Krita testing

[BobF]

Is it possible to install nightly and beta versions side x side with release versions without potential for corruption of the release install?

If so, please provide a link to the how-to if available.

I’ve done extensive beta testing for commercial DAW software and would be happy to help out with Krita.

[AhabGreybeard]

On Linux, you can easily create an isolated/home folder-environment such that you can run any version appimage in total independence from any other appimage, at the same time if you want to.

I have the current formal release in its own isolated environment and run any other version in a ‘common’ environment, such that those other versions will use (and affect) the common configurations and resources.

For Windows, you can only do that if you use two separate users and swap-log between them.
As a single user on a Windows system, you can use the portable .zip packages which will not affect whatever installation you have, which is probably the current formal release.
Normally, any other version you try will use the standard configuration files and resources folder and so can easily affect them.
A simple way around that is to make a backup copy of the config and resources then restore them after using a nightly build (or an old version) for test purposes.

[Michelist]

If you use the Windows-Command “RUNAS /USER:”, perhaps in combination with “/SAVECRED”, and put this for a convenient handling into standard Windows-Links, e.g. *.LNK-Files, then you can start several versions of Krita side by side like every other software from your start-menu, desktop or every other folder you put a link in. This eliminates the need to jump from one account to the next account, to the next account, to …

It is not seldom for me to have two or three different instances of Krita running at the same time from one account, using the following string in a Windows-Link:
runas /user:xyz /savecred "path to the Krita.exe you want to run"

Below you can find a maybe better description with a screenshot showing how such a *.LNK has to look like, and also a screenshot showing 7 different Krita’s, from Version 3.3 over two 4.4.8 to several 5.x.x ALPHA / BETA-Versions running parallel (at the same time) on my PC.

Want to try Krita 5 Beta

You can also run the version of Krita to be tested, after you have created a new user account, from your standard user account. If you use the command “runas /user:NEW-USERNAME” with a shortcut, or start the shortcut to the Krita installation of the new account each time by right clicking on the shortcut and selecting the menu item “Run as different user…”, where you then enter the name and password of the new account each time. For this I have set up shortcuts that pass this command as a param…

Michelist

[BobF]

Thanks for the tips folks. I’ll set up whatever I need to, but the way the DAW platforms I test work is pretty sweet.

The software installation folder can be changed so that each version is installed to its own folder. Additionally, the resources are also segregated by version, with a prompt to bring the prior resources into the new installation.

This obviously takes more disk space, but has the benefit of leaving user error out of the equation for managing/using several version installations.

The added benefit is that more folks are willing to test because the overhead and risk are both low.

I’m sure I can manage to get a process down for Krita. Just providing some food for thought

Thanks again