text: what mean that a web page is in beta or alpha? just like this web page on the logo you can read beta ... or in another web pages you can read alpha... what that words mean? there are - like in other businesses - project-stages: when you start a project and u have first results but far from finishing, its the pre-alpha-stage.  after that, u have first results, some functions work and maybe for a first look for financiers or other people is possible, its alpha-stage.   beta-stage is reached, when most of the functions work, the project is near completion and the bug-searching begins, or maybe the fine-tuning.   after beta-stage (should come gamma-stage :) ) comes the release. beta-stage is also know as testing-stage.  in web-pages u can see it like that:  pre-alpha: u think about what's going to be on your page alpha: the basic structure is built, without any further functions or just few functions. beta: most of the functionality of your page is up and running, your friends can have a first look on it and maybe test the forum or so... release: its opened for business :d  (for those who do not know: alpha, beta ... comes from the greek alphabet (<- the word "alphabet" also does), where the first letters are "alpha", "beta", "gamma" ...