Software release life cycle#Beta

The term beta test refers to the software testing and program debugging of a software product, which is currently in the development stage of a beta version.

Under certain circumstances (especially when proprietary products ) this still incomplete software which however is only a selected group of people available. For this selection, there are several possibilities:

• Interested users can sign in a public tender (for example, the Internet ) for a beta test.
• The software producer provides the beta version a small self 's chosen group of people available.
• The beta testers are solely employees of the manufacturer or a service provider specially commissioned.

In both variants, the latter can no longer be called a public beta test. Beta testing can also be problematic for software producers, since the control of the most unwanted disclosure of beta versions of other people ( Leak ) is very difficult and so in a wider circle of potential customers a false impression may arise from the software. Proprietary products are therefore not subject to public beta test usually.

In the software industry, it has become common in recent years, in a public beta test phase ( free ) surrendered software to end-users to test stability and accuracy as inexpensive as possible. In this context, one often finds the concept of banana goods ( " ripens at the customer "). It is assumed here by customers that a product that they perceive as flawed, actually is still in the beta phase, although it is already sold.

• Test (software)