tks Krabby, what is Beta> apologies bit of a luddite (we know the Grenadier is Beta than everything else)
Beta testing with software is when a select group of people have access to and utilize something new to work out the kinks. It's often the final step before things go live to the masses. Truth be told, all of you early adopter guys have been beta testing the Grenadier for all of us!
From our good friends at
Wikipedia:
"
Beta, named after
the second letter of the Greek alphabet, is the software development phase following alpha. Software in the beta stage is also known as
beta ware.
[7] A beta phase generally begins when the software is feature-complete but likely to contain several known or unknown bugs.
[8] Software in the beta phase will generally have many more bugs in it than completed software and speed or performance issues, and may still cause crashes or data loss. The focus of beta testing is reducing impacts on users, often incorporating
usability testing. The process of delivering a beta version to the users is called
beta release and is typically the first time that the software is available outside of the organization that developed it. Software beta releases can be either
open or closed, depending on whether they are openly available or only available to a limited audience. Beta version software is often useful for demonstrations and previews within an organization and to prospective customers. Some developers refer to this stage as a
preview,
preview release,
prototype,
technical preview or
technology preview (
TP),
[9] or
early access.
Beta testers are people who actively report issues with beta software. They are usually customers or representatives of prospective customers of the organization that develops the software. Beta testers tend to volunteer their services free of charge but often receive versions of the product they test, discounts on the release version, or other incentives.
[10][11]"
www.macrumors.com
