Software Testing – DOH!!
Jul 19 2007

Is there anyone out there who really loves testing software applications before commercial release?  I guess there must be because people make a living at it.  I have worked with QA testers in the past but I never got the impression that they woke up excited every day about discovering all the things that weren’t working properly in an application.   I guess I haven’t been hanging around the right bunch of people.

Personally, although I’m fairly good at catching things, testing & reviewing software is low on the list of things I get excited about.  Plus I have this compelling need to ‘leave no stone unturned,’ which means it takes me longer to test and longer to document bugs, findings, etc.  And I’m not a very technical documenter (e.g., that thingamabob didn’t work when I pressed this thingamajig – yes I’m exaggerating a bit) which I’m sure drives the developers crazy! 

My ability to test (or shall I say audit since I was an accountant in my prior life) software is a blessing and a curse because invariably I find something not quite right and my shoulder and arm starts to hurt from all the typing, cutting and pasting, and moving my hand back and forth between keypad and mouse.  Sigh.  Thank goodness for Bugzilla.  Oh yeah I almost forgot, the blessing part is that I usually find the unusual/hard-to-find bugs which is important to me because I want our customer’s experience with our applications to be the best it can be.  Plus I don’t want people posting all over the Internet about how our app doesn’t work properly!  So Microsoft and HP can you please get the Vista-HP Printer/Scanner driver issue figured out for InkJets…not just for LaserJets!!

So given my venting/hair pulling frustration about testing you might wonder why I’m heading up a software company!?!  Because I find it deeply rewarding to conceive of technology applications that can help make the lives of new parents a little easier.   Also, it’s a wonderful feeling when nothing crashes or blows up and you know the fixes can be handled fairly quickly.  Thanks Cressanda!  Everyone knows that software is never completely done (e.g., Microsoft’s Vista).  However, I can say with a fair amount of confidence that our new application will have fewer bugs than Vista!  Finally, I am relying on the Law of Attraction and sending out the attraction vibes for one of those elusive folks who truly love software testing to find us at the exact right time we can afford to hire them.  🙂

The good news behind all my Testing woes is that it means we are going to release a new application next month!  I’ve been testing for the last few days and we have a few more weeks of testing and fixing before it’s available.   Anyone who purchases a subscription now will get access to this new feature for FREE for the remainder of their subscription period.  Here’s a hint:  “Baby, Say Cheese” 😀

Aruni

Author: Aruni | Filed under: babble soft, baby manager, technology | 6 Comments »

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