Alpha testing relates to the internal testing by customers, online visitors or an independent test team for in-house preliminary software, before the next stage of beta testing. Beta testing is a ...

Alpha testing is an internal, controlled process focused on addressing major product issues, while beta testing involves real-world users evaluating the software’s overall usability and performance.

There seems to be a rash of Alpha and Beta test software available at the moment. I currently have, or have very recently had, the following on my laptops:- Ubuntu 8.