What Is Beta Software and Should You Use It?
It is quite common in the current tech space to see Beta releases of software and games which are accessible to the general public. Depending on the complexity of the software and the publisher, using beta utilities can range from almost no difference to the full release to annoyances and crashes.
Should you be using beta software then or should you always wait for the full release with all the fixes and patches?
What Is a Beta Release?
Before publishing, software must go through a couple of cycles of testing including internal alpha testing and then beta testing. Beta testing refers to releasing incomplete software to the public which then uses it on diverse hardware and helps identify more bugs that were not present before.
The reason this cycle is effective is that in-house testing means you have a limited amount of hardware configurations you can test, meanwhile out in the wild, you have millions of possible hardware combinations. By simply releasing the product and receiving data from all of the people using different machines, developers can find a lot more bugs and fix them before the official launch.
Beta releases used well by devs can lead to the betterment of their product by leaps and bounds leading to a much more polished and improved final release of their software. If the feedback given to the devs during beta releases is used well this could be a turning point for the future of the utility/game.
The Downsides of Using Beta Software
Beta software is as the name implies an unfinished release for further testing purposes. You gaining access to it does not necessarily mean that you should rush to install it over a stable older build of the software you have.
The main reason for staying away from beta builds is that these can come with many bugs and crashes making the functioning software completely unusable. In essence, when you download a beta release you are automatically enrolling in testing said beta software and dealing with the bugs and weirdness that can ensue.
You cannot blame the devs or the software either since this software is clearly under development still and is a beta release. If you are dealing with important or sensitive data beta releases could entirely corrupt this data leading to its loss forever.
Beta software also does not necessarily come with the latest security features so if you are anxious about how safe you are on the internet, stick to stable releases.
Why Do People Still Use Beta Releases?
If beta software is unstable and not wholly safe why do users still install said unfinished releases as quickly as they are put out? One of the exciting things about beta software is that it usually introduces new features and tech that needs to be tested out before it can be released fully.
You as a beta-tester get access to this new exciting tech making it worth dealing with the potential bugs that come along with it. Some people also do not mind tinkering a bit with their PCs so for them dealing with beta releases is not a problem at all, more like a challenge.
I use a lot of beta software and while it does crash and have weird behaviors, to me these are more like fun puzzles to solve. I too, however, steer clear of beta or unfinished releases for the software that needs to not mess up, so it is quite an intricate balancing act.
TL;DR
If you want your system to just work, hate crashes, are afraid of losing data or simply follow the philosophy of “don’t fix it if it ain’t broke” then beta releases for software are not for you.
If you however are excited about new tech, are ready to deal with crashes, and do not mind offering constructive feedback to devs to better their product, then using beta software might not be such a bad idea.