Greetings fellow LoadRunner Gurus! This is the introductory entry to the new LoadRunner @ hp.com blog, written by yours truly - Mark Tomlinson, the Product Manager for LoadRunner here at HP Software.

As you might be expecting a lengthy personal introduction for the first blog entry, I've decided to not deliver on that foolishly stereotypical initiation. Instead I'd like to start off here with a few opportunities to engage with you directly for the betterment of LoadRunner's future.

First, we are looking for a few good and challenging applications for LoadRunner to go after - as a our New Horizon research team are developing some very new exciting solutions for advanced client record and replay. If you got an application with any extreme architecture including:

1. Web v2.0 or Rich Internet Applications on Java, .NET or Adobe
2. Multi-multi-multi-protocol…like a mashed-up app with several backend systems
3. Encoded/Serialized or Secured communication protocols
4. Asynchronous, multi-threaded client(s) or data-push technologies
5. Any combination or all of the above.

If you have a challenge for LoadRunner, we'd love to hear from you.

Second, we have a new release of LoadRunner coming soon and we are just getting our plans for the early-access beta program put together. If you're an existing customer and you're interested in getting into our formal beta program for LoadRunner drop us an email. We have an early-access program that does require your feedback, production usage and reference for the new release. We'd love to have your support for all that - but I certainly understand some folks just want to share some feedback on the new stuff. We need that also, if that's all you can do.

Lastly, I'd love to hear from you - so drop me an email (loadrunner at hp . com). What do you love about the product, what do you not like so much? What kinds of testing are you doing? What new applications are you being asked to test? How do you get your testing done? How do you generate meaning from the load test results? What is your favorite BBQ restaurant? Let me know your thoughts and feedback - the good, the bad, the ugly. I have been using LoadRunner for nearly 15 years - so I plan include your input into our strategy for moving forward with innovating our solutions. I will post back weekly with some Q&A, if you'd like to share the conversation with our community.

Again - all of these initiatives are really important to the future of LoadRunner. Your participation is encouraged and greatly appreciated!

Thanks - and again, welcome to the blog!