The first test of newly developed hardware or software in a laboratory setting. When the first round of bugs has been fixed, the product goes into beta test with actual users. For custom software, the customer may be invited into the vendor's facilities for an alpha test to ensure the client's vision has been interpreted properly by the developer. See beta test and testing types.
 | Reproduced with permission from Computer Desktop Encyclopedia. Copyright (c) 1981-2009 The Computer Language Company Inc. All rights reserved. |
Additional Resources
- ZDNet Government version of Throw out the Trash Day
- More trash pleaseNice idea ... may I submit a similar one for the editor's consideration? Can we have 'trash of the week' by a ZDNET blogger. Serious ... with a touch of humour. Example follows.In Jason Perlow's 'The Vista is Dead' spoof mwagner@zdnet.com was moved to comment."Sounds like you didn't...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-30
- Parents would rather talk drugs than math/science with their kids
- Well, DUH!It's always easier to talk about something that you have experience with.RE: Parents would rather talk drugs than math/science with their kidsIt would also help talking with the children about those subjects even if the parents really don't know about it! Maybe they could learn with the kids and...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-26
- Immelt seeks to unite healthcare with Silicon Valley mainstream
- A lot was written about GE chairman Jeff Immelt's appearance yesterday at the Web 2.0 Summit, but one key point can't be emphasized enough. Jeff Immelt was at the Web 2.0 Summit. He wasn't at a health care show. He was pitching tech people. ...
- Blog posts 2009-10-22
- Google Wave: The Microsoft Bob of the New Millennium
- Google Wave, the new and highly anticipated workflow/group collaboration mashup web application which is in limited alpha test has left me underwhelmed. Over the weekend I became one of the lucky few to receive a Google Wave invite. I was excited, overjoyed, and...
- Blog posts 2009-10-14
- DRAM error rates: nightmare on DIMM street
- Windows.Atleast From Vista has a Utility in Administrative tools in the control panel.Where in "About this Mac"?I'd just like to make sure I know the right place to look for errors. I look under "Hardware/Memory" and see a list of all 8 DIMM slots. There's a column for...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-05
- Karmic Koala: That's One Seriously Fast Marsupial
- I'm having issues with VirtualBox . . .I'm having issues with VirtualBox: Even though it worked before, lately it's claiming that "VT-X/AMD-V hardware acceleration has been enabled, but is not operational" and not allowing me to run 64 bit Ubuntu :(.RE: Karmic Koala: That's One Seriously Fast MarsupialI had some...
- Discussion threads 2009-10-01
- Zimbra Desktop 1.0.3 (Mac)
- Zimbra Desktop is the next generation leap forward for Web 2.0 applications- now you can have Zimbra's Ajax-based collaboration experience online and offline. That means when you are out of the office without a connection (say, in a plane, train, or automobile), you can keep working without missing a beat....
- Software downloads 2009-09-07
- Snow Leopard install fails? Find a flashlight!
- How would I react if this affected Windows?Come on all you Mac guys who can be found posting endless jabs on every Windows related story. Ask yourself how you would post if you needed a flashlight to install Windows and post that here!RE: Snow Leopard install fails? Find a flashlight!I...
- Discussion threads 2009-09-03
- Offshoots 1.4b (Mac)
- About Offshoots Animates the wallpaper of your desktop with growing trees. The growth follows some easy-to-hack parameters. The offshoots lazily follow your mouse cursor or random points. Also available as a screensaver. - I really like my desktop wallpaper. Can I make the trees grow over it? Yes: you...
- Software downloads 2009-09-02
- News to know: VMWare; White House; Google Books; Skype; Apple vs Android
- Here are today's notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates see BNET's around-the-Web tech coverage. Larry Dignan: VMware to step up data center automation game Sam Diaz: White House not equipped to hold keys...
- Blog posts 2009-08-31
- Benchmarks: Windows 7 RTM versus Vista, XP
- Benchmarks: Windows 7 RTM versus Vista, XPWhy are results for XP missing from multimedia tests?are we just supposed to take it on your word? Well, here at zdnet, no one does benchmarks like Mr. Adrian. I wonder why did he not repeat a usability benchmark for RTM like he did...
- Discussion threads 2009-08-03
- Microsoft gets its edge back
- Is it just me or is Microsoft a little more competitive than it has been in recent years? Microsoft has gotten under Apple's skin---at least its lawyers---got Google's attention with Bing and is even doing the Web app thing. Microsoft almost seems to be enjoying itself as honchos like Kevin...
- Blog posts 2009-07-16
- Is it just me, or does Bing look a lot like Google?
- Is it just me, or does Bing look a lot like Google?RE: Is it just me, or does Bing look a lot like Google?I would say it looks like ask and google,since ask has the colored backgrounds and overlapping screen widgets like the map in the bing videowhile google recently...
- Discussion threads 2009-05-30
- First look: Intel's Moblin 2.0 Linux desktop for netbooks
- First look: Intel's Moblin 2.0 Linux desktop for netbooksThe menu for choiceI haven't tried Moblin myself, but your report sounds disappointing. Of course any interface should be application centered. What are they thinking?Maybe Intel could provide a choice during installation of Moblin, what kind of interface you want. Some Linux...
- Discussion threads 2009-05-26
- News to know: IBM; SAP; Microsoft; Sarbanes-Oxley; EMC
- Here are today’s notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates see BNET’s around-the-Web tech coverage. Larry Dignan: IBM rolls out the 'Smart Cube' with app market: Think enterprise iPod-iTunes combo Joe McKendrick: Goodbye, SOX? AP: Supreme Court to...
- Blog posts 2009-05-19
- News to know: Office 2010 leak; Windows Mobile; Wolfram/Alpha; SOA; Zappos; ;
- Here are today’s notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates see BNET’s around-the-Web tech coverage. Mary Jo Foley: Microsoft Mobile Dev team: 'Windows Mobile 6.5 is done' New Microsoft Office 2010 test build leaks Zack Whittaker: Screenshots:...
- Blog posts 2009-05-18
- Wolfram Alpha: Wikipedia killer?
- Wolfram Alpha: Wikipedia killer?Not Even CloseIt is very lacking in knowing dates of history. Take for example that it doesn't know that May 6th, 1937 is the day the Hindenburg crashed at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey. That is a major day in history and any Google search...
- Discussion threads 2009-05-17
- Wolfram/Alpha launches: Can it break out of niche-ville?
- Wolfram/Alpha launches: Can it break out of niche-ville?Agreed. Tried it out.It can answer "some" questions faster then Google but still suffers the problem of you want to do further research even then to be assured Wolfram got it right. As I suspected, its much like Wikipedia; just a smaller...
- Discussion threads 2009-05-16
- News to know: University iPhones; Salesforce; Windows 7; Kindle app; DOJ
- Here are today’s notable headlines. You can get News To Know via email alert and RSS daily. For continuous updates see BNET’s around-the-Web tech coverage. Sam Diaz: Forget the Kindle; University "requires" iPhone Christopher Dawson: Mandatory iPhones at UM worth a bit of...
- Blog posts 2009-05-12
- Windows 7 patches, both fake and real, in the hopper
- Windows 7 patches, both fake and real, in the hopperHow exciting.Really stimulating.RE: Windows 7 patches, both fake and real, in the hopperBy all means, test the booger now before we need it and discover it's gone south. And it helps to have the warning, though I assumed that some thing...
- Discussion threads 2009-05-11
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