id software's Graeme "Zaphod" Devine updated his .plan with word that, in a surprising bout of cross-platform-ness, the Mac version of the Quake III Arena test will be the first version released, perhaps as early as this weekend:

The test is not coming out tonight, but we do have a Macintosh candidate ready to go. If all goes well tonight, it will be out over the weekend. The Linux/Win32 builds are not yet ready.

The test version of Quake 3 Arena is just that, a test, and as such we here at id software need to have some controls over it as we start to test it out publicly. Without these controls we cannot actively track and improve the product in a manageable manner.

We wanted, and are eager to be completely "out there" on all platforms, but the OpenGL drivers the product needs for all the platforms are not yet finalized. By launching on the Mac first it gives the various 3D board manufacturers some time to get their Win32 OpenGL 3D drivers certified with Microsoft. We're using, and depend on, the latest and greatest drivers and want to be able to distribute those drivers for the Win32 platform.

The Macintosh market is smaller than the Win32 market, and has less configuration options than the Linux market. There is only a single OpenGL driver, and the hardware is essentially always the same. This is an ideal "controlled" environment for the initial testing. Basically, if there is a huge issue with the initial release we're exposing a smaller audience to it. This turns out to be a good thing.

The plan is to release the Macintosh version first, followed by the Linux version, followed by the Win32 version. We will release on the other platforms as soon as possible. We will rev the other platforms as we make new releases.

I hope you understand and agree with this decision/process. It is a good step towards a timely release of the full demo and retail product.