This can be frustrating for some people, but is a consequence of the fact that the product has not yet released commercially. Since users are not paying for the program, frustration based on poor customer service is usually forgiven as bugs and errors disappear with each patch or update. Some products remain a beta version for years, during which time they may be used by a wide audience as if they were full versions. A beta version can also refer to a website that is made available to test its features and gain audience feedback.
During this time, certain features might not function properly. This process is often used to ensure compatibility between the code for the site and different web browsers and computer systems. Beta version sites are frequently first placed on secret domains that are only available to their test audience, before being transferred to their real domains for public viewing and use.
The word "beta" comes from the second letter in the Greek alphabet and originated with early hardware tests for International Business Machines IBM computers. If there are conflicts with other programs or hardware, beta testing should reveal most of them. Since a beta release has not been fully tested for bugs, it comes with a warning that anyone who downloads and uses it is doing so at his or her own risk. When testing the newest release of a program that already exists on the computer, some testers opt to load the beta release into its own folder.
If the release has a rollback option built into the install process, this should suffice, though backing up important files is always recommended. This release falls somewhere along the home stretch of the software development cycle. Some beta software programs even have a built-in feedback feature that allows users to submit feature requests or bugs directly to the developer. In most cases, a software developer will release multiple "beta" versions of a program during the beta phase.
Each version includes updates and bug fixes that have been made in response to user feedback. The beta phase may last anywhere from a few weeks for a small program to several months for a large program. Each beta version is typically labeled with the final version number followed by a beta version identifier. For example, the fifth beta release of the second version of a software program may have the version number "2.
Since beta software is a pre-release version of the final application , it may be unstable or lack features that will be be included in the final release. Therefore, beta software often comes with a disclaimer that testers should use the software at their own risk. If you choose to beta test a program, be aware that it may not function as expected. The definition of Beta Software on this page is an original TechTerms.
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