beta

5 definitions found

beta - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Beta \Be"ta\, n. [Gr. bh^ta.]
     The second letter of the Greek alphabet, B, [beta]. See B,
     and cf. etymology of Alphabet.
  
     Note: Beta (B, [beta]) is used variously for classifying, as:
     (a) (Astron.) To designate some bright star, usually the
         second brightest, of a constellation, as, [beta]
         Aurig[ae].
     (b) (Chem.) To distinguish one of two or more isomers; also,
         to indicate the position of substituting atoms or groups
         in certain compounds; as, [beta]-naphthol. With acids, it
         commonly indicates that the substituent is in union with
         the carbon atom next to that to which the carboxyl group
         is attached.
         [Webster 1913 Suppl.] Betacism

beta - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  beta
      adj 1: second in order of importance; "the candidate, considered
             a beta male, was perceived to be unable to lead his party
             to victory"
      2: preliminary or testing stage of a software or hardware
         product; "a beta version"; "beta software"
      n 1: the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet
      2: beets [syn: Beta, genus Beta]

beta - Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (26 May 2007) :

  BETA
  
     Kristensen, Madsen <olmadsen@daimi.aau.dk>, Moller-Pedersen &
     Nygaard, 1983.  Object-oriented language with block structure,
     coroutines, concurrency, strong typing, part objects,
     separate objects and classless objects.  Central feature is a
     single abstraction mechanism called "patterns", a
     generalisation of classes, providing instantiation and
     hierarchical inheritance for all objects including procedures
     and processes.
  
     Mjolner Informatics ApS, Aarhus, implementations for Mac, Sun,
     HP, Apollo.
  
     E-mail: <info@mjolner.dk>.
  
     Mailing list: <usergroup@mjolner.dk>.
  
     ["Object-Oriented Programming in the BETA Programming
     Language", Ole Lehrmann et al, A-W June 1993, ISBN
     0-201-62430-3].
  
     [Jargon File]
  
     (1995-10-31)
  

  beta
  
     /bay't*/, /be't*/ or (Commonwealth) /bee't*/
  
     See beta conversion, beta test.
  
     [Jargon File]
  

beta - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  beta
   /bay't@/, /be't@/, /bee't@/, n.
  
     1. Mostly working, but still under test; usu. used with "in": in
  beta.
     In the Real World, hardware or software systems often go through
  two
     stages of release testing: Alpha (in-house) and Beta (out-house?).
     Beta releases are generally made to a group of lucky (or unlucky)
     trusted customers.
  
     2. Anything that is new and experimental. "His girlfriend is in beta"
     means that he is still testing for compatibility and reserving
     judgment.
  
     3. Flaky; dubious; suspect (since beta software is notoriously
  buggy).
  
     Historical note: More formally, to beta-test is to test a pre-release
     (potentially unreliable) version of a piece of software by making it
     available to selected (or self-selected) customers and users. This
     term derives from early 1960s terminology for product cycle
     checkpoints, first used at IBM but later standard throughout the
     industry. Alpha Test was the unit, module, or component test phase;
     Beta Test was initial system test. These themselves came from earlier
     A- and B-tests for hardware. The A-test was a feasibility and
     manufacturability evaluation done before any commitment to design and
     development. The B-test was a demonstration that the engineering
  model
     functioned as specified. The C-test (corresponding to today's beta)
     was the B-test performed on early samples of the production design,
     and the D test was the C test repeated after the model had been in
     production a while.