What does the term "beta" mean?

Question

What does the term "beta" mean?

Answer 1

In software production (including web apps) there are release stages.



1 Pre-alpha

2 Alpha

3 Beta

4 Release candidate

5 Gold (Box Copy)

6 Upgrades/Patches/Service Packs

Answer 2

It could mean not quite up to scratch which would be alpha.

e.g. the alpha male in a pride is the top lion! Beta lions are his challengers the bottom of the group is the gamma!



A little Greek goes a long way. Alpha=A Beta=B and Gamma =G and is the 3 letter of their alphabet.

Answer 3

Beta is the letter B is Greek. And if ur referring to like a group of close friends, a beta is the second person in charge. An alpha is the first person in charge {the boss}.

Answer 4

1. the second letter of the Greek alphabet (β, B).

2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

3. (initial capital letter) Astronomy. a star that is usually the second brightest of a constellation: The second brightest star in Taurus is Beta Tauri.

4. Chemistry. a. one of the possible positions of an atom or group in a compound.

b. one of two or more isomeric compounds.



5. the second of any series, as in chemistry or physics.

6. Also called beta coefficient, beta line. Stock Exchange. an arbitrary measure of the volatility of a given stock using an index of the volatility of the market as a whole: A beta of 1.1 indicates a stock that is 10 percent more volatile than the market.

7. (initial capital letter) Trademark. a brand of tape format for VCR tape, incompatible with other formats. Compare VHS.

8. Chiefly British. a grade showing that a student is in the middle or second of three scholastic sections in a class. Compare alpha (def. 7), gamma (def. 9).

Answer 5

Beta, would be something in testing. Like Yahoo Answers was in Beta for about 3-6 months it means its being tested seeing how its going to work out if they release it. It could also mean they are working out kinks in it before they release it for good.

Answer 6

um....better maby,or i bet a,or The second letter of the Greek alphabet,or

The second item in a series or system of classification.

,or athematical measure of the sensitivity of rates of return on a portfolio or a given stock compared with rates of return on the market as a whole. A beta of 1.0 indicates that an asset closely follows the market; a beta greater than 1.0 indicates greater volatility than the market

Answer 7

Beta is the second letter of the greek alphabet. It's commonly used in pre-release software testing now, to describe the second phase of testing of a product with a limited number of testers, either in house or with the public.

Answer 8

Beta sometimes means like, a trial, in a way.. E.g. Windows Live Messenger (Beta)

Answer 9

According to dictionaries, beta is the second alphabet in greek. It is sometimes used in mathematics in place of X OR Y

Answer 10

Testing, 1-2-3-



Before they roll out new software, they have the 'Beta' stage. this is the test stage to hopefully work out all the bugs before going live with the new software application

Answer 11

2, as in like the greek alpahbet, a = alpha, b= beta

Answer 12

in software we first 'build' the program, test it out.

this is the first "a" phase., or 'alpha'



when that works, we release it to the public, but its not completely done- so we call it a b phase, or 'beta' release.



then , after beta testers return feedback we do



RC1, RC2, so on...release candidates until the final product is released. In the case of apple's iphone, it looks like it was a beta!!! hehe

Answer 13

when developing a program, first you come out with your alpha version which will probably have bugs and errors, and you only release this to your team and maybe like close friends or pretty much anyone who is helping you develop the program. then you come out with the beta version, which is generally safe for the public to test for more minor bugs. finally you come out with your final product

Answer 14

If you mean beta like im thinking it means like a demo test for a certian item.

Answer 15

In software world it is a prototype model given to test the program for bugs & flaws prior to it being released for full sale price. The 'A' Alpha version was what they were working on in-house. The 'B' version is test version.

Answer 16

It's one of the letters in greek, and also I think it would mean something like "advanced".

Answer 17

It means gooda than as in "my shoes look beta than yours"????

Answer 18

second alphabet in Greek



In Hindi it means SON

Answer 19

something unfinished in the final stage of testing

Answer 20

It means Better i think!

Answer 21

"beta" could be lots of things.....a retard spelling of "better" or it could be reffering to the greek letter "beta" it has its own symbol but i dunno how to get it on here! :-/

Answer 22

its the letter b in greek

Answer 23

it is faster and more new in to tech ways of getting your mail

Answer 24

like, a prototype.

Answer 25

New, I think.

Answer 26

i dont know?

Answer 27

i don't know but i look it up there lots of meanings i'll copy them.



Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

be·ta /ˈbeɪtə or, especially Brit., ˈbi-/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[bey-tuh or, especially Brit., bee-] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

–noun 1. the second letter of the Greek alphabet (β, B).

2. the consonant sound represented by this letter.

3. (initial capital letter) Astronomy. a star that is usually the second brightest of a constellation: The second brightest star in Taurus is Beta Tauri.

4. Chemistry. a. one of the possible positions of an atom or group in a compound.

b. one of two or more isomeric compounds.



5. the second of any series, as in chemistry or physics.

6. Also called beta coefficient, beta line. Stock Exchange. an arbitrary measure of the volatility of a given stock using an index of the volatility of the market as a whole: A beta of 1.1 indicates a stock that is 10 percent more volatile than the market.

7. (initial capital letter) Trademark. a brand of tape format for VCR tape, incompatible with other formats. Compare VHS.

8. Chiefly British. a grade showing that a student is in the middle or second of three scholastic sections in a class. Compare alpha (def. 7), gamma (def. 9).





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[Origin: < L < Gk bêta < Sem; cf. Heb béth beth]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)

Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This be·ta (bā'tə, bē'-) Pronunciation Key

n.

The second letter of the Greek alphabet. See Table at alphabet.

The second item in a series or system of classification.

A mathematical measure of the sensitivity of rates of return on a portfolio or a given stock compared with rates of return on the market as a whole. A beta of 1.0 indicates that an asset closely follows the market; a beta greater than 1.0 indicates greater volatility than the market.

Physics

A beta particle.

A beta ray.

The second position from a designated carbon atom in an organic molecule at which an atom or a radical may be substituted.

An isomeric variation of a chemical compound. Used in combination: beta-estradiol.

Chemistry

The second position from a designated carbon atom in an organic molecule at which an atom or a radical may be substituted.

An isomeric variation of a chemical compound. Used in combination: beta-estradiol.

Computer Science A beta version.





[Greek bēta, of Phoenician origin; see byt in Semitic roots.]





(Download Now or Buy the Book) The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This beta



adjective

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"



noun

1. the 2nd letter of the Greek alphabet

2. beets



WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

be·ta (bt, b-)

n.





Symbol The second letter of the Greek alphabet.

The second item in a series or system of classification.

A beta particle.

A beta ray.

adj.

Of or relating to the second position from a designated carbon atom in an organic molecule at which an atom or a radical may be substituted.

Of or relating to an isomeric variation of a chemical compound, such as a stereoisomer.



The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary

Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Main Entry: 2beta

Variant: or β-

Function: adjective

1 : of or relating to one of two or more closely related chemical substances <β-yohimbine> —used somewhat arbitrarily to specify ordinal relationship or a particular physical form and especially one that is allotropic, isomeric, stereoisomeric, or sometimes polymeric (as in β-D-glucose)

2 : second in position in the structure of an organic molecule from a particular group or atom; also : occurring at or having a structure characterized by such a position

3 : producing a zone of decolorization when grown on blood media —used of some hemolytic streptococci or of the hemolysis they cause



Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Main Entry: 1be·ta

Pronunciation: 'bAt-&, chiefly Brit 'bE-t&

Function: noun

1 : the second letter of the Greek alphabet —symbol B or β

2 : BETA PARTICLE

3 : BETA WAVE



Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Main Entry: β

Pronunciation: "bAt-&-"tü-"mI-krO-'gläb-y&-l&n, chiefly Brit "bE-t&-

Function: noun

: a beta globulin of low molecular weight that is present at a low level in plasma, is normally excreted in the urine, is homologous in structure to part of an antibody, comprises the light chain in certain histocompatibility antigens, and occurs at elevated levels in blood serum or urine in some pathological conditions (as tubulointerstitial disease)



Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

Investopedia - Cite This Source - Share This

Beta



A measure of a security's or portfolio's volatility, or systematic risk, in comparison to the market as a whole. Also known as "beta coefficient."



Investopedia Commentary



Beta is calculated using regression analysis, and you can think of beta as the tendency of a security's returns to respond to swings in the market. A beta of 1 indicates that the security's price will move with the market. A beta less than 1 means that the security will be less volatile than the market. A beta greater than 1 indicates that the security's price will be more volatile than the market. For example, if a stock's beta is 1.2 it's theoretically 20% more volatile than the market.



Many utilities stocks have a beta of less than 1. Conversely most high-tech Nasdaq-based stocks have a beta greater than 1, offering the possibility of a higher rate of return but also posing more risk.



Related Links



Beta: Know the Risk

Beta: Gauging Price Fluctuations

Understanding Volatility Measurements

Getting To Know The "Greeks"





See also: CAPM, CML, Systematic Risk, Volatility, Weighted Average Cost of Capital - WACC



Investopedia.com. Copyright © 1999-2005 - All rights reserved. Owned and Operated by Investopedia Inc.

Wallstreet Words - Cite This Source - Share This

beta





A mathematical measure of the sensitivity of rates of return on a portfolio or a given stock compared with rates of return on the market as a whole. A high beta (greater than 1.0) indicates moderate or high price volatility. A beta of 1.5 forecasts a 1.5% change in the return on an asset for every 1% change in the return on the market. High-beta stocks are best to own in a strong bull market but are worst to own in a bear market. See also alpha, capital-asset pricing model, characteristic line, portfolio beta.







Wall Street Words: An A to Z Guide to Investment Terms for Today's Investor by David L. Scott.

Copyright © 2003 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

BETA

Kristensen, Madsen , 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: .

Mailing list: .

["Object-Oriented Programming in the BETA Programming Language", Ole Lehrmann et al, A-W June 1993, ISBN 0-201-62430-3].

[The Jargon File]

(1995-10-31)





The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe

Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

beta

/bay't*/, /be't*/ or (Commonwealth) /bee't*/

See beta conversion, beta test.

[The Jargon File]





The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe

Jargon File - Cite This Source - Share This

beta



/bay't*/, /be't*/ or (Commonwealth) /bee't*/ n. 1. Mostly working, but still under test; usu. used with `in': `in beta'. In the Real World, systems (hardware or software) software 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.





Jargon File 4.2.0

Acronym Finder - Cite This Source - Share This

BETA



BETA: in Acronym Finder





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On-line Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

beta



beta: in CancerWEB's On-line Medical Dictionary



On-line Medical Dictionary, © 1997-98 Academic Medical Publishing & CancerWEB



here u go all from the net dictionary

here the website too http://dictionary.reference.com/