12 Unexpected Techniques for Finding The Most Exotic Bugs

How to Uncover Hidden Software Bugs by Wandering Off the Path

Teresa Dunn

• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781644588505
• eBook ISBN: 9781644588512
• Topic: Technology & Engineering
• Subtopic: Mechanical Engineering
• Index: Technology & Engineering

This book is based on seventeen years of black box, grey box, and automated testing. The book, Twelve Unusual Techniques for Finding the Most Exotic Bugs, is a book about how to find hidden software bugs. The author of this book has learned these twelve unexpected techniques for finding the most hidden software bugs because these are bugs that are not covered in the standard test plans or test requirements. These techniques work because they are time tested and based on actual user behavior. It is a known fact that many software users do not always use the software in a way in which it was intended. The techniques in this book covers the unpredictable and often unusual approach that some users have when using software to complete their daily tasks.You found a bug but just can't seem to reproduce it; this book will tell why you why can't reproduce it and how to solve this problem. You don't know how much time you should spend trying to reproduce what seems to be unreproducible bug. Well, this book will introduce you to the 10- Minute Rule, why you should use it, and how and why it works.Whether you are new to testing or an experienced software engineer, these techniques for uncovering the most software bugs will help you find more bugs and write better bug reports. Remember, the only good bugs are the bugs you find before the customer finds it.

Chapter 1

The 10- Minute Rule

What This Rule Is

Although most of this guide is about finding bugs by testing off the well-beaten path, the 10-Minute Rule is so important for finding and reproducing bugs that I have decided to include it in this guide.

How to Use This Rule

So let’s say that you have just found a bug, but you can’t seem to reproduce it. First, do not restart the application or your computer unless the application has become unresponsive and that is the only way to recover. If you have to restart, try to get any logs first by pressing the Print Screen button before you restart.

If the application is still functioning, close the application, restart it, and repeat the last section in your test procedure. Spend about 10 minutes trying to reproduce the bug. After 10 minutes, stop, and then move on.

Why This Rule Is Key to a Book about Finding Bugs

There are several reasons why you should move on after ten minutes of trying to reproduce a bug. When you don’t have a clue as to what you did that led up to the discovery of the bug, it becomes very stressful. The longer you try, the more agonizing and frustrating the task becomes.

There are business aspects of testing that you should take into consideration, such as the amount of time for testing that has been figured into each project. Spending too much time trying to reproduce a bug could cause the project to miss the release date and exceed the budget.

The Benefits of Using This Rule

You can still find bugs by understanding this very important little secret: each of us tends to repeat the same patterns, if you take a break and come back to it with fresh eyes, you’ll likely stumble upon the bug again. You’ll be amazed at how much time this simple little secret can save you!

Chapter 2

The No. 1 Question That a Software Tester Is Asked, but Usually Cannot Answer

What Were You Doing When You Saw the Bug?

The answer is usually, “I don’t know.” Why is the answer so important to finding every bug? Because whether you find the bug on the path or off the path, you can’t reproduce the bug if you don’t know how you found it.

How the Testing Rules Will Help Solve This Problem

Pay close attention to what you are doing. Often you don’t know what led up to the bug when you are not paying close enough attention to what you were doing. This can occur when the tester is too familiar with the test procedure.

Take Advantage of Useful Built-In Tools

If you are working in the Windows environment, there is a built-in tool that was added to Windows 7 and onward called Steps Recorder. ...

Table of contents

• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• Chapter 9
• Chapter 10
• Chapter 11
• Chapter 12