I see the word Beta included in Yahoo 360 logo. Have heard that Beta is bad for our computers. Is th

Want to know whether Beta is actually bad for my computer and if it is the reason it is bad.

What can it do to my system? Is it bad for all computers?

Further if it isn't bad and is supposed to be good to work with why do some entities try to get people to try it?

If Beta is bad for computers, what recourse does a computer owner have in getting their system fixed by the entity that offered the Beta product in the first place?

I see the word Beta included in Yahoo 360 logo. Have heard that Beta is bad for our computers. Is this true?anti virus software

''Beta'' is simply a stage in the product development lifecycle - it is a product that is not yet ready for general use, but ready to be tested in real-life scenarios. The term is very commonly used in the software industry, but I believe is applicable elsewhere also. Many companies enlist beta customers to test their products and give feedback so that the product can be further refined before final release. For the same reason, Yahoo! would prefer to make a beta version available before launching a new service. That's what you are now seeing. (Yahoo! also invites some customers to participate in the beta program before updating an existing service).

So, ''Beta'' isn't bad for your computer - it just tells you not to deploy the product in critical situations. And it also indicates that the product can change in the final release.