InfoQ Homepage Quality Content on InfoQ
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Using DRY: Between Code Duplication and High-Coupling
DRY reduces duplication and the maintenance problems coming with it, but misusing it leads to high coupling and reduced readability. The lesson: a software development principle should be applied considering other corresponding principles, patterns and practices.
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The Impact of Software Testing on Embedded Systems
In its recent issue the Chip Design Magazine points out that the huge growth of portable and wireless systems combined with the increasing relevance of software in embedded systems poses a challenge. Quality issues need special attention, especially in safety-critical systems. This is why software test tools for software systems will become increasingly important.
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An Introduction to Software Quality
In two recent papers, David Chappell, Principal of Chappell & Associates, outlines the different aspects of software quality – functional, structural, and process-, the groups of people directly interested in quality –users, developers, and sponsors-, and the outcome of defects in externally or internally facing software over time.
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Coverity: Open Source Code Has Fewer Defects than Commercial One
A Coverity study concludes that open source code using static analysis has on average a lower number of defects than commercial code, but they are on par when it comes to code of similar sizes.
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Individual Yield
Tony Wong, a project management blackbelt, enumerates some practical points on individual procutivity. This article wonders how well these apply to software development and contrasts his list with that of other lists.
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How Applied Psychology can help Software Engineers
On the 1st November software engineer and author John R. Fox has published his book “Digital Work in an Analog World”. According to its subtitle “Improving Software Engineering by Applied Psychology”, the book does not consider software engineering in practice. Rather, it is focusing on the psychological aspects relevant and practices relevant for engineers.
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Cooperation between European Space Agency and Lero
As announced on 18th August 2011, the Irish Software Engineering Research Center (Lero) has signed a €300.000 contract for a research project with the European Space Agency (ESA). Goal of the research activities is to provide a solution framework for future space missions.
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Agile and Architecture Conflict
There is a constant tussle between following Agile techniques and still managing to do enterprise architecture. While Agile development focuses on adjusting the design as more insight is gained, architecture establishes the technology stack and addresses quality attributes. Combination of the two is successful when agile techniques are leveraged to drive towards the desired architecture.
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Code is Liability, the Less the Better
In lean manufacturing, the definition of inventory is pretty clear. It is the extra material, work in progress material and material queued up for the next bit of work. Lean emphasizes on reducing the inventory because there is always an inventory handling costs. In software development, often requirements are seen as inventory, what about the code?
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Coverity releases new tool for Code Governance
The privately owned US company Coverity claims that its newly released and browser-based software tool Coverity Integrity Control supports development organizations to set standard policies for code quality and security, and then manage, monitor and report on these policies as code is tested.
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Representing Agile Testing
Several members of the Agile community describe different styles for expressing user story tests and the testing of an entire theme.
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Ensuring Product Quality at Google
James Whittaker, a former Microsoft architect, author of several books in the “How to Break Software” series, and currently Director of Test Engineering at Google, has written a series of posts on how Google does testing. Google blends development with testing, having relatively few testers, and each product goes through successive channels before is ready for prime time.
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The Holy Grail of Zero Defect Systems
While, zero defects sounds very good to hear, is it really possible or is it an unachievable goal? Many organizations adopt a 'zero defects methodology'. Does it really mean anything?
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How Facebook Ships Code
Facebook is probably the hottest company today, driving a very high level of interest and scrutiny. Despite a high level of secrecy, Yee Lee, a product manager at Skype, has assembled a large collection of notes detailing how code ships at Facebook.
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How To Complete Stories Without Leaving Bugs Behind
What can you do when unacceptable numbers of stories are "done" with development, but they still have many quality problems?