Why do they call it "beta" testing?
@RebeccaScarlett (2532)
Canada
January 29, 2011 7:23pm CST
Whenever there is a test version of something, they call it "beta". Why? Beta is the second letter of the Greek alphabet, so it should indicate something coming second, or after, not first, or before. But the beta version is the first version, before tweaks are made and the second version is released! Can anyone help me with this?
4 responses
@GloomCookieLex (6073)
• United States
30 Jan 11
It's the first wave of public release, second wave of the actual product. The first is the prototype, the product eeked out by the creators themselves and possibly colleagues to help test it. However, since it is such a minimal testing basis within a confined parameter, the product often has to be released for Beta testing as a public use trial run to see how the product fares in real-world application. A million users doing different things in different ways will find more discrepancies than a dozen educated engineers who know the inner workings of the product and know all of its idiosyncrasies, etc.
1 person likes this
@RebeccaScarlett (2532)
• Canada
31 Jan 11
Thanks for clearing that up. That's what was confusing me: beta being the first wave of public testing. It makes sense that it would be called beta if it is actually the second round of testing.
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
30 Jan 11
There's an alpha testing which is the first operational release of a software. The beta release comes second and the first standard release comes last. This is only when all the bugs are fixed.
@frontvisions101 (16043)
• Philippines
31 Jan 11
I have tackled upon coding before (Python) and with a high-end software, there are hundreds of commands and codes you would have to go through in order for you to locate the problem if ever there had been a bug that occured. The development team along with the testing team usually isn't enough to determine all of the bugs of a software so most of the time they release the final iteration of the software along with a "Report a bug" option, I don't know if you have encountered such a problem. If you have used a freeware before, this option is always available usually located in the Help menu in the menu bar. It means if the software crashes on you while you're using it, you can report it to the software's official bug support. This is useful for you and then both. For you because the software will be upgraded and you'll be able to use it more smoothly and for them because they are gonna eliminate another bug the testing team weren't able to locate earlier in the alpha and beta phase.
It means if the software crashes on you while you're using it, you can report it to the software's official bug support. This is useful for you and then both. For you because the software will be upgraded and you'll be able to use it more smoothly and for them because they are gonna eliminate another bug the testing team weren't able to locate earlier in the alpha and beta phase.@RebeccaScarlett (2532)
• Canada
31 Jan 11
I really had no idea there were so many testing phases, but I guess with how annoying it is to find a part of the program you're using doesn't work, it's in a developer's best interests to get all the bugs out!
@Chiang_Mai_boy (3882)
• Thailand
30 Jan 11
Actually there is something called alpha testing. It is usually confined to a small group of users and involves software that is quite unstable. After most of the bugs have been worked out the product is released to a larger but controlled group to test with a larger user base. final release of the finished product comes after the testing of the product is complete and reasonable stability can be assured.
@naokokensaku (529)
• Malaysia
30 Jan 11
This.
Alpha testing is much more confined than Beta, as it is limited to a very small amount of people to test that the software is ready for limited distribution. Once that's done, a demo version is released to the greater public, more commonly known as Beta testing, which is the second wave of testing.
After that, well, I suppose you know? :)
@RebeccaScarlett (2532)
• Canada
31 Jan 11
Thanks to both of you for the information. Since I don't know anything about computer programming I had no idea that software needs to be tested even to see if it's ready to be tested! (by the public)
But I do understand how easy it would be to type one character incorrectly in all those lines and lines of code, and that that will mess things up.
@raghul77ster (2132)
• India
30 Jan 11
I hope this link would help you to understand something:
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/B/beta_test.html
@RebeccaScarlett (2532)
• Canada
31 Jan 11
Thanks. I didn't know about webopedia.com. That will be helpful in the future!
