Software Quality Matters Blog

Using Peer Code Reviews as a Professional Development Tool

May 22, 2013 by Lorinda Brandon Leave a Comment

Over the years, I have had the privilege of working with hundreds of developers. Overall, I have found them to be intelligent, witty, focused, incredibly funny… and also pretty isolated. Developers are most effective when they have long un-interrupted periods of time to concentrate on their work. The most common distractions are caused by other people—people wanting to talk, people walking by, people causing a ruckus in the hallway. Consequently, most developers isolate themselves by either working odd hours or by wearing hoodies … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Careers, Code Review, Collaborator, Development, Software Quality

WebLoadUI Pro Made a Scene and This Guy Won a Kindle Fire

May 22, 2013 by Peter Greelish Leave a Comment

We’ve had so much going on here at SmartBear that we haven’t had a chance to share with you our latest exciting release. Aligning its launch with the StarEast software testing conference on May 1st in Orlando, WebLoadUI Pro made a buzz around our booth with many new features SmartBear’s free load testing tool doesn’t offer. The Kindle Fire we gave away helped too. Congratulations to Manish from Harvard Pilgrim for winning it! So, what’s new about WebLoadUI Pro? There are several things we like to brag about with Pro, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Load Testing, Performance, WebLoadUI

Testers and Developers, Can We Please Get Along?

May 20, 2013 by Ole Lensmar 8 Comments

A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend the StarEAST conference in Orlando. As in past years, it was inspiring to see so many qualified testers and QA managers all under the same roof. Speaker sessions were relevant, humorous and interesting, and from the list of topics, it's evident that junior and veteran testers alike have started to adopt trends like Agile testing and automation without ignoring things like exploratory testing, test management and planning. I would even go so far as to say many attendees were far beyond … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Development, Software Quality, Testing

Neverwinter’s High Priority Bug

May 20, 2013 by Meg Cater 4 Comments

From the outside, writing code can seem closer to the practice of mathematics than something like painting or sculpture. Not so. Developers are inherently creative types – driven by the desire to build out their visions, taking an idea and turning it into a tangible thing of beauty, utility, and even mystery. This is nowhere more obvious than with game developers. Here’s the issue. With any creative process, the need to be perfect is a hindrance to the act of creation. It’s stifling to the vision and to the liberty of taking artistic … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Code Review, Collaborator, Development

How Collaborator’s Eclipse Plug-In Makes Your Life Easier

May 20, 2013 by Lorinda Brandon Leave a Comment

Ask any Eclipse developer and they will tell you that they prefer to do all of their work in Eclipse, rather than toggling between multiple systems. This is especially true for code reviews. So it makes perfect sense that we created an Eclipse plug-in for Collaborator, which gives you the ability to bring the whole review experience inside your Eclipse environment. Think about how much time and aggravation you could save by collaborating with co-workers in Eclipse. For example, imagine seeing something in the review that raises questions … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Code Review, Collaborator, Development, Software Quality

Advancing Network and Security Performance

May 17, 2013 by Matt Smith Leave a Comment

While server virtualization has actually been available for more than a decade, many IT professionals still refer to it as a relatively new technology. The comfort and familiarity of a world made up of only physical servers caused many to resist even looking into the virtual platform, but changes in the overall technology landscape are forcing some to re-think implementing this technology, especially because of its enhanced performance. Here, we will take a closer look at some of those benefits. Cost Reduction Some of the first benefits … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Performance, Web Monitoring

So, I Heard You Guys Like Software Comics

May 17, 2013 by Ben Austin Leave a Comment

We don't exactly have Scott Adams on staff to draw witty satires about office shinanigans, but we always enjoy putting out a few good software comics at the end of a grueling week. Whether it's about the downside of a classic buzzword (Agile anyone?) or the never-ending battle between the QA and development team, it's good to post something a little more light hearted every once in a while. Yes, we realize that we too are guilty of over using some of those buzzwords, and no, the relationship between our development and QA teams isn't … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Agile, Cartoons, QA

But Where Should I Go, What Should I Do?

May 16, 2013 by Marc Sokes 1 Comment

This is exactly what many developers are left thinking when their dependent application is stripped away from the proverbial teat that of which their survival rested upon. You may ask, “Why? Why would a company do such thing to their loyal, er, developers?” You may feel like Scarlett O'Hara during the closing scene of “Gone with the Wind,” but truth-be-told, you're not really being abandoned. Companies have legitimate logic behind their decisions, and besides, given the nature of the field, developers are an adaptable group of folks. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: API Testing, APIs, SoapUI

The Twisted Personality of the Software Tester

May 16, 2013 by Meg Cater Leave a Comment

A bunch of us at SmartBear recently returned from StarEast, the biggest software testing conference this side of the Mississippi. I loved it! Mainly because it was so heartening to see all the people committed to high-quality software, unselfconscious in their geekiness, proud of their craft, knowing they play a crucial if small role in the stability of our world and its future. Software testing truly is an altruistic endeavor. Being willing to stand up for quality in the face of a development, business or marketing team’s desire to move … [Read more...]

Filed Under: QA, TestComplete, Testing

Using Twitter as an Emergency Broadcast Network [Infographic]

May 15, 2013 by Lorinda Brandon 2 Comments

We have seen it more often than not lately, and many of us have been taking it for granted: Twitter as the place to go for rapid communication during an emergency. Here in the Boston area, we saw the whole East Coast rely on Twitter as a communications vehicle during Hurricane Sandy. Then, more recently, as a means for the Boston Police Department and Mayor’s office to communicate with us during the hunt for the Marathon bombing suspects. But was this Twitter’s intent? It was never intended to shoulder the responsibility of citizen … [Read more...]