Hey, everyone! I’m sure you’re all excited to get your hands on Termina for macOS, the macOS version of SpriteKit Termina, soon; I’m getting excited just preparing everything for a smooth period of testing. I’ve got some exciting news regarding the future of Termina for macOS and its availability.

A new beta program?

I’m pleased to announce that, starting December 5, 2018, the Termina project will be launching its first beta program for Termina for macOS. The beta program will be a great means of testing Termina for macOS and getting feedback from you, the audience, on what we can do better to make Termina for macOS the best product yet. Typically, I’d make a ‘developer’ channel for releases via Homebrew and update it that way; however, because Termina for macOS builds typically take longer to make (specially because of some new CocoaPods frameworks), doing it like this is a bit impractical.

How the beta program works

Though the beta program is not open yet, I’d like to discuss how it will all work out. When you head to the beta program web page and sign up, you’ll be able to get downloads from Visual Studio AppCenter, Microsoft’s platform for testing, analysing, and distributing apps. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t provide TestFlight for macOS, so I have to resort to AppCenter. Suffice to say, there are a few things of note with Termina for macOS Beta Program builds:

  • AppCenter gives me the ability to track down errors and crashes, as well as other analytical data that may help me make the app better. This does mean that the app will access AppCenter and send analytical data from your device. However, I want to make it very clear that I will not be attempting to get your player data or anything that would tie you to a report; I don’t care if you keep dying and somehow are still stuck at level 5.
  • Because AppCenter gives me extra data, I have implemented a “license agreement” of sorts that you need to read before signing up. Again, I just want you guys to be aware of the analytical reports and stuff so you aren’t alarmed when you see network connections going to VS AppCenter.
  • In the stable release(s) of Termina for macOS, analytical data and tracking is disabled, mostly because I don’t want the data getting jumbled up between the stable version and the beta version. Either way, it’s not needed that the final build sends data, so I’ll disable it.

When does the program start?

Again, the program will start December 5, 2018 unless something happens in which I can’t get it ready by then. If you think you’ll forget, don’ worry; you can use the button below to add a reminder to your calendar (thanks to AddEvent).

Remind me 12/5/2018 12/5/2018 true Termina for macOS Beta Program Launch Date You can start participating in the Termina for macOS Beta Program today and getting the latest build.


As of right now, there is no planned release date (aka. end of the beta program).

How do I send feedback?

Sending feedback in the Termina for macOS Beta Program is relatively easy. The quickest way to do this is opening Termina and then going to Help › Send Feedback. Alternatively, you can head to the beta report issue page on GitHub yourself and file the report that way.

Note: you’ll need a GitHub account to file an issue.

What will happen when the program ends?

For now, I’m assuming that the program will close off submissions/registrations and you’ll need to get Termina for macOS either from the Mac App Store or GitHub. I’m still undecided if I will keep the program going after the initial stable release of the game.

I hope this answers some questions and whatnot about the upcoming beta program and how it should function. I can’t wait to get a beta build out and ready!

Cover photo credit: unsplash-logoMimi Thian