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Yes it is.
No, it's not.
Think of early launch like a "preview" show at a theater.
The preview is basically the first real show of the run. It's no longer rehearsal... it's the actual show. However, tickets to the preview are usually free or deeply discounted, with many of those in attendance being friends and family of the cast and crew. The whole point of the preview is to run through the show and make sure everything works properly, and to make sure everyone does their parts. Mistakes are common in previews.
Beta is like rehearsal. We're testing different components of the game at different times.
Early release is like the preview. We get the full game a bit early, and that gives the development team one last chance to see everything working as if the game were fully launched.
Launch is like, well, the launch of the actual shows, when mistakes are no longer just par for the course.
Tuesday is launch day; SE has until then to iron out these issues. After that, the legitimate trolling can begin in earnest.