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A release candidate is a functional version of software that is not yet ready for sale to the public. It has fewer issues than a beta version and undergoes extensive testing before being marketed. Bugs are fixed before it moves to the RTM phase.
A release candidate is a version of a software program that is usually not in its final form. While the version is functional, it is not yet ready to be offered for sale to the general public. An older version of the program may already be on the market and this new version is not ready for release, or it may be the very first version of a brand new product.
The terms “release candidate” and “beta version” are often used interchangeably, but they are not technically the same thing. Both refer to not fully tested functional programs. A release candidate, also known as a RC, has fewer identified issues that need to be fixed before the program can be market tested to a small consumer sector. Conversely, beta versions typically have more bugs that need to be fixed before being released to consumers for more extensive testing. This, in essence, technically makes the beta a precursor to an RC.
Of course, the ultimate goal of the release candidate is to emerge as an end product that will capture consumer interest and result in widespread popularity for the new software offering. Because consumers tend to have little or no patience with software that interacts poorly with existing programs and operating systems, developers undertake a great deal of testing and refinement of software products before the first consumer test is conducted. This will include trying the software on many different platforms and running it alongside other popular programs to determine if there are any negative consequences.
When bugs are discovered in a release candidate, the problem is fixed and testing continues to ensure that the fix has not created new problems. If bugs are found in the RC stage, usually only a number of fixes are needed. If more than one set of corrections are needed, it is likely that the product entered the RC stage prematurely. Once the developers are sure that the release candidate is efficient and does not have major problems, the program can move to the RTM phase. This means that the product can be released to marketing or production, which means that the product can now be mass-produced.
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