The ABCs of Alpha, Beta, CTP

A commenter to my last post asks the following question, What is the difference between a beta, a CTP, a fully-supported out of band release, an RTM feature, and a service pack? The answer you get will differ based on who you ask, but I'll give you my two cents on what these terms mean. Beta Let's start with Beta. A great starting point is this post by Jeff Atwood entitled Alpha, Beta, and Sometimes Gamma . The software is complete enough for external testing -- that is, by groups outside the organization or community that developed the software. Beta software is usually feature complete, but may have known limitations or bugs. Betas are either closed (private) and limited to a specific set of users, or they can be open to the general public...(read more)

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