**FIRST EMAIL**/Invitation to Beta test the New Control System

[GaryVoshol]

Everyone needs go back and read the first goal for this program:

* Give as many teams as possible early hands-on exposure to the 2009 control system;

This will NOT be a case of one team gets the software to play with on their own, and everyone else gets to listen to seminars or read blogs. Successful team applications to get the beta-test will have to show how they are going to share it with others. I've already spoken with a mentor of a team likely to apply, and told him to include our team in their application for sharing the test, as an example of a team whose programmer has graduated. FIRST will no doubt be interested in finding out how user-friendly this system is for newbies. But they aren't going to give it to a newbie who can only test basic functions. Veteran teams are more likely to have advanced features on their robots.

In fact, I suspect several "powerhouse veteran" teams will submit joint applications. FIRST would be hard-pressed to decide which is the ONE best team to test the system in New England, or CA, or MI, or TX, or NY. A successful application will point out the multitude of functions that can be checked using 2 or 3 or 4 machines. Want to test standard drive, mechanum, crab? That will require more than one machine. Want to test more than one auto/hybrid mode? Want to test multiple limit switches, sensors, etc? Give the new controls to a team that will share them with as many teams as possible, and you'll get the widest test possible.