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{{infobox Website
{{Infobox Website
|logo = Betaarchive_Logo.png
|logo = Betaarchive_Logo.png
|image = Betaarchive_frontpage.png
|image = Betaarchive_frontpage.png
|imagecaption = BetaArchive Front Page
|imagecaption = Front Page
|URL = [http://www.betaarchive.com http://www.betaarchive.com]
|URL = [http://www.betaarchive.com http://www.betaarchive.com]
|Type = Online community
|Type = Online community
|Owner = Andrew "Andy" Whyman
|Owner = Andrew "Andy" Whyman
|Launched = 18th August 2006
|Launched = 2006-08-18
}}
}}
'''BetaArchive''' is one of the largest repositories of betas and abandonware on the Web.


'''BetaArchive''' is one of the largest repositories of beta and alpha builds of software on the Web.
It was opened in August 2006 by Andrew Whyman who goes by nickname [[User:Andy|Andy]] and is currently managed by Andy with the assistance from co-admin mrpijey and the moderators. The site features a FTP server which is accessible once a user has attained the FTP Access status on the forum.


It was opened in August 2006 by Andrew Whyman and is currently managed by Andrew "Andy" Whyman with the assistance from co-admin mrpijey and the moderators. The site features a FTP server which is accessible once a user has attained the FTP Access status on the forum.
The forum has received 3 updates, first v2.0, which was introduced with the upgrade to phpBB 3.0; 2.1, which was more of a forum revamp, and then v3.0, which upgraded the forum to phpBB 3.3 and hence introduced a fully responsive theme.


The form has received 2 updates , first v2.0 , which was introduced with the upgradation of the form to PHPBB 3.0 and then 2.1, which was more of a forum revamp.
The wiki (this site) is somewhat separate from the forum, please read [[BetaArchive Wiki:About]]. It has different permission groups with different contribution rules.
==Member Groups and Privileges==
== Member Groups and Privileges ==
There are several groups on BetaArchive.
There are several groups on BetaArchive.
* '''<span style="color:DarkOrange">Administrator</span>''' (Also called Staff)
* '''<span style="color:#FF6600">Administrators</span>'''
* '''<span style="color:green">Moderators</span>''' (Also called Staff)
* '''<span style="color:#009900">Staff</span>'''
* '''<span style="color:blue">Donators</span>'''
* '''<span style="color:#000099">Donator</span>'''
* '''<span style="color:red">FTP Access</span>'''
* '''<span style="color:#CC0000">FTP Access</span>'''
* '''<span style="color:#FF00FF">VIP</span>'''
* '''Registered users''' (phpBB Default)
* '''Registered users''' (phpBB Default)
* '''Newly Registered users''' (phpBB Default)
* '''<span style="color:#324B64">Newly Registered users</span>''' (phpBB Default)


The '''<span style="color:DarkOrange">Administrators</span>''' / '''<span style="color:green">Moderators</span>''' are the Staff members of BetaArchive and are invite only (if Andy/mrpijey needs you).
The '''<span style="color:#FF6600">Administrators</span>''' and '''<span style="color:#009900">Staff</span>''' form the BetaArchive staff. Both groups are invite only and perform the housekeeping duties necessary for the forum, including but not limited to deleting nonsense, approving posts and blocking users.


The '''<span style="color:blue">Donators</span>''' group you can get in by the following means: Donate US$5.00 or GBP2.50 or more and be member of the Donators group, you will need to PM Andy to get accepted.<br>This will give you access to the Donators' Forums. Previously , it was called the VIP group , where access was possible either by donation or by attaining 750 posts. The benefits of Donators group is mainly a restricted forum exclusive to the Donators members and can also have access to extra/private servers.
The '''<span style="color:#000099">Donators</span>''' group is accessible by donating £2.50 (or equivalent amount in other currencies) or more donation and then PMing Andy on the forums. The benefits of Donators group is today a restricted forum exclusive to the Donators members and previously also access to extra/private servers. <br> The Donators group was formerly called VIP, and there was an option to make 750 posts aside from donating to get membership.  


The '''<span style="color:red">FTP Access</span>''' group you can get in by [http://www.betaarchive.com/contributions.php uploading a release] to the FTP then requesting access by joining the group in the User Control Panel.<br>This will give you access to most of the restricted forums and you can get an FTP account with 50gb per day and locked to your IP.<br>
The '''<span style="color:#CC0000">FTP Access</span>''' group is accessible by [http://www.betaarchive.com/contributions.php uploading one or more unique or improved release(s)] to the FTP, followed by applying for membership in the user Control Panel.<br>This will give you access to most of the restricted forums and an FTP account with 50GB limit per day and locked to your IP (subject to a fair use policy).<br> Previously, no uploads were required and only 10 contributing posts were required. With effect from July 28, 2014, that is no longer the case.


Members in the '''Registered users''' group can post freely in unlocked sections and you can now PM members and make contributing posts to get into the '''<span style="color:red">Advanced Members</span>''' group.
Members in the '''Registered users''' group can post freely in unlocked sections and you can now PM members and upload release to apply for '''<span style="color:#CC0000">FTP Access</span>''' group membership. All members of BetaArchive are automatically placed in this group in addition to any other groups they may be in.


The '''Newly Registered users''' group is the first group you get in (automatically) and it is limited to no PM's and all of the 3 posts need to be approved before you are automatically moved to the '''Registered users''' group.
The '''<span style="color:#324B64">Newly Registered users</span>''' group is the first group you get in (automatically) and it is limited to no PMs, signatures/avatars and all of the 3 posts need to be approved by a staff member before you are automatically removed from the '''<span style="color:#324B64">Newly Registered users</span>''' group.


There is also another group , called the <b>VIP</b> group. The previliges have not be decided yet and as such has only 2 members(the admins) in the group. This group is set to be invitation-only.
The '''<span style="color:#FF00FF">VIP</span>''' group was meant to be invite only, for those who done major contributions, no matter if posts, Wiki edits, uploads etc. This group has one member, which is viper.
==Ranking System(discontinued)==
 
Members used to get an star ranking systema, shown between the user's avatar and user name, works as follows:
== Ranking System (discontinued) ==
Note that this feature has been removed and is now replaced by the member level instead as of v2.1(except the 'banned' ranks).
[[File:BetaArchive_V2_homepage.png|200px|thumb|right|BetaArchive V2 homepage]]
Up to and including BetaArchive v2, users used to have ranks displayed above their avatar. The ranks based on their post count or another criteria. In BetaArchive v2.1, the "star" ranks have been deprecated and replaced by the user's level. However, the banned user ranks have been kept from the previous ranking system.
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:BA_0_Stars.gif|0~49 posts
Image:BA_0_Stars.gif|0-49 posts
Image:BA_1_Star.gif|50~299 posts
Image:BA_1_Star.gif|50-299 posts
Image:BA_2_Stars.gif|300~599 posts
Image:BA_2_Stars.gif|300-599 posts
Image:BA_3_Stars.gif|600~999 posts
Image:BA_3_Stars.gif|600-999 posts
Image:BA_4_Stars.gif|1000 and above posts
Image:BA_4_Stars.gif|1000 and above posts
</gallery>
</gallery>


There are also special ranks, these are (were) set by Andy Manually or on a Group.<br>
The rank "Permanently Banned" indicated the user has been banned from the forum for an unspecified time. The "Temporarily Banned" rank indicates the user has been banned for a specific period of time. The "n00bus maximus" and "Noobus Maximus Moderator" ranks were more of an joke that continued and have been set for Gnome. However, he got the regular Moderator rank with the reveal of BetaArchive v2.1. The "Ex-OSBA" rank has been given out to users that were members of [[OSBetaArchive|OSBA]] before its closedown in 2006. <br>
Note that Ex-OSBA used to be given out, but stopped back in 2008.<br>
The rank "Permantely Banned" indicates that the user is completely banned from the forum and the n00b was more of an joke that continued. There is also another rank - "Temporarly Banned" in which the user is not banned permantely - he is only banned for a specific period of time.<br>
There is also: ''I don't like the stars'' set for [http://www.betaarchive.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=902 happy dude] because he didn't like the stars.
There is also: ''I don't like the stars'' set for [http://www.betaarchive.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=902 happy dude] because he didn't like the stars.
<gallery>
<gallery>
Line 54: Line 55:
Image:BA_EX_OSBA.gif|Ex_OSBA Rank
Image:BA_EX_OSBA.gif|Ex_OSBA Rank
Image:BA_Noob.gif|N00b Rank
Image:BA_Noob.gif|N00b Rank
Image:Permantly_Banned.gif|Permantely Banned Rank
Image:Permantly_Banned.gif|Permanently Banned Rank
</gallery>
</gallery>


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* [http://www.betaarchive.com/screenshots/ Photo Gallery], containing Screenshots of various Windows and other products.
* [http://www.betaarchive.com/screenshots/ Photo Gallery], containing Screenshots of various Windows and other products.
* [http://www.betaarchive.com/imageupload/ Image Uploader], for uploading images on the forum, hotlinking to other websites are blocked.
* [http://www.betaarchive.com/imageupload/ Image Uploader], for uploading images on the forum, hotlinking to other websites is blocked.
* [http://www.betaarchive.com/serverinfo.php Server Info], Keep an eye on the Server Information and Statistics.
* [http://www.betaarchive.com/serverinfo.php Server Info], with the Server Information and Statistics.
* [http://www.betaarchive.com/forum/servers.php FTP Servers], FTP Server information (Host, Account and Settings), '''Only Advanced members have access to this page'''.
* [http://www.betaarchive.com/forum/servers.php FTP Servers] with FTP Server information (Host, Account and Settings). '''Only FTP Access group members have access to this page.'''
* [http://www.betaarchive.com/wiki/ Wiki], What you are reading now, the BetaArchive Wiki.
* [http://www.betaarchive.com/wiki/ Wiki], which is what you are reading now, the BetaArchive Wiki.
* [http://www.betaarchive.com/forum/rss.php RSS Feed], BetaArchive's RSS Feed for the forum.
* [http://www.betaarchive.com/forum/rss.php RSS Feed], BetaArchive's RSS Feed for the forum.
* [http://www.betaarchive.com/contributions.php Contribution Rules], Contribution Rules on how to get access and examples.
* [http://www.betaarchive.com/contributions.php Contribution Rules], Contribution Rules on how to get FTP Access or Donators group membership.


[[Category:Websites]]
[[Category:Websites]]

Revision as of 07:52, 16 June 2020

Betaarchive Logo.png
Betaarchive frontpage.png
Front Page
Link {{{url}}}
Type {{{type}}}
Webmaster {{{webmaster}}}
Launch date {{{launched}}}

BetaArchive is one of the largest repositories of betas and abandonware on the Web.

It was opened in August 2006 by Andrew Whyman who goes by nickname Andy and is currently managed by Andy with the assistance from co-admin mrpijey and the moderators. The site features a FTP server which is accessible once a user has attained the FTP Access status on the forum.

The forum has received 3 updates, first v2.0, which was introduced with the upgrade to phpBB 3.0; 2.1, which was more of a forum revamp, and then v3.0, which upgraded the forum to phpBB 3.3 and hence introduced a fully responsive theme.

The wiki (this site) is somewhat separate from the forum, please read BetaArchive Wiki:About. It has different permission groups with different contribution rules.

Member Groups and Privileges

There are several groups on BetaArchive.

  • Administrators
  • Staff
  • Donator
  • FTP Access
  • VIP
  • Registered users (phpBB Default)
  • Newly Registered users (phpBB Default)

The Administrators and Staff form the BetaArchive staff. Both groups are invite only and perform the housekeeping duties necessary for the forum, including but not limited to deleting nonsense, approving posts and blocking users.

The Donators group is accessible by donating £2.50 (or equivalent amount in other currencies) or more donation and then PMing Andy on the forums. The benefits of Donators group is today a restricted forum exclusive to the Donators members and previously also access to extra/private servers.
The Donators group was formerly called VIP, and there was an option to make 750 posts aside from donating to get membership.

The FTP Access group is accessible by uploading one or more unique or improved release(s) to the FTP, followed by applying for membership in the user Control Panel.
This will give you access to most of the restricted forums and an FTP account with 50GB limit per day and locked to your IP (subject to a fair use policy).
Previously, no uploads were required and only 10 contributing posts were required. With effect from July 28, 2014, that is no longer the case.

Members in the Registered users group can post freely in unlocked sections and you can now PM members and upload release to apply for FTP Access group membership. All members of BetaArchive are automatically placed in this group in addition to any other groups they may be in.

The Newly Registered users group is the first group you get in (automatically) and it is limited to no PMs, signatures/avatars and all of the 3 posts need to be approved by a staff member before you are automatically removed from the Newly Registered users group.

The VIP group was meant to be invite only, for those who done major contributions, no matter if posts, Wiki edits, uploads etc. This group has one member, which is viper.

Ranking System (discontinued)

BetaArchive V2 homepage

Up to and including BetaArchive v2, users used to have ranks displayed above their avatar. The ranks based on their post count or another criteria. In BetaArchive v2.1, the "star" ranks have been deprecated and replaced by the user's level. However, the banned user ranks have been kept from the previous ranking system.

The rank "Permanently Banned" indicated the user has been banned from the forum for an unspecified time. The "Temporarily Banned" rank indicates the user has been banned for a specific period of time. The "n00bus maximus" and "Noobus Maximus Moderator" ranks were more of an joke that continued and have been set for Gnome. However, he got the regular Moderator rank with the reveal of BetaArchive v2.1. The "Ex-OSBA" rank has been given out to users that were members of OSBA before its closedown in 2006.
There is also: I don't like the stars set for happy dude because he didn't like the stars.

Other BetaArchive Sections

Besides the Forum, BetaArchive has various other secions via the Website Navigation and links on the forum, these are noted here.

  • Photo Gallery, containing Screenshots of various Windows and other products.
  • Image Uploader, for uploading images on the forum, hotlinking to other websites is blocked.
  • Server Info, with the Server Information and Statistics.
  • FTP Servers with FTP Server information (Host, Account and Settings). Only FTP Access group members have access to this page.
  • Wiki, which is what you are reading now, the BetaArchive Wiki.
  • RSS Feed, BetaArchive's RSS Feed for the forum.
  • Contribution Rules, Contribution Rules on how to get FTP Access or Donators group membership.