A-version versus B-version of MATLAB

I have heard some accounts that the A-version of a certain year's Matlab release (e.g. R2023A) is intended as a beta-release while the B-version (e.g. R2023B) should be considered the official release. Is there any merit to this notion?

In particular, subscribers to this idea seem to think that an A-version is more likely to contain more bug-introductions than bug-fixes than a B-version. Are there any differences in the software development process for A-releases versus B-releases that could substantiate this?

Answer 1

[Cris LaPierre]

From my perspective, I don't think there is any merit to this notion.New features are added in every releaes, and the internal process is exactly the same for both, at least from my perspective.

For example, I compared the release highlights for R2024a and R2024b. Both announce a handful of new features, transistions for exisitng features, and improvements made.

I did see this was asked and answered previously:

https://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/454956-what-s-the-actual-difference-between-versions-a-and-b-of-matlab-other-than-being-6-months-apart

There is also a page dedicated to explaining the product release schedule: https://www.mathworks.com/products/new_products/release_model.html

I'd say there is motivation to always get the latest and greatest out as soon as possible, whether that be an a or b release.

[John D'Errico]

Yep.

I would suggest that there is a subjective thing involved. It may feel like when a new release comes out, (the A release each year) that people may expect it to have some bugs in it, that it was maybe rushed out. And then, those same people think that the B release fixes those bugs.

The same amount of care goes into each release, and those releases come out on a 6 month cycle. The label A and B just designate what time of year they come out. Note that each release gets roughly 6 months to prepare, and each release contains both bug fixes and new features. (I can think of at least one B release where a significant new feature came out.)

[Matt J]

OK. I also found this,

https://blogs.mathworks.com/matlab/2024/09/10/whats-the-difference-between-the-a-and-b-releases-in-matlab/

which corroborates all of the above.