beta /bay't*/, /be't*/ or (Commonwealth) /bee't*/
n.
1. Mostly working, but still under test; usu. used with `in':
`in beta'. In the Real World,
systems (hardware or software) software often go through two
stages of release testing: Alpha (in-house) and Beta
(out-house?). Beta releases are generally made to a group of
lucky (or unlucky) trusted customers. 2. Anything that is new and
experimental. "His girlfriend is in beta" means that he is still
testing for compatibility and reserving judgment. 3. Flaky;
dubious; suspect (since beta software is notoriously buggy).
Historical note: More formally, to beta-test is to test a
pre-release (potentially unreliable) version of a piece of
software by making it available to selected (or self-selected)
customers and users. This term derives from early 1960s
terminology for product cycle checkpoints, first used at IBM but
later standard throughout the industry. `Alpha Test' was the
unit, module, or component test phase; `Beta Test' was initial
system test. These themselves came from earlier A- and B-tests
for hardware. The A-test was a feasibility and manufacturability
evaluation done before any commitment to design and development.
The B-test was a demonstration that the engineering model
functioned as specified. The C-test (corresponding to today's
beta) was the B-test performed on early samples of the production
design, and the D test was the C test repeated after the model
had been in production a while.