In the fast-evolving world of software development, the significance of rigorous testing cannot be overstated. A recent blog post from The Code Camp titled “Software Testing and Why It’s Important” delves into this critical aspect, shedding light on its indispensability in the development process. This article serves as a comprehensive guide, explaining the necessity of testing, its types, and methodologies, thereby making it an invaluable resource for developers and testers alike.

The Essence of Software Testing

Software testing stands as a cornerstone of development, ensuring that applications perform as intended, are secure, reliable, and user-friendly. The article articulates how testing not only identifies bugs but also secures software against potential cyber threats, a growing concern in today’s digital age. By involving real users, testing guarantees that the software offers a seamless user experience, an aspect critical to the success of any application.

Why This Article?

I chose this resource because it offers a profound understanding of testing’s role in the development lifecycle, a topic directly related to our coursework. The article’s clear explanation of various testing types, such as unit, integration, system, and acceptance testing, complements our learning, providing practical insights into their applications.

Personal Reflection

Reflecting on the content, I was particularly struck by the emphasis on security and user-experience testing. In an era where digital threats are rampant and user expectations are high, these aspects of testing assume paramount importance. This article reinforced my understanding of the multifaceted nature of testing, extending beyond mere bug detection to encompass a holistic approach to creating robust, secure, and user-centric software.

Application in Future Practice

Moving forward, I plan to integrate these insights into my testing strategies, particularly the early involvement of real users through acceptance testing and the rigorous assessment of security vulnerabilities. Emphasizing these areas will not only enhance the quality and security of the software I contribute to but also ensure a superior user experience. Security is something that I have wanted to learn more about for a long time and I think testing is a good way to move towards that

Conclusion

The insights gained from “Software Testing and Why It’s Important” are instrumental for anyone involved in software development. It underscores the critical role of testing in delivering high-quality, secure, and user-friendly software, aligning perfectly with the principles we’re learning in our course. For those interested in exploring this topic further, the full article is available at The Code Camp, offering a deeper dive into the vital world of software testing.

From the blog CS@Worcester – Abe's Programming Blog by Abraham Passmore and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

Considering Visual Studio Code is a staple, core feature of our class, i wanted to see if there was anything more to this application that would be the fundamental base block for our classes. From what i’ve learned, it’s a highly versatile and widely embraced code editor in the realm of software development-having been developed by Microsoft; being a FOSS(Free and open source software) which caters to the needs of developers on platforms like Microsoft/Windows, macOS and Linux, being significant in being able to provide a unified environment for coding, editing and troubleshooting any problems that may arise.

Some of the key features of the VS Code program includes the aforementioned cross-platform compatibility- being available for Windows, Linux and macOS, language support in that a variety of programming languages exist and extensions can also be installed for other programming languages that aren’t currently supported, a robust community that contributes to the vast selection of extensions that exist- alongside users being able to develop their own extensions- making this even more of a dynamic ecosystem that prove of mutual benefit for all.
VS Code also has built-in features- ranging from a console to Git support to a debugger. Besides those practical features, it’s the more broad applications- as VS Code finds a utility amongst most data experts, machine learning practitioners, system and cloud developers, and those working with various cloud providers.

I chose this text since it proves a valuable insight into the utilities of the Visual Studio Code program that we use daily in our class- in software process management having a variety of development tools at your disposal is somewhat critical as well as being to understand the capabilities and advantages of a tool like Visual Studio Code can and will prove useful in ensuring effective software development in most projects-as well as it’s versatility as a tool- performance and versatility are key considerations when choosing development tools, and these factors are closely tied to software process management’s goals of efficiency and effectiveness.

Taking this into account, i see these development tools not just as a means/way to write and edit the code for the projects but integral components that can streamline the software development process , this can align with the more efficient code practices in software process management that place emphasis on version control, debugging and code quality assurance. This knowledge reaffirms that selecting tools like VS Code is not merely a technical decision but one with broader implications for team productivity, code quality, and project success.

https://shiftmag.dev/vs-code-171/

From the blog CS@Worcester – CSTips by Jamaal Gedeon and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

This week I wanted to learn more about concurrency because when I first heard about it I thought that it had to do with money but I found out it has a different meaning than I thought. So what is concurrency and why is it important? Concurrency is the execution of multiple sequences at the same time. This happens when operating systems have multiple threads running in parallel, with the threads running they communicate with each other’s shared memory. Concurrency is the sharing of those resources that cause problems like deadlocks. Concurrency helps with problems like coordinating the execution process and the scheduling for maximizing throughput. There are some ways that allow a concurrency execution, two of them are logical resource sharing which is a shared file and the other is physical resource sharing which is shared from hardware. In concurrency, there are two types of processes executing in the operating systems, that is independent and cooperating processes. The first independent process is a state that isn’t shared with another process, meaning that the end result depends on the input and that it will always be the same for the same input. A cooperating process is the opposite of an independent process, it can be shared with another process and the end result will not be the same for the same input. If you were to terminate the cooperating process it could affect other processes as well. A lot of systems can use at least two types of operations that can be used on process deletion and process creation. For example, process deletion is a parent deleting the execution of one of its children’s classes if the task assigned to the child is no longer needed. A process of creation is when a parent and child class can execute concurrency and share all common resources. Interleaved and overlapped processes are examples of concurrent processes and the relative speed of execution can’t be predicted. Concurrency all depends on the activities of other processes, and the scheduling of operating systems. Concurrency has a better time running multiple applications, a better response time, and a better performance. The sources I used to go more into detail about concurrency and explain the pros and cons of it very well. The reason why I picked this topic is because I thought it was interesting how it enables resources that aren’t used by one application and used for another application instead. It’s also interesting how without concurrency everything would take longer to run to completion because the first application would have to run first before starting another one.

Source:

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/concurrency-in-operating-system/

From the blog CS@Worcester – Kaylene Noel's Blog by Kaylene Noel and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

For my first blog post for CS-348 and in general (in terms of actual content), I wanted to look into code review. I already had an inkling as to what it could entail, but I wanted to know what sorts of techniques and tools are used in looking over our peers’ (and our own) code.

For this blog post, I consulted a post on SmartBear to get a better understanding of it all. The post establishes reasoning for why we need code review so that we can overall reduce the excess workload and costs that can be caused by unreviewed code being pushed through. The post also gives us 4 common approaches to code review in the current day (which is noted to have been very much improved from methods found in the past). These approaches are email threads, pair programming, over-the-shoulder code review, and tool-assisted reviews.

An email thread provides advantages in versatility but sacrifices the ease of communicating that you get in person. Pair programming is the practice of working on the same code at the same time, which is great for mentoring and reviewing at the same time as coding, but doesn’t give the same objectivity as other methods. Of course, over-the-shoulder reviews are simply having a colleague look over your code at your desk, which while fruitful, doesn’t provide as much documentation as other methods. Lastly, tool-assisted reviews are also straightforward, utilizing software to assist with code review.

The SmartBear post goes on to say that tracking code reviews and gathering metrics helps improve the process overall, and should not be skimped out on. Some empirical facts from Cisco’s code review process in 2005 are given as well. According to an analysis of it, code reviews should cover 200 lines of code or less, and reviews should take an hour or less for optimal results. Some other points are given as well if you visit the post.

Considering most of my ‘career’ has been independent coding (that is, coding as the sole contributor), this was rather interesting to me. I’ve done code reviews for my peers, helping them with assignments and the like, while I’ve only really utilized tools and software to assist myself. It’s interesting to see how something as simple as looking over someone’s code on their computer is such an important step in the software development process, but it certainly makes sense. I also wonder how much the code review process has changed since the popularization of AI companions such as ChatGPT and Github’s Co-Pilot. Perhaps these tools have made code review with our peers less important, but I wonder if it’s more important to have our peers second-guess the AI’s suggestions in case of mistakes. Nonetheless, having a solid grounding of the actual ramifications of code review will prove very useful during my programming career, I am sure.

From the blog CS@Worcester – V's CompSCi Blog by V and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

This week, I wanted to make a post showcasing some examples of documentation for free, open source software. Comprehensive documentation is essential for any software project, so I want to see what useful documentation looks like. I was inspired to make this post when I found myself in need of a new podcast app for my Android device. The one I had been using was no longer refreshing my subscribed podcasts when I opened the app, and I wasn’t able to load the episode lists of any shows. I needed a new podcast app, but I didn’t immediately want to download the Google Podcasts app that was at the top of the search results on their Play Store. I understand Google collects user telemetry and data from their apps, and I didn’t want Google to connect advertising data to my account from the ads many podcasts read from their sponsors. Ideally, I wanted a free and open source app I could use so I could feel more secure in my data privacy.

From Opensource.com, the definition of open source software is “software with source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance.” Many open source projects are supported by communities of volunteers connected over the Internet. The benefits of open source software include stability over time, meaning that because the project can be maintained indefinitely by anyone, the software may remain compatible with modern systems for a longer time than closed source software. Open source software also promotes security for end users. Since the software’s source code is openly accessible, there is a greater chance that undesirable code is deleted or corrected once discovered.

Large-scale projects that require collaboration are supported by extensive documentation for end users. The example I mentioned earlier, AntennaPod, has a simple-to-navigate documentation page that begins with the basic act of subscribing to a podcast, and ends with instructions for podcast creators on how to have their podcast listed on the app through the use of existing podcast dictionaries. One interesting section I found was an explanation of centralized versus distributed podcast apps. Centralized apps are always in communication with a central server, and content is delivered from that server to your device. In contrast, distributed apps send requests to the podcast publishers directly, and do not contact a central server. This approach allows the developers of the app to devote more resources to maintaining and iterating on the app, instead of maintaining a server. Distributed apps are also a protection for user privacy, as there is no interaction with any central server to provide an opportunity to collect user data. The app developers don’t have access to information like which users are subscribed to which shows either. This decentralized, distributed approach also helps protect against censorship, because there are multiple sources to download shows from instead of one central server owned by one entity. Likewise, the app will continue to function even if development ceases, where in contrast a central app will stop functioning if the central server shuts down.

Sources:

• https://opensource.com/resources/what-open-source
• https://antennapod.org/documentation/

From the blog CS@Worcester – Michael's Programming Blog by mikesprogrammingblog and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.

I have a very strong idea that there is always something new to learn or that there is always something to learn. This is how I can keep myself busy for hours at a time. I haven’t hit a point in my life in which my abilities of self-improvement has fallen short because I’m unable to acquire new skills because once again even If I know everything about a certain subject will always try to perfect what I know or dive into something else that hasn’t been explored yet. Like when I was 17, I played this videogame for almost 4,000 hours. I had been playing it since I was 10 and some people considered me good at the games because I put in the time to learn everything about. But while playing with people who also did the same, I realized that my game was flawed, and I still needed to work on some stuff. This is what I mean, being ‘good’ at programming isn’t good enough.

In this pattern, the author puts the reader in the context of them being quite good at the job. You are the go-to for any solution or situation that happens, and you are so good that you find it difficult to improve any more than what you already know.

What I find interesting about this pattern is that the author explains the problem as not being a problem. As I described in my first paragraph, it’s hard to know everything about a certain subject, because there is always something to learn. The author goes on to explain that having the mindset of not knowing enough should be the objective. Being ignorant about knowing everything, especially at such an early stage in your life, is only going to halt your abilities to improve more and to adapt. I’m not at this point in my programming journey yet, but I know that at some point I’ll get there, and so I feel that once I feel like I’m at this point of my career, it is best to come back to this pattern as a reminder of what I should do next in my journey.

Sources:

Hoover, Dave H., and Adewale Oshineye. Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman. O’Reilly, 2010.

From the blog CS@Worcester – FindKelvin by Kelvin Nina and used with permission of the author. All other rights reserved by the author.