Learn English – What do StackExchange “beta” and “meta” mean

meaning

I checked beta in a dictionary and it says beta is the second letter of the Greek alphabet, so does the beta mean second-class?

I can't understand the explanation in a dictionary about meta. Could you teach me?

Best Answer

Beta (β) is indeed the second letter in the Greek alphabet[1].

In software development, a first testable version of a product is sometimes called the alpha (α) version, or first version. It is tested by designated testers, usually within the company that makes the software.

If that test is passed, the software may be released to a (larger) group of testers, but these testers are actually normal end-users. This version is the second version, or beta. During the beta test period, users are encouraged to report any errors or bugs they find to the company.

Google made it a habit of releasing their software in beta while releasing it eventually to (almost) all of their users, and their “beta test period” could be very very long.

While software is “beta”, it means that there is no guarantee that the software is bug-free or that all features work correctly.

From the meaning in software (beta = public test version), it is now used in other areas as well. On Stack Exchange, a beta site is a site that has not yet been promoted to full functionality. After a site has been proposed, and people are found to support it, a site can go to beta status to show that it can really be useful and successful. It is not a second-class site, but a site in the final test stage.

As for ELL, this site has been in beta for quite a long time now, and quite some people are wondering why it is not promoted to full status yet. Rumour has it that this may actually happen quite soon. You can read more about the StackExchange site statuses on Area 51 and Meta.

That brings us to meta: this means over or about. The word is used to indicate that you talk about something “one level higher”, in an abstract way. I think some examples will clarify the meaning:

ELL is a Stack Exchange site about English for learners. Meta ELL is a site about ELL.

Should I use present perfect or simple present? <- an ELL question.
Should we be nicer to ELL users? <- an ELL meta question.

We can have a discussion about subject X. We can have a meta discussion about that discussion.

I think that X is true because of Y and X. <- discussion
This discussion is going nowhere because you are not listening to any of my arguments. <- meta-discussion

If I write a book with all the words in a language and their meaning, I have written a dictionary.

If I write a book about how to write a dictionary, I can say I have written a meta dictionary.

[1]In standard English, an alphabet is a collection of letters. In Indian English an alphabet can mean a single character, but it may and will confuse speakers of other English dialects!

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