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[Dream party]

I'm new here. Can you explain what a " beta " download is , why i should take it or not. I'm on Vista. Thanks for your help.
Stephanie

[wenczmastah]

beta means test..

[torontolife]

Beta means software that is under testing. When software is just freshly made and not tested, it is called Alpha. After the makers test it a bit and fix the problems they can find, the corrected version is sent to a group of people who test it. This is called Beta (Alpha, Beta .. get it?) The testers, who can be volunteers, are called beta-testers.

Beta software can contain unexpected errors, leading to possible crashes, loss of your data etc. So unless you want any latest features that can be found only in the beta, you would generally be advised to stick to the stable releases of the software, and not use the beta.

[gbaxtin]

beta is one step behind what they call "full production" status, which is the first version of the product after Beta. Obviously there are continual changes and updates that are made, but full production is the first step.