THE GRID
Software Engineering — Standard Terminology
Beta — A phase where a working product is released to real users for testing before its official release.
Simply put: Everything works. We're just fine-tuning based on your feedback.
• Gmail was in Beta for 5 years (2004–2009)
• Microsoft, Apple & Mozilla all beta-test publicly
• It's an industry standard — you're getting early access
🔒 SSL/TLS encryption on every connection
🔑 Passwords hashed with bcrypt (bank-level)
🛡️ SQL injection & XSS protection active
🚫 We never see your plain-text password
Beta — Standards & Security Architecture
§1. Formal Definition
Per the IEEE Standard #1012, published 2016 (Software Verification & Validation), Beta testing is defined as "validation testing conducted by representative users in a target environment to determine whether a product meets customer needs."
Per ISO/IEC 25010:2011, software quality is evaluated across security, reliability, and usability during beta.
§2. Release Lifecycle
§3. Industry Precedent
Windows Insider — Millions run beta builds daily
Apple — Public iOS/macOS betas annually
Firefox — Permanent beta channel
§4. Security Architecture
All connections encrypted. Same standard as banks & government sites.
IETF RFC 8446 — TLS 1.3
Passwords never stored in plain text. Bcrypt with unique random salt per user. Brute-force impractical by design.
USENIX 1999, Provos & Mazières
PDO Prepared Statements block SQL injection. htmlspecialchars() prevents XSS.
OWASP Top 10: A03 & A07:2021
Server-side sessions only. No third-party tracking. No data sharing. Demo uses localStorage only — nothing sent to servers.
OWASP Session Management
§5. Your Experience
✅ Data encrypted & secure
✅ Password unreadable to anyone
✅ Layout may evolve
✅ Bugs fixed promptly
✅ Your feedback shapes the product
IETF RFC 8446 · OWASP Top 10:2021
Provos & Mazières (1999) USENIX
Sign in or Sign up to continue.
Beta Software — Definitions, Standards & Security Proofs
§1. Formal Definition
Per the IEEE Standard #1012 (published 2016) on Software Verification & Validation, Beta testing is defined as "validation testing conducted by representative users in a target environment to determine whether a product meets customer needs and business requirements."
Per ISO/IEC 25010:2011, software quality is measured across functional suitability, reliability, security, maintainability, and usability — all of which are actively evaluated during the beta phase.
§2. The Software Release Lifecycle
Pre-Alpha: Early development, incomplete features.
Alpha: Internal testing by the developer. Core functions built.
Beta: Fully functional. Released to real users for feedback and refinement.
Release Candidate: Final testing. Only critical fixes applied.
Stable: Official public release. Production-ready.
§3. Precedent — Industry Beta Releases
Microsoft Windows Insider — Millions of users run beta Windows builds daily as part of the development process.
Apple Public Beta — iOS and macOS betas are used by millions annually before official release.
Mozilla Firefox — Maintains a permanent Beta channel alongside their stable release.
Beta testing is standard practice across the entire software industry.
§4. Security Architecture of 13months.ca
The following security measures are implemented and active on this website:
All data between your browser and our server is encrypted using TLS. Same standard used by banks, hospitals, and government websites.
Standard: IETF RFC 8446 — TLS 1.3 Protocol
Your password is never stored in plain text. Hashed with bcrypt (Blowfish cipher-based). Each password has a unique random salt.
Standard: USENIX 1999, Provos & Mazières
All database operations use PDO Prepared Statements with parameterized queries.
Standard: OWASP Top 10 — A03:2021 Injection
All user-generated output sanitized using htmlspecialchars().
Standard: OWASP Top 10 — A07:2021 Cross-Site Scripting
Server-side PHP sessions only — not in cookies or local storage. Validated on every protected page.
Standard: OWASP Session Management Cheat Sheet
• No third-party tracking or cookies
• No data selling or sharing
• Demo mode uses localStorage only — nothing sent to servers
§5. What Beta Means for Your Experience
✅ Data encrypted & securely stored
✅ Password unreadable to anyone
✅ Layout may evolve over time
✅ Bugs fixed promptly
✅ Your feedback shapes the product
IEEE Standard #1012 (2016) · ISO/IEC 25010 (2011)
IETF RFC 8446 · OWASP Top 10:2021
Provos & Mazières (1999) USENIX
Software Engineering — Standard Terminology
Beta (noun) — A phase in software development where a working product is released to real users for testing before its final official release.
In plain terms: The website works. You can use it right now. We're just polishing and improving it based on real feedback from people like you.
• Google kept Gmail in Beta for 5 years (2004–2009) while millions used it daily
• Microsoft, Apple, and every major tech company publicly beta-test software
• Beta testing is an industry standard — it means you're getting early access
🔒 SSL/TLS encryption on every connection (look for the padlock in your browser)
🔑 Passwords are hashed with bcrypt — the same standard used by banks
🛡️ All database queries use parameterized statements to prevent injection attacks
🚫 We never see, store, or share your plain-text password
ISO/IEC 25010 (published 2011) — Systems & Software Quality