A beta release is a new version of software that hasn’t been fully tested for bugs yet. It can be open or closed, and testers sign up for beta mailing lists. Beta testing reveals conflicts with other programs or hardware. Users should back up important files before downloading a beta version. The beta release is part of the early stretch of the software development cycle, which eventually leads to a stable release.
A beta release is a new version of a software program that hasn’t been fully tested for bugs yet. Once tested to the satisfaction of the author, owner, or organization, it is released as the latest stable version of the software. At this point the software will go from being, for example, “version 4.0b” (for beta), to “version 4.0”. It may also work under a codename while in beta.
A beta version can be open or closed. An open version is normally available to the public for download and testing. A closed beta is only available to a specific group of beta testers.
Many computer enthusiasts enjoy being beta testers and often sign up for beta mailing lists with software companies. The upside to the software company is that the version can be tested by dozens of real-world users, each using unique computer systems with a variety of hardware and software. If there are conflicts with other programs or hardware, beta testing should reveal most of them.
Because a beta version hasn’t been fully tested for bugs, it comes with a warning that anyone who downloads and uses it does so at their own risk. When testing the latest version of a program that already exists on their computer, some testers choose to upload the beta version to their own folder. That way, if it causes problems and needs to be uninstalled, it won’t harm the pre-existing program.
The disadvantage of testing a beta version this way is that the user’s personal configuration or files from the full version are not carried over to the installation. If your version has a rollback option built into the installation process, that should be sufficient, although it’s always a good idea to back up important files.
This release falls somewhere along the early stretch of the software development cycle. First comes the pre-alpha stage, which involves actual feature development and general coding. Once the software is compiled and ready for internal testing, it is in the alpha stage. Only after internal testing has been completed does the software move into the beta release stage; eventually reaching the third and final stage to become a stable release.
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