Beta Terms
Agreement
These Beta Terms and Conditions govern your access to and use of the beta version of Metis. By downloading, installing, opening, testing, or using the Metis beta application, you agree to these Terms.
If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not download, install, test, or use the beta version of Metis.
About Metis
Metis is a beta-stage Windows desktop application being developed to support PLS-SEM, Necessary Condition Analysis, IPMA, PLSpredict, model drawing, and research reporting workflows.
Metis is intended to support researchers, students, lecturers, supervisors, and research trainers who need a more accessible way to build, analyse, and report PLS-SEM-related models.
Beta Status
Metis is pre-release beta software. The application is still being tested, improved, and corrected. You understand that the beta version may contain bugs, errors, freezes, crashes, incomplete features, UI glitches, incorrect or unexpected outputs, missing warnings, performance issues, or compatibility issues on some Windows devices.
Your role as a beta tester is to help identify these issues so Metis can be improved before wider release.
Windows Only
At this stage, Metis is available for Windows only. It is not currently available for macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, or web-based use. You are responsible for ensuring that your device is suitable for installing and testing the beta version.
No Account Required
The Metis beta desktop application does not currently require users to create an account or sign in. However, you may need to register interest or provide contact details through the Metis website to receive beta access, download instructions, or testing updates.
Personal Access
Beta access is provided to you personally. You agree not to share private download links, share installer files publicly, resell access, redistribute the beta application, upload the installer to public websites or file-sharing platforms, share access tokens, or present the beta as your own software.
If someone wants to test Metis, they should register through the official Metis website.
Acceptable Use
You agree to use Metis only for lawful testing, research, learning, teaching, or evaluation purposes. You agree not to use Metis for illegal purposes, disrupt the website or app distribution process, reverse engineer the app except where allowed by law, remove branding or attribution notices, misrepresent research results, or use Metis in a way that infringes the rights of others.
Verify Results Independently
Metis is provided as beta software. You must independently verify all statistical results before relying on them, including PLS-SEM results, bootstrapping results, PLSpredict outputs, NCA outputs, IPMA outputs, measurement model results, structural model results, diagnostic outputs, exported tables, and reports.
You should compare important outputs with established tools, scripts, manual checks, or expert review before using them in theses, journal submissions, consultancy reports, policy work, or other formal outputs.
No High-Stakes Use
The beta version of Metis should not be used as the sole basis for high-stakes, regulated, legal, financial, medical, employment, safety, or institutional decisions. If you use Metis outputs in academic or professional work, you are responsible for checking the results carefully.
Feedback
You may submit feedback through the Metis website, the Feedback tab inside the app, email, or any official feedback channel provided by the Metis team. Feedback may include bug reports, usability comments, screenshots, feature requests, output comparisons, performance observations, and suggestions about Metis workflows.
By submitting feedback, you allow Metis to use, review, reproduce, modify, analyse, and incorporate that feedback into the software, documentation, website, research communication, or future product development without payment or obligation to you. We may contact you to clarify feedback if you provide contact details.
Confidential Beta Materials
Unless Metis publicly releases the same materials, you agree not to publicly repost or redistribute private beta materials, including private download links, installer files, internal beta instructions, unreleased feature details, or private tester communications.
You may discuss your testing experience privately with the Metis team. If you want to publicly post about Metis during the beta period, please avoid sharing installer files or private access links.
Updates and Access
Metis may release updated beta builds from time to time. Features may be added, removed, renamed, redesigned, limited, or changed during the beta period. Some feedback may be addressed quickly, while other suggestions may be placed on a future roadmap or declined if they are outside the current scope.
We may suspend or revoke beta access if we believe a tester has breached these Terms, misused the software, redistributed private files, attempted to reverse engineer the app, or used Metis in a harmful or misleading way.
No Warranty
Metis is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we make no warranties, guarantees, or representations that Metis will be error-free, uninterrupted, correct in every case, compatible with every Windows device, suitable for your specific research needs, fixed within a specific time, or unchanged in future versions.
Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Metis and its team will not be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages arising from your use of the beta software. This includes loss of data, loss of work, research errors, incorrect analysis, missed deadlines, publication issues, device issues, software conflicts, loss of opportunity, reputational harm, or reliance on unverified outputs.
Your use of Metis is at your own risk.
Your Datasets
You are responsible for the datasets you use with Metis. You should not use datasets that contain confidential, sensitive, personal, restricted, or third-party data unless you have the legal and ethical right to do so. You should avoid submitting private datasets through feedback channels unless specifically requested and covered by a separate agreement.
Intellectual Property
Metis, including its name, interface, design, branding, logo, documentation, software structure, and related materials, belongs to the Metis team or its rightful owners. These Terms do not transfer ownership of Metis to you. You receive only limited permission to use the beta version for testing and evaluation.
Third-Party Components
Metis may rely on third-party packages, libraries, frameworks, or services. Those components may be subject to their own licences and terms. The statistical engine and related analytical workflows may include or interact with open-source statistical packages, which remain governed by their own licences where applicable.
Privacy, Law, and Contact
Your use of the Metis website, beta registration, download process, and feedback channels is also governed by the Metis Privacy Policy.
These Terms are governed by the laws of Ghana, unless another applicable law is required. Any disputes will be handled by the courts or competent authorities of Ghana, unless applicable law provides otherwise.
We may update these Terms as Metis develops. If we make significant changes, we may notify registered testers by email or through the website.