What’s so bad ’bout Beta?
Last week Gizmodo posted about the evils of Beta. Not the Greek letter itself, but premature software (and hardware) that is in its Beta form before official release. Surely you’ve seen sites that have the word “Beta” somewhere in the logo. Heck, the word seems to go hand-and-hand with all those “Web 2.0″ sites out there!
Personally, I don’t see what all the fuss is about Beta being evil. I say there’s nothing better than trial by fire, especially when the user is aware that it’s in a “testing” form. What I think the real problem is—and the point the writer is trying to make—is when companies release careless Beta. Pushing something when it’s not even ready to be tested. That is just being silly and irresponsible.
This all reminds me of a web app I designed for a client’s intranet over the spring and summer. The app had 3 phases, 1 of which we got through before they started actually using the app in business. To encourage testing, I placed the word “Beta” in the header… but then the client flipped out thinking I sold him inferior software. Of course I didn’t, but I guess some people don’t understand that things must be tested in real world environments. I mean, I worked really hard to cover every situation I could think of, but there’s no guarantee I will make it flawless. In fact, the odds are very much against me not making a mistake. I ended up taking the word Beta out to appease him.