The word Beta is showing up every where, Yahoo. Weight Watchers site and so on. Can someone tell me what Beta is, I mean I'm assuming it's a new software but I feel like I'm in the dark ages not knowing about it. Thanks.
2006-10-12 01:47:16 · 7 answers · asked by BIZ Z 3 in Computers & Internet ➔ Other - Computers
it's a new edition or a new product that a company makes but there are still bugs in it, so they let consumers test it out to see where there needs to be fixing. for example microsoft released the beta version of office 2007 and lets consumers test it out for free.
2006-10-12 01:49:38 · answer #1 · answered by stitchfan85 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Every website, application and the like goes through various stages of development, and each stage needs testing.
Alpha testing: done only with the programmers and developers themselves. This is when they run the program on their own machine to see if they missed anything.
Beta: When they feel it's okay to run on other machines, the program comes into beta testing. This is, in the case of websites, generally a public release. Beta is when a program or site isn't finished, but is complete enough to let others use and suggest what the users might want to see implemented.
Beta" is also a buzzword used with "new" features. If a site introduces a chatroom, it is called "Chatroom Beta" primarily to test it with a large amount of users but also to make the company or website releasing it sound "cool" or "edgy".
Most user-based programs and sites are eternally in beta mode, especially larger ones like Gaia Online or MySpace - there's always *something* to be done; though the sites either don't make the status known, or use the "beta testing" excuse to squirm out of otherwise inexcusable 404's and program crashes.
Hope that's helped a bit. Try wikipedia, it has most of the information you need and you dont need to wait for other users to answer you.
2006-10-12 02:01:40 · answer #2 · answered by Aisha C 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A beta version or beta release usually represents the first version of a computer program that implements all features in the initial software requirements specification. It is likely to be unstable but useful for internal demonstrations and previews to select customers, but not yet ready for release.
(Source: from a previous Yahoo response)
2006-10-12 01:49:45 · answer #3 · answered by Carella 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Beta is used to refer to software or a product that is not final, but usable for the general public to try out. More than likely there will be bugs and problems uncovered and those get fixed before the general release.
2006-10-12 01:49:39 · answer #4 · answered by thunder2sys 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Beta means its still on the trial stage.. they usually release Beta version to see how the end users will react to it and to fix or change flaws before introducing the program to the market.
2006-10-12 01:50:09 · answer #5 · answered by Jon 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Beta means experimental version of a program , before the original program is released
2006-10-12 01:50:42 · answer #6 · answered by Luay14 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It means they're testing the new version of the website they're running. It might have bugs, and it might change without notice.
Its called the Beta testing stage.
2006-10-12 01:50:52 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋