Software - Alpha, Beta, Final Release and Bugs

Software

For software from the development stage to actual release to the public, it has gone to so many stages and at each stage, a special name is given. It is interesting to note the following frequently heard-of names in the various stages of software development: 

 Alpha

 Testing an incomplete system or program is call alpha testing. Alpha-version may contain known bugs and it certainly contains unknown bugs. It does not have all the features of a release version. You can check out an alpha site at: http://www.opera.com/browser/next/. 

 Beta 

 Software at a beta stage is close to a complete system. It has all the features of a final release. It probably contains many bugs not yet discovered. This is a beta site:  http://www.microsoft.com/windows/Internet-explorer/beta/default.aspx 

 Final Release

 The final release version software contains no known bugs. It may contain undiscovered bugs. Here is a good example of final release software: www.google.com/chrome. 

 Bugs 

 According to Wikipedia, a software bug is an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program that prevents it from functioning as intended. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's source code or its design, and a few are caused by compilers producing incorrect code.