Will We See the Debut of Dual OS Mobile Phones This Year?Microsoft is exploring possibilities of partnering with Android handset makers to build devices that boot up with two mobile operating systems, giving users the option at run time to choose which one they want. This move will pose new opportunities for mobile software engineers and for testers.
Software Testing: A Hunt for FragilitySoftware testers are hunters. At least, they should be. Their prey: fragility. Like some organizations and people, software can suffer from fragility, and it is the software tester's direct responsibility to sniff out fragility, call it by its name, and work to squeeze the life out of it.
Is There a Recommended Duration of Time for a User-Facing Test?When end-user-involved test programs are done before release to production, the duration of tests is a very critical factor in determining the product's success or failure in meeting its goal. How long should you run the program in order to be sure you have enough data points to make a decision?
Prioritize Testing Tasks by Prioritizing Your AudiencesThe solution to prioritizing work is a matter of prioritizing audiences. A tester’s work has an audience: users, coworkers, and bosses. Testing is a service we provide to each audience, so it is important to know which audience is at the top of the "make happy" list.
Embracing Chaos Testing Helps Create Near-Perfect CloudsNetflix's "Simian Army" consists of services (Monkeys) in the cloud for generating various kinds of failures or abnormal conditions and then testing the system's ability to survive them. Chaos Monkey works on the premise that if we need to design for high availability, we should design for failure.
How Exhaustive Testing Ensured a Successful Voyage for the Mars RoverBonnie Bailey writes on the software testing that took place to ensure that NASA's Curiosity rover would have a successful voyage to Mars. NASA's Mars Science Laboratory handled the myriad risks through well-planned software architecture, tight coding standards, and exhaustive testing.
How to Get Your App Discovered and DownloadedWith iOS and Android each swiftly approaching 1 million apps, getting an app noticed is no easy task. Here are some suggestions for making your app stand out from the crowd and attracting sticky users. Hints: Fresh eyes help, first impressions are important, and social media sites are your friends.
Why the Demand for Usability Will Continue to GrowUsability is an important aspect of any software system. It is often a driving factor in the popularity of software today. Yet, usability is only just in its infancy in terms of the importance it will play in future software systems.
