A Software goes through a life cycle before its released to the market,
The stages include:
1. Pre-Alpha: Sometimes a build known as pre-alpha is issued, before the release of an alpha or beta. In contrast to alpha and beta versions, the pre-alpha is not "feature complete". It is not used for testing.
2. Alpha : The alpha build of the software is the build delivered to the software testers, that is persons different from the software engineers, but usually internal to the organization or community that develops the software. (eg: YouOS Alpha Online Operating System)
3. Beta: A beta version is the first version released outside the organization or community that develops the software, for the purpose of evaluation or real-world black/grey-box testing. The process of delivering a beta version to the users is called beta release. Beta level software generally includes all features, but may also include known issues and bugs of a less serious variety. (eg: Ya hoo Mail Beta, Firefox 3.0 Beta)
4. Release candidate: The term release candidate refers to a version with potential to be a final product, ready to release unless fatal bugs emerge. In this stage, the product features all designed functionalities and no known showstopper-class bugs. At this phase the product is usually code complete. (eg: Windows XP SP3)
5. Gold or general availability release: The gold or general availability release version is the final version of a particular product. It is typically almost identical to the final release candidate, with only last-minute bugs fixed (eg: Firefox 2.0.0.11, Windows XP SP2)
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