Brendan Quinn

Member for

13 years 8 months

A software test professional based in Dublin, Ireland, Brendan Quinn is currently the senior mobile test engineer for a betting exchange. For fifteen years, Brendan has worked in software localization, finance, telecoms, insurance, and gambling industries. He has worked as a test team lead in several companies. Brendan is a strong advocate for process in the SDLC. You can contact him at [email protected].

Job Function

Testing

Country

Ireland

Brendan Quinn

All Articles by Brendan Quinn

All Stories by Brendan Quinn

	Are the New and Alternative Programming Languages Sustainable?New programming languages are challenging the status quo and are trying to address the gaps in conventional programming languages. Brendan Quinn looks at the new and alternative programming languages on the market and whether or not they are sustainable and more than just niche products.
	CoderDojo—Teaching Kids How to CodeJames Whelton, a teen Irish developer, created CoderDojo—a movement to support and teach coding to children from nine to fifteen years of age. CoderDojo quickly spread its reach from Ireland to Los Angeles. Brendan Quinn looks at the appeal of this youth programming movement.
	Use Session-Based Testing to Structure Exploratory Testing Session-based testing is a framework to support exploratory testing. Brendan Quinn provides an introduction to session-based testing—from its creation by James and Jonathan Bach to project tools that can assist with session-based testing.
	What Testers Should Know about Human-Computer Interaction Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is a discipline in software development that is not widely used but can be very effective. Brendan Quinn looks at ways to learn about HCI and the HCI tools and practices with which testers should become familiar.
	Anti-Patterns: Watch Out for Common Development Mistakes It is just as valuable to learn from mistakes as it is to just focus on best practices. Worst practices are common thought approaches to problem solving that appear again and again. These mistakes, also called anti-patterns, exist in all aspects of life—and software development.
	Memory Leaks—Coding Errors or Omissions with Consequences A memory leak is a coding error or omission with serious consequences. Memory leaks can be found in all programming languages and all types of applications. The question is—How do you find them? Brendan Quinn looks at some of the methods and tools available to developers and testers.
	Mobile App Test Automation—The Options Are you under pressure to run regression tests on your mobile app when you make changes? The mobile app automation market is heating up as all players are attempting to help you solve this problem. But there are many criteria you need to consider. Brendan Quinn looks at the options available.
	Time Management for Developers and Testers We all have the same amount of time—and in that way, we are all equal. However, some people are more productive than others. Brendan Quinn looks at various time management tips and tools and how they can help software developers and testers become more productive.
	Being a Shark: Software Testing for Small Startups As a developer in a startup you will be the core of any testing effort. You have to be a shark. You have to keep moving to stay alive. You don’t have weeks to think, plan, write, execute, and repeat. You don’t have time to clutter your process. You have to think differently when it comes to testing.
	The Life and Death Testing of Medical Devices It is a huge responsibility to ensure that the medical devices people rely on for their lives and health get tested thoroughly. Medical device testing is really about embedded testing and requires a different and more rigorous approach to testing than your normal web application.
	Testing APIs—How to Test SOAPSince APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) first came on the technology scene, the first question testers asked was How do I test them? APIs are closely related to web services—with some differences. Brendan Quinn looks at what's involved when testing APIs and using SOAP for testing them.
	Call of Duty: Are You Game Enough to Test?There are people who play video games for many hours a week. Yet some people move into software testing based on their ability to play games rather than because of their capability to test games.   The challenges faced in games development are huge. Have you got what it takes to be a games tester?
	Lessons Learned from the Biggest Hack in SC State History In October 2012, a security breach of the South Carolina state revenue office exposed millions of taxpayers' Social Security numbers. Brendan Quinn reviews the lessons that can be learned from this hack and offers some simple security prevention strategies.
	How Windows 8 Affects Software Testing The Windows 8 changes that will most affect software testers are the visual updates. Software testers will have to ensure that the program under test works both in the tile system and in the desktop environment, which many people will probably still use.
	Testing Apple Maps—A Lesson for a New GenerationNow that the furor of Apple's buggy release of Apple Maps has subsided a little, it is time to review what happened. Obviously the application needed more time to be ready, but more importantly, what lessons can the new generation of application developers and testers take away from this debacle?
	Where Should Your Loyalties Lie?Ask yourself this: If you saw another project in trouble and really thought you could help, would you offer your services? Brendan Quinn takes a look at loyalty—loyalty to yourself, your team, other teams, and your company—and how it can affect everyone.
	HTML5 and jQuery: The Light at the End of the Tunnel HTML5 and jQuery are tools that can live on any Internet browser that supports them. They can operate across devices—iPhones, iPads, Galaxies, Blackberrys, etc.—unlike an app that can only work on one device, using possibly only one version of an operating system, before an update is required.