1. What is an alphaWorks service?
alphaWorks services are on-demand applications developed by various teams throughout IBM Research. The services are prototypes of emerging technologies and concepts available as online applications through any Web browser. Services are provided at no charge, along with community features such as forums and supporting content specific to each service.

2. Who should use alphaWorks Services?
Services appeal to people other than developers and the greater technical community: Anyone who wants early access to emerging technologies from IBM can try out these new applications. Services are a showcase of applications being developed by researchers at IBM and therefore are early implementations of the technology; they are not products and no support is provided.

3. What can I do with these services? How do I access them?
alphaWorks Services feature a variety of online applications that include developer-oriented tools, collaborative social networking applications, and more. The site also contains documentation, FAQs, and help. You can get involved with the community through forums, where you can discuss features of the service or new ideas that you would like to see implemented. In addition, users can subscribe to RSS feeds and the alphaWorks Flash newsletter in order to stay on top of the latest updates to service applications.

4. How is an alphaWorks service different than an alphaWorks technology?
alphaWorks emerging technologies are provided as downloads, usually with a 90-day trial license. All technologies are provided as-is, unsupported, and non-warranted. alphaWorks services do not require any license acceptance or downloads on the part of the user. After reviewing and accepting the terms and conditions for services, these applications are available for immediate use through any Web browser.

5. What are the terms and conditions for using alphaWorks services?
The terms and conditions for using any service are detailed here.

6. What if I have questions about a service? What type of support is provided for the services on alphaWorks?
Although no official technical support is provided, every service has an established Help and FAQ section. Your questions and comments are encouraged and welcomed in the forum for each service. Your questions will be answered by the research teams who monitor the forums or by the community using the same service.

7. How do I report bugs that I find in a service or suggest additional features?
Bug fixes and suggestions can be posted in a service's forum. Be sure to include the details of the bug you are reporting, along with an example if possible. This information will enable the researchers who developed the technology and the community who use it to respond to your concerns.

8. Is the availability of each service guaranteed?
It is possible at any time that a service could be taken down due to the owner's request or to maintenance or security problems.