What does the terms like "Alpha" and "Beta" mean in software release?

Mozilla 3.6 Beta Version

Let us analyze each term of the above.

Mozilla-Name of the organisation or the software

3.6-Release version(generally starts from 1.0)

You may be familliar with the above terms but what does the term "Beta" mean?On some softwares you will find this as "Alpha".

What exactly these terms mean?

These are the terms related to the Software Release Cycle.

. The software release life cycle is composed of discrete phases that describe the software's maturity as it advances from planning and development to release and support phases.

Let us have a look at the different stages of software release cycle:

 

1.Developement Stage

        a.Pre Alpha

        b.Alpha

        c.Beta

        d.open and closed Beta

2.Release

        a.RTM(Release To Marketing)

        b.General Availability

3.Support

        a.Service Release

        b.End of life

Developement Stage

Pre Alpha Version:

Pre-alpha refers to all activities performed during the software project prior to testing. These activities can include requirements analysis, software design, software development and unit testing.

In typical open source development, there are several types of pre-alpha versions. Milestone versions include specific sets of functions and are released as soon as the functionality is complete

Alpha:

The alpha phase of the release life cycle is the first phase to begin Software testing.

Alpha software can be unstable and could cause crashes or data loss.

The alpha phase usually ends with a feature freeze, indicating that no more features will be added to the software. At this time, the software is said to be feature complete.

Beta:

"Beta" is the software development phase following alpha, named after the Greek letter beta. It generally begins when the software is feature complete. The focus of beta testing is reducing impacts to users, often incorporating usability testing. The process of delivering a beta version to the users is called beta release.

The users of a beta version are called beta testers. They are usually customers or prospective customers of the organization that develops the software, willing to test the software for free or for a reduced price.

Beta version software is likely to be useful for internal demonstrations and previews to select customers. Some developers refer to this stage as a preview, a prototype, a technical preview (TP) or as an early access.

Open and closed beta:

Developers release either a closed beta or an open beta; closed beta versions are released to a select group of individuals for a user test, while open betas are to a larger community group, usually the general public. The testers report any bugs that they found and sometimes minor features they would like to see in the final version.

Examples of a major public beta test were Microsoft's release of community technology previews (CTPs) for Windows Vista in January 2005. In September 2000, a boxed version of Apple Computer's Mac OS X Public Beta operating system was released.

 Release candidate:

The term release candidate (RC) refers to a version with potential to be a final product, ready to release unless fatal bugs emerge. In this stage of product stabilization, all product features have been designed, coded and tested through one or more beta cycles with no known showstopper-class bug.

During the 1990s, Apple Inc. used the term "golden master" for its release candidates, and the final golden master was used as the general availability release. Other Greek letters, such as gamma and delta, are sometimes used to indicate versions that are substantially complete, but still undergoing testing, with omega or zenith used to indicate final testing versions that are believed to be relatively bug-free, ready for production.

A release is called code complete when the development team agrees that no entirely new source code will be added to this release. There may still be source code changes to fix defects. There may still be changes to documentation and data files, and to the code for test cases or utilities. New code may be added in a future release.

Release

RTM

The term "release to manufacturing" or "release to marketing" (both abbreviated RTM)—also known as "going gold"—is used to indicate that the software has met a defined quality level and is ready for mass distribution either by electronic means or by physical media. RTM usually means the software is actually released; in most cases it would mean that the software is being released to manufacturers, for pre-installation on ready machines, or for the manufacturer to adjust the software for their manufactured hardware and settings. The term does not define the delivery mechanism; it only states that the quality is sufficient for mass distribution. The deliverable from the engineering organization is frequently in the form of a gold master CD used for duplication or to produce the image for the web.

RTM happens prior to general availability (GA) when the product is released to the public.

General Availibility

General availability or General Acceptance (GA) is the point where all necessary commercialization activities have been completed and the software has been made available to the general market either via the web or physical media.

Support

Service Release

During its supported lifetime, software is sometimes subjected to service releases, or service packs. As a well used example, Microsoft's Windows XP has currently had 3 major Service Packs.

Such service releases contain a collection of updates, fixes and/or enhancements, delivered in the form of a single installable package. They may also contain entirely new features.

Certain software is released with the expectation of regular support. Classes of software that generally involve protracted support as the norm include Anti-virus suites and Massively Multiplayer Online Games.

End Of Life

When software is no longer sold or supported, the product is said to have reached end-of-life.

 

Hope the informations are clear...

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