1. Mostly working, but still under test; usu. used with "in": in
beta. In the {Real World}, hardware or software systems 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.
[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {crash and burn}{dogfood}{not ready for prime time}]