The Biz of Coding

The 3 Different Definitions of Beta Software

by Ujwal Tickoo on July 30th, 2007

With the wide acceptance of the Web 2.0 definition of software in "Perpetual Beta" – "Beta Software" has acquired additional meaning. Next time before you click the "I Accept" button you might want to consider what the "Beta Software" actually offers you.

Here are three possible definitions and each have different implications for the stability of your PC, or your data or your peace of mind:

1. A "New Idea" Software seeking User feedback
2. Software in "Soft Launch" mode – aka "Gentle Deployment"
3. Software seeking "Quality Assurance" feedback from a wider set of users having different computer configurations that are not possible in Quality labs of companies

1) New Idea : Beta Software

This is the kind of Beta Software you will often find on Yahoo! Next or Google Labs or even from an early stage Web 2.0 Startup. The expectation of the Software Vendor is that you play with their cool product, provide feedback, spread the word, or just blog about it.

Verdict Green OR Red Light: The light is Green if you are an Innovator or Early Adopter Consumer type — people who like to play with new software and talk knowledgeably about it.

The light is Red if you are looking for free software to just get your work done. Search more for software that is a bit more widely tested, adopted and commented upon.

2) Gentle Deployment : Beta Software

Typically Beta Software that is under Gentle Deployment is fairly close to wider adoption but the Software company still wants to see how mainstream users will react to the featurs or change(s) that have been introduced. GMail was in Gentle Deployment mode for a fairly long time.

Verdict Green Light: For most users upto the Early Majority this version of Beta is typically stable and worth checking out. If you are amongst the first users to learn the new set of short-cuts you can even give tips to newbies.

3) Need Quality Assurance (QA) : Beta Software

This is Beta Software that has been tested by Quality Engineers in a software company but still not ready for mass deployment because not all possible PC configurations have been tested. Microsoft and Adobe often run these kinds of Beta Tests for newer versions of their existing software.

Example: Vista was in Beta for a long time. Similarly Adobe releases beta versions of Acrobat. These versions can often cause problems due to incompatibility with some 3d party utility or extension or free software — that could have been overlooked during in-house quality tests.

Verdict Green OR Red Light: The light is Green if you are in the IT department of a company where such software would get ultimately deployed.

The light is Red if you are looking for free software to get your work done or just excited to try a new product release of your favoriet software. Let the IT guys in your company check this baby out and let you know if it is OK to install!

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