Bug Blog

Software testing can be a rather formalized procedure. And while formal processes are important it is impossible to develop procedures that will always successfully find bugs. The very nature of coding and the complexity of software development makes this impossible. So there comes a time when formalized testing must be set aside. It is these times when the software tester’s skill is most evident.

Software testing is based on certain fundamental ideas that have proven true over the years. While testing techniques have certainly evolved, these ideas still provide the foundation on which testing is based and, to a great extent, dictate what kind of testing is done.

Even though software is now an indispensable part of business operations, not all business executives are thoroughly versed in software testing, what it is and how it works. Here are some important things that business people need to know about software testing, whether they are tech savvy or not.

Increasing performance has been an important aspect of digital technology ever since the birth of the first truly digital machines in the late 1940s. These days, software has become as important, if not more important, than hardware; and ensuring software performance in the field has become a critical aspect of software testing as more and more functions of our society come under the control of software applications.

Every now and then, there arrives an idea whose time has come. DevOps is such an idea. But, it didn’t look that way at first. Yet, DevOps has taken off in only a few years to become a major influence on software development and deployment. And it has, through its use of infrastructure as code, greatly sped up the development cycle.

There is no doubt that software is continuing to eat the world, becoming a ubiquitous part of everything we do. From manufacturing and agriculture, to retail to travel, our global interconnectively means that the risk of technology and software failure is ever present. And the impact of that failure can go way beyond money, sometimes costing lives.

Software quality fulfils a much more important role today than ever before. Humans are so interconnected with technology in everything we do. A small bug in software used by thousands during a peak period can have huge flow on effects. Not only can an issue cost revenue and cause customer attrition, but it can also lead to expensive legal implications.

Autonomous vehicles, like so many other forms of digital technology, has convenience as a big selling point. Things have changed and they are about to change again.

We all get too close to our own projects and it's totally human to do so. In fact, it’s called groupthink and it basically means that when you are too close to a team or a project, it can be difficult to see beyond you and your team’s view of the world.

There’s no question we are more connected to software and digital products and services in our everyday lives than ever before. Organisations are moving customer engagement onto a single pane of glass, and in some cases, are taking their bricks and mortar business into digital.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) have announced a formal recall of 1.4 million cars and trucks after exposure of a unintended backdoor that allows hackers to literally seize control of certain vehicles. The problem surfaced this week when hackers remotely controlled a 2014 Jeep Cherokee.

A software glitch has triggered another large Toyota recall, according to Reuters*. The glitch is worldwide and affects Prius V minivans, among other models, built between May 2010 and November 2014. The malfunction can shut down the hybrid system, causing the vehicle to go into fail-safe mode or turn off while being driven. The problem is in the software controlling the ECU. The glitch can cause temperatures to rise high enough to damage transistors.