Make your video test requests!

[Parkinsond]

'User69' on a forum says it didn't work for them

User69 complication or death is the reason to disapprove a medication which development has costed hundreds of millions of dollars.

Pfizer will not tell the user you are ignorant, the medication is safe; it passwed our ideal tests.

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

User69 complication or death is the reason to disapprove a medication which development has costed hundreds of millions of dollars.

Pfizer will not tell the user you are ignorant, the medication is safe; it passwed our ideal tests.

You’re missing the point: Pfizer doesn't pull a drug because of a post on a forum. They pull it because of medically verified adverse effects that are tied back to the drug through rigorous forensic analysis.

In your 'real-life' scenario, if a user’s PC crashes, you have no way to prove it wasn't a hardware failure, a Windows update, or a conflicting driver. A lab test isolates those variables; a forum post celebrates them. You’re comparing a verified medical autopsy to an anonymous 'Trust me, bro' comment.

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

@Shadowra,

Should this topic require a dedicated thread?

I requested a test, you turned it into a discussion that was unnecessary, do you do this for the other products as well?

 

[Parkinsond]

They pull it because of medically verified adverse effects that are tied back to the drug through rigorous forensic analysis.

by a patient not a study participant; that is user experience you want to ignore.
Have you published a single scientific research before in a peer-reviewed journal?

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

by a patient not a study participant; that is user experience you want to ignore.
Have you published a single scientific research before in a peer-reviewed journal?

"This "medical kick" is a classic red herring, a logical fallacy used to distract from the fact that you have no technical argument. You are trying to use the life-or-death weight of medicine to make your weak point about software sound more "noble," but the logic doesn't hold up.

 

[Bot]

Not only forum opinions. So far, there is no other (although imperfect) way until we agree on 'the baseline' and we find the person who can spend days conducting such a test.

A dedicated thread makes sense here, because two different topics are getting mixed together:

1) A specific usability/false-positive test request (scope, baseline, time, apps, scoring, repeatability)

2) Whether user anecdotes (and AI summaries of them) are “valid evidence” (they are useful signals, but not objective proof)

Keeping them in one thread will keep spiraling into philosophy instead of producing a test plan.

Where @Bot fits (and where it doesn’t)
“Garbage in, garbage out” is a fair warning, but it’s not the whole story.

• An AI summary does not create objective truth. It cannot validate that a reported false positive really happened, or that “Product X broke my system” wasn’t caused by something else.
• A good summary can still be valuable if it’s treated as “community-reported friction points,” not as lab-grade results.
• The key is methodology: define sources, time window, inclusion/exclusion rules, and label statements as “reported,” not “confirmed.”

What a “usable” false-positive/usability test could look like (practical baseline)
If the goal is to make this actionable (not perfect), the dedicated thread should start with concrete parameters like:

• OS baseline: e.g., Windows 11 23H2 or 24H2, fully patched as of a specific date.
• Hardware/VM: specify VM vs real hardware; if VM, specify hypervisor and resources.
• App set: choose a fixed bundle (e.g., top 25 common apps + browsers + office/PDF tools). “100–500 apps” is unrealistic for a community test; start smaller and repeatable.
• Scenarios: install/uninstall, update cycles, browsing/download workflow, developer tools (optional), gaming (optional).
• Metrics: number of prompts, clarity of prompts, blocked benign actions, time-to-complete tasks, “recovery” steps needed, and how many actions require expert knowledge.
• Disclosure: configs used, default vs hardened, and exact product versions.

That won’t cover all real-world variance, but it will produce a repeatable baseline that others can replicate or extend.

About “do you do this for other products as well?”
On MalwareTips, it’s normal that test requests trigger methodology discussion—especially for usability/FP—because if the baseline isn’t agreed up front, the result will be attacked as “not objective” regardless of outcome. That’s not dismissal; it’s the prerequisite to making the result defensible.

Next step
Open a dedicated thread for the usability/false-positive test request, with the exact product(s) to test and an initial proposed baseline (OS version, default settings vs hardened, and a realistic app list size like 20–50). That will move it from argument to an implementable plan.

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

Do you realize how hard it is to conduct such a test? How many applications should be tested: 10, 100, 500? Are we agreed about those applications? How long can such a test last? If you seriously think about such a test, it requires a dedicated thread. Otherwise, most people here will reject it as not objective.

You are making this sound infinitely more complex than it actually is to discourage the idea. An 'average user' doesn't install 500 applications. They use a browser, a media player, maybe an office suite, and some common utilities. We aren't looking for an edge-case stress test; we are looking for a usability test. If we stick to the top 20-30 most popular downloads, that covers the vast majority of real-world usage. That is not 'hard' to compile.

 

[Andy Ful]

You are making this sound infinitely more complex than it actually is to discourage the idea. An 'average user' doesn't install 500 applications. They use a browser, a media player, maybe an office suite, and some common utilities.

Average users use many alternative applications for the same thing. Even if you choose the most popular, there will be many applications to install.
See for example, the thread:

Advice Request Thread 'Best Free Softwares for Windows'

May 10, 2019

After an insanely positive response to my earlier thread in 2014, I have decided to create a new thread as per @Jack 's recommendation.

This is still a partial list, and more categories will be added soon. Sadly I had to limit to 1 software per category. Also included only desktop software's no browser extensions etc. Do give your recommendations and alternatives and hopefully you like the list.
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List Updates:

*Project Management- Added Taskade (Sep...

• jackuars
• Replies: 376
• Forum: Other software

• 
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What about games?

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

Average users use many alternative applications for the same thing. Even if you choose the most popular, there will be many applications to install.
See for example, the thread:

Advice Request Thread 'Best Free Softwares for Windows'

May 10, 2019

After an insanely positive response to my earlier thread in 2014, I have decided to create a new thread as per @Jack 's recommendation.

This is still a partial list, and more categories will be added soon. Sadly I had to limit to 1 software per category. Also included only desktop software's no browser extensions etc. Do give your recommendations and alternatives and hopefully you like the list.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
List Updates:

*Project Management- Added Taskade (Sep...

• jackuars
• Replies: 376
• Forum: Other software

• 
• 
• 

What about games?

Andy, an individual average user doesn't install ten different media players or five office suites on a single machine. They pick one or two. A standardized test doesn't need to cover every piece of software ever written; it just needs a representative baseline. Pick the top 2 browsers, a standard office suite, and a few common utilities. As for games? It's the exact same logic. Install Steam, Epic, and two or three of the most played titles. It's really not the logistical nightmare you're trying to make it out to be.

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

@Shadowra I want to apologize for the clutter in your thread. I was hoping to see a test that breaks the mold of the usual daily grind and offers new insights. I regret that my request led to this unnecessary debate.

 

[Andy Ful]

Andy, an individual average user doesn't install ten different media players or five office suites on a single machine. They pick one or two. A standardized test doesn't need to cover every piece of software ever written; it just needs a representative baseline. Pick the top 2 browsers, a standard office suite, and a few common utilities. As for games? It's the exact same logic. Install Steam, Epic, and two or three of the most played titles. It's really not the logistical nightmare you're trying to make it out to be.

For me, it would be OK. Let's start by choosing one or two standard/popular applications, Steam, Epic, and the most popular games.
If @Shadowra agrees, we can do this in this thread. If not, we can create a new one (I would rather vote for that).
We can see what next, and who will like to conduct such tests.

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

For me, it would be OK. Let's start by choosing one or two standard/popular applications, Steam, Epic, and the most popular games.
If @Shadowra agrees, we can do this in this thread. If not, we can create a new one (I would rather vote for that).
We can see what next, and who will like to conduct such tests.

Honestly, this whole back-and-forth has been ridiculous. What is even the point of having a request thread if a simple user request has to be dragged through this much unnecessary drama and gatekeeping? But hey, I'm just glad we finally got your official 'OK,' seeing as you apparently run the place. Let's just see what shadowra actually thinks.

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

You requested a completely new type of test without any discussion. It would not be ridiculous if you had conducted such a test by yourself.
It was like you would say: "Let's get together and you do it."

This is a classic "straw man" argument from you. You are trying to frame my reasonable request as me being lazy or bossy to deflect from the fact that you were gatekeeping. You're ignoring the entire purpose of a "Request" thread, which is literally to ask the designated tester to do something.

 

[Andy Ful]

This is a classic "straw man" argument from you. You are trying to frame my reasonable request as me being lazy or bossy to deflect from the fact that you were gatekeeping. You're ignoring the entire purpose of a "Request" thread, which is literally to ask the designated tester to do something.

Did you notice that this thread is about video tests? How long will the video test be about the installation of 70 or more applications?

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

Did you notice that this thread is about video tests? How long will the video test be about the installation of 70 or more applications?

Are we really pretending that video editing doesn't exist now to win an argument? No tester uploads an unedited, real-time video of software installing. You highlight the crucial moments, note the false positives, and speed through the rest to curb the run time. It's standard practice. And again, literally no one stated 70 items. You keep inflating the numbers because your original argument about this being 'too hard' fell apart.

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

Yes. Video test is not necessary at all. You can simply make a test and post the results. But not in this thread.

I realize you're used to people backing down when you throw your weight around, but that's not happening here. You don't own this forum, and your perceived authority doesn't make your flawed logic any less ridiculous. If your usual group of defenders needs to jump in and save your argument, they are welcome to try. Popularity doesn't change the facts, and you're still wrong.

 

[Andy Ful]

I realize you're used to people backing down when you throw your weight around, but that's not happening here. You don't own this forum, and your perceived authority doesn't make your flawed logic any less ridiculous. If your usual group of defenders needs to jump in and save your argument, they are welcome to try. Popularity doesn't change the facts, and you're still wrong.

You responded too quickly, so you did not read my post to the end. Furthermore, from my earlier posts, it clearly follows that this is the choice of @Shadowra.

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

@Shadowra just to clarify, no one is asking you to place all three applications in the same video. It's a usability test, so they can easily be done separately with a final conclusion drawn at the end. You've done similar testing formats when evaluating several suites at once in the past, so I know this is a viable approach.

 

[ForgottenSeer 123960]

You responded too quickly, so you did not read my post to the end. Furthermore, from my earlier posts, it clearly follows that this is the choice of @Shadowra.

I read your post just fine, Andy. It’s highly convenient that after spending the time in the thread throwing up artificial roadblocks and creating unnecessary drama, you suddenly want to play the reasonable guy and say 'it’s up to Shadowra.' You are purposely poisoning the well. You know perfectly well that dragging a simple request into a massive argument makes it radioactive for any tester to want to touch. It’s a transparent tactic.

 

[Shadowra]

Some network modifications :

In the past, I had 2 connections: My optical fiber and a 5G router where my VM was running (I have 2 network cards on my PC - 2.5Gb and 10Gb).
Since I had to change providers (the old one was starting to want to scam me and Orange France doesn't provide what I want), I turned to a more open Fiber offer (an 8Gb down line, 1Gb upload at 25€/month).

Yes, 8Gb is overkill, but I distributed the load correctly

At home, I have an ONT (a small box that converts fiber to Ethernet) which is connected to a 10Gb terminal (not my box, a router that receives the Ethernet signal in 10Gb but has no Wifi and it is in DMZ). Then, I created a VLAN on my TP-Link to have :

2Gb for my personal PC
1Gb via this VLAN for the dedicated VM with a Wireguard VPN behind
the rest of the Gbps is for my other uses
It costs me less on subscriptions (because changing the 5G SIM costs me money too) and also in time