Testing a pre-release (potentially unreliable) version of a piece of software by making it available to selected users. This term derives from early 1960s terminology for product cycle checkpoints, first used at ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=IBM">IBM but later standard throughout the industry. "ef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=Alpha test">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 theengineering model functioned as specified. The C-test (corresponding to today' s beta) was the B-test performed on early samples of the production design. An item "in beta test" is thus mostly working but still under test. In theef="module.php?name=Lexikon&file=search&eid=1&query=Real World">Real World, systems (hardware or software) often go through two stages of release testing: Alpha (in-house) and Beta (out-house?). Beta releases are generally made available to a small number of lucky (or unlucky), trusted customers. (1996-11-05)
