LR4 beta - stable? Can keep using LR3?

[PeterAit]

I am considering trying the beta but need to know that my LR3 will keep working.

[Walter Schulz]

It will. Been there, done that.
http://blogs.adobe.com/lightroomjournal/2012/01/lr4betanowavailable.html
"Lightroom 4 beta will not overwrite or interfere with a machine that currently has Lightroom 1, Lightroom 2 or Lightroom 3 installed."

Ciao, Walter

[Remo Nonaz]

I have been using LR4b for about three weeks. Initially it had some issues. Within two days, the 64-bit version started crashing about every minute. I switched to the 32-bit version and it was fine. Then after a few hours, it too had issues. I went back to the 64-bit version and it has been rock-solid since. No further stability issues.

I don't know if it makes any difference, but I do not have LR3.

I have no idea what the early-use problems were, but the software seems to have sorted itself out. It's a good package. Give it whirl.

[wolfnowl]

I've been using LR4 since it first came out and I like the new features a lot.  In LR3 I have 'autowrite to .xmp' enabled but in LR4 I turned this off so that any changes I make to images in LR4 are stored only in the catalog.  It is completely independent of LR3, however. Until a shipping version is available you can't import an LR3 catalog into LR4.

Mike.

[Rhossydd]

It's fine.
I'm running duplicate images in a new trial catalogue, so no danger of disturbing my old catalogue or xmp sidecars. Which is enough for me to see what's changing, if I like it and getting a head start on learning the new feature set.
I had a couple of crashes during the first few experiments, but recent sessions have been acceptably stable.

I'll upgrade to 4 when released and let it loose onto my old catalogue and existing images when I've read a few happy stories of other's experience being OK.