Java Edition Alpha

Alpha (Survival) is the most recent version of Infdev, that includes new updates such as Redstone and Stair blocks. It is playable both with a downloadable client and at www.minecraft.net/game/ (note: You must buy the game to play)  Attempting to load an Alpha map into infdev (if it includes stairs) will cause it to crash. Infdev levels that were saved earlier can be loaded into Alpha with no problem, and save files from Alpha can be loaded into the infdev preview tool even if they contain new block types.

Development
Minecraft Alpha is a renamed and merged version of the Infdev and Indev development branches, signalling a progression towards the upcoming beta. The renamed versions were announced by Notch on 28th June 2010, renaming Creative mode to Classic, and replacing the existing 'in development' modes with a single version. Although this remains the only version linked to by the official website, old development versions can currently still be accessed here (Indev) and here (Infdev), until they are taken down at a later date (presumably when Minecraft Beta arrives).

The game is updated very frequently, due to Notch working full-time on the Minecraft project since 29th May 2010. Bug fixes and tweaks can happen throughout the week, appearing on the game's development blog, with major additions and changes appearing in 'seecret' Friday updates, leaving the game's players to discover the included new features.

Version History
The latest version is 1.0.6_3, released on 17 July 2010. This made the following changes:


 * Boats added, craftable with planks.
 * Cacti added, the player get hurt while breaking them, and standing on top of them.
 * Large trees, with branches added.
 * Items can now be seen held in third person.
 * Animals now only spawn on grass.
 * Snowballs stack sixteen now.
 * Thrown snowballs don't disappear anymore due to render distance.
 * Snow blocks only require four snowballs in a square.
 * Night appears to be longer.
 * Bug Fix:
 * Fixed snow falling through snow blocks.
 * Fixed massive lag after death.
 * Leaves now disappear if they are not connected to a wood trunk or the ground.
 * Bugs:
 * Breaking a minecart while inside will cause you to fall through one block of ground.
 * Destroying Snow blocks yields 4-6 Snowballs. Allowing for infinite amounts of snow (as blocks only take 4 snowballs to make)

For full change logs regarding previous versions, see the Patch History page.