, and I performed extensive testing on it. However, after making changes to other parts of the source code, the filter began causing issues. This might be due to the unpredictable ways compilers and processors operate. Sometimes, even a small change can trigger a chain reaction, resulting in performance degradation. I’ll need to investigate this further.
Starting with the next release, I’ll maintain a public "development" release on GitHub that you can test whenever new features are added. Whenever a new beta version is available, I’ll publish a blog post and notify the official beta testers via email.
I’m hopeful this new approach will improve the quality of future releases. If you have any suggestions for new features you'd like to see in Freak, please feel free to share them with me.