What is a beta file?

[Want-to-know]

I have gone to a website that lets me download updates of programs I already have. However, some are also in Beta versions?

What is a beta version and should I avoid them or download. Any assistance would be helpful.

Thanks.

[Squitty]

A beta version is one that may not be quite finished but good enough for you to evaluate or use.
It is usually working but not 100% so expect some failures.

As to the damage - it depends on the software & what it does. I wouldnt avoid them unless I thought it might do some damage to other software or files.

good luck

[VHG]

>A beta version is one that may not be quite finished but >good enough for you to evaluate or use.

Not totally true.

It is true a beta version is one the software developmnt people have released before it has been finished, but "not quite finished" is not always true.

You can have a number of beta releases of a product and an early beta can be very poor quality, even with parts that dont work.

Some large products can half half a dozen beta versions.

As the product gets nearer to release date the beta code can get better, but you should never run beta software on a machine with important data on it in case it crashes.

[Buenchico]

(2-part post):

When developing new software, programmers eventually reach a stage where 'on paper' everything seems to be perfect. As far as they can tell, the program is bug-free and should 'do exactly what it says on the label' without any problems.

However, they know that it would be unrealistic to claim that the program was perfect until it has been tested 'in the real world'. So they offer the program to potential users as a 'beta' version, and request that users report any bugs to the development team.

Some programmers are extremely good at their jobs and most users of their 'beta' programs will never identify any faults. (It might only be users of the program's most advanced, and rarely used, functions who find something wrong. Or it might just be users with a certain type of processor or graphics card in their PCs). Other programmers aren't as good at their jobs, meaning that their 'beta' software is full of errors, and causes countless problems to the majority of its users. Most beta software falls into the former category but you need to be aware that there may be potential problems (possibly causing your computer to crash) if you're unfortunate enough to try some software which is incompatible with your PC.

[Buenchico]

Theoretically, only 'techies' should use beta programs, so that they're well-equipped to report (and possibly analyse) any bugs. In practice, lots of people want to be the first to try something new, so hundreds of thousands of people will trial the beta versions of (for example) new web browsers. They usually do so without any problems but, as stated, there can be no guarantees that the program won't be full of bugs.

Chris

(PS: Some unethical companies actually pretend that their beta programs are the final product, advertise them in a blaze of glory, and get their customers to pay full price for them. A few months later, they start issuing 'service packs' to bring the product somewhere closer to where it should have been before being released onto the market. The worst offender, by far, is Microsoft).

[Want-to-know]

Thank you all for your answers. I think I might avoid the Beta files, in case I have problems with them..