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HTML vs HTML5: Listing the Key Differences and Advantages

HTML vs HTML5: Listing the Key Differences and Advantages

HTML, expanded as HyperText Markup Language is used to define the structure of the content in a webpage. HTML has its origins dating back to 1980 and its first version was officially launched in 1993. Since HTML5 is the most recent version, we will be discussing the key differences and upgrades that were introduced in HTML5. We will be able to understand the advantages that HTML5 has to offer when we pit HTML vs HTML5. We will also be exploring the history of HTML to see how it has transformed over the years.

If in case you don’t know how HTML works, it actually has a series of elements/syntax which you can use to structure and present the different parts of the content like heading text, paragraph text, bullet points, images, and so on. So it basically instructs the browser how to display the text, image, and other elements of a webpage. HTML is now being used with CSS (Cascading Style Sheet) and JavaScript to make the browser more dynamic. As one of the leading Software Testing companies in the industry, we believe that a good understanding of HTML will definitely come to use one day.

HTML’s History

As stated earlier, the beginning of HTML traces all the way back to 1980. Physicist Tim Berners-Lee, a specialist at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) proposed a new “hypertext” framework that can be used for sharing reports and documents. Ultimately, Tim Berners-Lee got together with renowned frameworks engineer Robert Cailliau to introduce the triumphant proposition called the World Wide Web (W3).

HTML 1.0

The main proper report of HTML was distributed in 1991 under the name ‘HTML Tags’. It is considered a PC relic in today’s world. Though this move was made in 1991, the initial authority proposition to change HTML into a standard was made in 1993 by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force). The first version of HTML is regarded as HTML 1.0 and it had 18 elements.

HTML 2.0

HTML did not boom immediately and it also lacked a lot of basic features such as changing the font, including images & tables, and so on. So in 1995, IETF arranged for a gathering to create the HTML 2.0 norm that retained all the elements from HTML 1.0 and added a few features as well. This is the last set of HTML guidelines that were distributed by IETF.

HTML 3.2

The HTML guidelines started getting distributed by another standard association called W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) instead of IETF from 1996. So on January 14, 1997, the HTML 3.2 variant was distributed by the W3C. It introduced a lot of great features like Java applets, text streams around pictures, and so on.

HTML 4.0

HTML 4.0 (A revised variant of the first distribution of December 18, 1997) was distributed on April 24, 1998. It came with significant additions like CSS templates, the ability to remember little projects or scripts for the sites, working on the openness of the planned pages, complex tables, and upgrades in the structure. A rather update came in the form of HTML 4.0.1 on December 24, 1999. It was a modification and update of the HTML 4.0 form, so it didn’t address a lot of critical aspects.

HTML 5.0

With the distribution of HTML 4.0.1, the normalization movement of HTML halted as the W3C zeroed in on the improvement of the XHTML standard. So in 2004, organizations like Apple, Mozilla, and Opera expressed their anxiety about the absence of W3C’s interest in HTML and decided to arrange another affiliation called the WHATWG (Web Hypertext Application Technology Working Group). Owing to the strength of the organization that made up WHATWG, W3C came back to the normalizing movement of HTML and distributed the initial HTML 5.0 drafts in March 2007 and the first authority draft on January 22, 2008. Corresponding to its movement with HTML, W3C also proceeded with the normalization of XHTML, a high-level adaptation of HTML.

HTML vs HTML5

HTML5 is no longer just a website builder, it has evolved to become an entire application builder on its own. Unlike older versions of HTML, which only allowed you to create primarily static sites that needed to be spiced up with CSS and JavaScript, HTML5 is much more dynamic and includes multimedia elements.

Audio and Video Tags

With the introduction of

Games & Interactive Media

Browsers can display interactive 3D graphics using the computer’s own graphic processor. The need for any extra software or plugin to run games or any interactive media in web browsers also has been eliminated.

Data Storage

HTML employed cookies to store temporary data. Whereas, HTML5 utilizes web SQL databases, web storage, and application cache for storing the data offline. Since it became possible to store the data on the user’s device, certain app functionalities will work properly even without having an active internet connection.

Vector Graphics

We were only able to add vector graphics in HTML by VML, Flash, Silverlight, and other such technologies. But HTML5 introduced the ‘svg’ tag that enables us to include vector graphics directly.

Mobile-Friendly

The ability of HTML5 to generate better forms, the elimination of the flash player dependency, and general improvements like the introduction of the header, footer, and nav that adds the much-needed structure to the website make HTML5 a more mobile-friendly option in this HTML vs HTML5 comparison.

Cross-platform support

Since HTML5 can be used for deployment across various platforms, it acts as a huge time and money saver during the development phase.

Drag and Drop

HTML5 made it possible for the objects on the page to move according to the user’s cursor movement. So HTML5 was also able to enable drag and drop effects that HTML lacked.

Font Options

The look of the webpages also greatly improved with HTML5 supporting more fonts that can be displayed in a wide array of colors and with different effects as well.

Character Encoding

The introduction of the charset attribute meant that the character encoding process which was long and complicated in HTML got simplified in HTML5.

Geolocation

It was not possible to track the geolocation of a user with HTML. But since HTML5 allows JavaScript to run in the browser, a user’s geolocation can be easily tracked using the JS GeoLocation API. So that’s another major win for HTML5 in this HTML vs HTML5 comparison.

Ping

In addition to that, the ping attribute that came in HTML5 makes it possible for a list of URLs to be notified if and when a user clicks on a particular hyperlink. So the geolocation tracking and such features make HTML5 more resourceful when it comes to tracking and monitoring usage.

Disadvantages of HTML5:

Now that we have seen the HTML vs HTML5 comparison, let’s explore the few downsides that need improvement.

  • Since HTML5 requires modern browsers to access it, users utilizing old versions of the browser will face issues while accessing a website. There are also browser compatibility issues. So users might get unnecessarily frustrated with the website though there are no issues.
  • The language is always a work in progress and so you would have to be constantly following for any changes that might cause issues to your site. Though we can benefit from improvements, practically it might work as a threat.
  • Since media licensing is an issue in HTML5, it cannot produce dynamic outputs. Though we can embed audio files, graphics, interactivities, and videos, we will not be able to use HD videos and rich visuals that will make us miss Adobe Flash.
  • The security elements offered are also very limited.

Conclusion

Despite the few advantages, there is no denying the fact that HTML5 is very easy to use in comparison to HTML all thanks to the simple syntaxes. A few HTML tags were even removed completely in the update and a few tags were changed to a different syntax. For example, ‘dir’ was changed to ‘ul’. We hope you had a good time reading our HTML vs HTML5 comparison and learned the key differences between the two as well. As one of the top QA companies, we will be constantly updating a lot of useful information through our blogs. So make sure to stay tuned to this space for more.

What is the Difference between QA and Software Testing?

What is the Difference between QA and Software Testing?

Not many know that there is a lot of difference between Quality Assurance and Software Testing. Though they both contribute towards better software quality, they differ in terms of goal, approach, and so on. To put it in simple terms, software testing is the process of finding bugs that already exist in the software. Whereas, Quality Assurance is the process of preventing the creation of such bugs and future problems. So we would first perform software testing to find all the bugs, then with the available data, we will be able to perform quality control to achieve quality assurance. As a leading QA company, we have been able to successfully test products and provide quality assurance to many of our clients. So in this blog, we will be focusing on the core differences between QA and Software testing and explore why Quality Assurance is important.

The Differences between QA and Software Testing

Quality Assurance is much broader in scope as covers every process, policy, tool, guideline, training, workflow, etc. that a team will need to meet with their quality objectives. So software testing is basically a sub-branch of the quality assurance process. Now let’s take a look at the tabulated version of the key differences between QA and Software Testing.

S. No Software Testing Quality Assurance
1 The Primary Objective Is To Make The Application Bug-Free. The Primary Objective Is To Make The Application Meet The Stakeholder’s Expectations.
2 Performed Once The Code Has Been Written. Involved In Every Step Of The Development Process.
3 Checks Or Validates The Behavior Of The Application. Improves The Application’s Quality Using Various Methods, Tools, Policies, Etc.
4 It Is Reactive In Nature As It Is A Corrective Action. It Is Proactive In Nature As It Is A Preventive Action.
5 Focused On The Product. Focused On The Process.
6 Developers Or Testers Perform The Tests. Quality Assurance Activities Are Followed By All. (Stakeholders, Business Analysts, Developers, And Testers)

The Importance of Quality Assurance

We know for a fact that lack of bugs alone doesn’t make a quality product. If we were to go by an analogy, we can consider a dish that has been cooked in accordance with the given recipe & procedure. But what if there was something wrong with the recipe or the cooking process itself? The consumer still may not like the food though everything went according to plan. Likewise, an end-user might not feel satisfied with your product though it is bug-free.

Moreover, believing that the software being developed will have zero errors is a fallacy. Since we are aware of the obvious result, is it not wiser to follow quality assurance methods to minimize the effects of any quality issues later down the pipeline? It is impossible for the software tester who receives the code with the bugs to have any control over the development process. So the more attention and effort you put into quality assurance, the easier it gets while testing a product.

Which one do you need?

So it is evident that creating a successful product without either of these two is not possible. Though companies might have an internal team for executing basic tests, it will not be enough. A dedicated QA team will be mandatory as we all know that quality cannot be tested into a product. If there are any doubts regarding the team’s expansion, one can always outsource their QA needs to one of the best outsourcing companies such as us to get the job done without breaking a sweat while still staying on budget. We hope you are now clear of the various differences between QA and software testing

Want to Become a Software Tester? Here’s How to Do it

Want to Become a Software Tester? Here’s How to Do it

Making a career choice is no easy task, you should know if you’re on the right path by exploring various options, you should then clear any and all misconceptions you might have in the role by taking a deep dive. Following this, you’ll have to check the various skills you’ll need, the certifications to work for and so much more. As a leading software testing company, we know what makes great software testers. So assuming you have checked other options and have made a job in software testing a viable option, we will be exploring all the avenues you’ll need to focus on to become a successful software tester. We will start by introducing you to the role of a software tester so that you will not have any fallacies about the job.

Who are Software Testers?

Software Testers, also known as QA Professionals play an integral part in ensuring the quality of the software in various parts of the software development cycle. The process of ensuring quality involves creating defined expectations that the software is expected to meet and then testing it to see if the said expectations are met. It can either be done manually or by using automation. Software testing doesn’t just require people with an eye for the details as quality goes beyond what meets the eye. Quality should be ingrained in the software tester’s mindset that doesn’t just stop issues but also prevents them from occurring by encouraging the team to follow the best practices.

Quality is such a huge deal as no user would be interested to use buggy software though it has the best features. The software will fail if the team fails to nail to user experience. So software testing isn’t just about detecting bugs, it is about ensuring smooth performance and a great user experience. So let’s take a look at the various skills you will be needing to accomplish this objective.

Skills of a Software Tester

Be it any job, you will need both technical and non-technical skills to excel at it. We will not be compartmentalizing skills based on specific methods of testing as we always believe it is important for a tester to have comprehensive knowledge across all the methods and approaches. If you find this list overwhelming, please keep in mind that these are the skills you will be needing not to just get started. So you can get better at it in the due course time.

Technical Skills Required for Software Tester

Technical Skills - Become a Software Tester

Domain Knowledge

Remember how we mentioned there will be defined expectations for the application to meet with? So technically you would have to understand such expectations of the stakeholders and the end-users to create test cases that will define what has to be tested and how it has to be tested. You can’t use one type of test in all scenarios, right? So you would have to learn the different types of testing like performance testing, smoke testing, regression testing, etc., and know when to use what type of testing. Once all this is ready, you must also be in a position to execute these test cases, determine the result of the tests and create test reports. Our Software Testing Tutorial for Beginners is a great blog you can ready to learn such skills. In addition to that, you must familiarize yourself with software development approaches like agile.

Coding

Since software testers would have to understand what the code means when testing an application, it goes without saying that programming is a must-have skill for testers. In addition to that, it is important to improve your coding skills to implement automation to perform repetitive tasks as the need for automation is on the rise to keep up with the demand for quality software. Apart from being able to read and comprehend the code, you must have a high level of understanding of the widely used programming languages. You must also have a stronghold in the basics such as the fundamentals of object-oriented programming, architectures, algorithms, and so on.

Linux Commands

Though Windows and macOS are the most commonly used operating systems for regular use, you should have a basic understanding of Linux commands as the deployment of applications like databases, web services, Docker, Kubernetes, and application servers are deployed on machines running on Linux.

Databases and SQL

Nowadays applications tend to have large chunks of data in their back-end using databases. Since software testing is about ensuring overall quality, it is vital for software testers to have ample knowledge about databases like MYSQL or Oracle. So if you have the task of validating the data in the databases, you should be able to create SQL queries to verify if the data is stored properly or not.

Tool Knowledge

Just like how to test execution requires effort, test management also requires a lot of effort. Using the appropriate tools can reduce the required effort in storing test cases, bug tracking, and so on. So make sure you have awareness and as many hands-on experiences with the tools that can be helpful. As a pioneer in the industry, we have curated lists of the best test management tools and the top 10 automation testing tools every tester must know about. Make sure to visit that blog to find what tools will be best suited for the various requirements.

Certifications

There is a lot a candidate can claim in their resume, and certifications can add a lot of value to your application and help you stand apart from the crowd. Developing all the above-mentioned skills should be the primary objective as there will be no use for you if you decide to get certified just for the sake of getting certified. There are various free certifications that can help you get started and a lot of paid certifications that will help you gain more recognition. So make sure to visit our blog to learn more about the best QA testing certifications that we have mentioned below.

  • ISTQB – Foundation Level
  • CAST – Certified Associate In Software Testing
  • CSTE — Certified Software Test Engineer
  • CTM — Certified Test Manager
  • CSSBB — Six Sigma Black Belt Certification
  • ISTQB – Advanced & Expert Level

It is a comprehensive list of the certifications you should focus on for your career growth and not a starter kit. You could also use platforms like Coursera and Udemy to get a lot of useful certifications.

Non-Technical Skills Needed by a Software Tester

Non-Technical Skills - Become a Software Tester

Passion is the very first non-technical aspect that you should be strong in and we have already covered that in the earlier part of this blog. So now let’s take a look at the other non-technical skills you would have to work on.

Attention to Detail

Oversight is never an acceptable option when it comes to software testing as one small oversight issue can create a ripple effect of serious issues down the lane. Stopping assumptions is the first step towards avoiding oversight. You can even improve such skills on a daily basis with the help of memory games, puzzles, and brain teasers.

Curiosity

The moment you make assumptions out of the equation, there will be a natural spur of curiosity in your brain. This curiosity will play a major role in helping you find bugs that could go undetected when following conventional methods. For example, if we take a look at exploratory testing, it definitely relies heavily on the tester’s intuition, creativity, and willingness to test new waters.

Problem-Solving Skills

Once you find a bug, you should never analyze it on a surface level, you should be able to identify the root cause of the issues. Such an approach will help you test better. Having an analytical and problem-solving mindset will also help you compartmentalize the software into smaller units and make the entire process more effective.

Organizational & Communication skills

Being well organized is definitely a must-have skill for all jobs. Even with regards to software testing, having all the data in a well-organized manner will definitely aid and boost your analytical skills. Plus, if the tester fails to use clear and comprehensible statements while creating test artifacts like test cases, test plans, test strategies, bug reports, and so on. The entire development process will see setbacks. Plus, as a software tester, you must be able to retrieve all such documents in a snap as you will never know when you will need them.

Flexibility and Team working skills

The communication skills should extend towards making yourself a team player as well. If you work in an agile environment, you would have to work in tandem with other teams as well. So make sure you show flexibility in internal aspects like willingness to perform any kind of testing. One should never stay within the comfort zone if one wants to improve and grow. Likewise, have a unified vision when working with other teams. There will be no point in playing the blame game with the developers once something bad happens.

Holistic

Yes, concentrating on something deeply is definitely a good sign to get effective results. But at the same time, you shouldn’t focus on just one or two aspects completely and lose track of the other parts of the application. If that happens, you might even miss the most straightforward bugs. So make sure your work is holistic in terms of coverage.

Conclusion

We hope you found all of this information to be useful. As stated earlier, don’t feel overwhelmed with the many skills you would need to become successful in your journey. As a leading QA company, we always make sure to implement a boot camp training session for all our new recruits by using the discussed skills as the base. We have found it to be very beneficial and hopefully, you will too.

Is it true that Facebook has no testers? Find Out Facebook’s Testing Strategy

Is it true that Facebook has no testers? Find Out Facebook’s Testing Strategy

If you had read that title and assumed that it isn’t possible to be true, then you assumed wrong. Facebook, now known as Meta does not employ dedicated personnel for testing their product. But you might wonder how it is possible for an application that has around 2.89 billion active users built using 60 million lines of code to work without testers. Here’s the catch, Facebook does in fact test its product. It just doesn’t employ dedicated people to get the job done. Instead, Facebook makes use of automation testing wherever possible. Automation also does have its own limitation as not all tests can be automated. So let’s find out Facebook’s Testing Strategy to manage this obstacle.

Facebook’s Testing Strategy

The 5 Facebook Testing Strategies

Development-Driven Approach

Facebook tries to reduce the number of bugs that get past the developers by making the developers test their own code and test each other’s code as well. Though developers will be more careful with their work, this method does lack the benefit of fresh and unbiased eyes reviewing the code.

Dogfooding Technique

Another one of Facebook’s Testing strategies is dogfooding all their employees by making them use the application. They are also provided with the required tools to report the bugs they find. So almost every employee is a tester in this scenario, but what makes it different is that testing alone isn’t their main task. Likewise, few employees will be focused more on QA, but that alone will not be their purpose.

Canary Releases

Facebook will not deploy any changes directly to their entire base. Instead, they make canary releases to their employees at first. If there are no reported issues, it is released to a smaller group of real-world users before it makes a worldwide release. Facebook’s various clients are also made to perform QA activities as their services are heavily reliant on the platform. Clients will be able to access the beta versions by visiting beta.facebook.com 24 hours prior to the release.

Bug Bounty Programs

As a part of Facebook’s Testing Strategy, they have been running bug bounty programs ever since 2011. It is used as a way to discover any major concerns that could have slipped past their existing tests. The prize amounts are calculated based on the severity and impact levels of the issues that are discovered. On the 10th anniversary of their bug bounty program, Facebook announced that had awarded over $1.98 Million for the winners. According to a former Facebook employee, they even have a few privileged channels through which ex-employees can report the issues they find. The employee also claimed that he reports around 13,000 bugs every month.

User Data

Owing to the larger user base, Facebook has large amounts of data at its disposal to monitor the performance of the newly deployed changes. Facebook has aggregated user reports and workflow success rates to analyze the success. It also keeps the existing users under check by using data like how many messages were sent during this hour of this week versus the previous week.

Are Testers not required?

Facebook’s Testing Strategy is in no way a perfect way to go about testing your product before a release. In fact, Facebook itself is aware of the shortcomings in its strategy. But they still follow it as Facebook feels social media is non-essential. This kind of approach shouldn’t come as a surprise as the motto for the company’s developers was “Move Fast and Break Things” until 2014. As a leading QA company, we believe that involving all the employees and developers to focus on testing makes it impossible for them to focus on their primary objectives to deliver their best. It is also a very messy plan that can be difficult to keep track of. A dedicated team can be instrumental in bringing down issues and costs in the longer run.

A Complete List of the Different Types of Software Bugs

A Complete List of the Different Types of Software Bugs

Prevention is better than cure is a great saying that even applies to the software development lifecycle. But it is almost impossible to develop software without any bugs on the very first try. So in order to keep up with the ever-growing need for rapid software development, it is vital for us to minimize the time taken to fix a bug. So it is very important to know the different types of software bugs detected during software testing as the complete knowledge of the type of bug you are dealing with will be instrumental in helping you understand the severity and in turn sort your priorities accordingly.

But before we explore the various types of software bugs, let’s first look into what classifies as a software bug. A software bug can be defined as an error or a fault that can render a computer program or even an entire system to crash or malfunction. So you will not get the desired or expected output despite providing a valid input. Though a glitch is different from a software bug, few might assume both to be the same. Due to the random nature of software glitches, it can be very difficult to find the cause and solve it like a software bug. But you might get lucky as glitches are known to correct themselves.

Glitch vs Bug - Types of Software Bugs

Origin of the Term ‘Bug’

Before dive in to explore the different types of software bugs, let’s take a look at some interesting trivia related to the term ‘bug’. The first-ever bug in a computer was reported by Grace Hopper back in 1946 and there is an interesting story behind how the term ‘bug’ came into use.

The Term bug definition

But some records suggest that the term ‘bug’ was used years back to denote an issue in a system.

Thomas Edition termed as Bug - Different types of Bugs

What are the Different Types of Software Bugs?

Let’s take a list of the various types of software bugs and then explore them one by one.

  • Functionality Bugs
  • Performance-based Bugs
  • Usability Issues
  • Safety Issues
  • Compatibility Issues
  • System-Level Integration Bugs
  • Unit Level Bugs
Functionality Bugs

Every element in an application or a website will have a purpose for its existence. At times, it is possible for a few of these elements to not function as per the need or expectations. So such errors can be termed as functional bugs. The severity of these types of bugs could also be in different ranges. To bring that into perspective, a random non-functioning button that isn’t responding to clicks is also a functionality issue, and a malfunctioning login functionality that isn’t letting the users use the software is also a functionality issue. Owing to the broad nature of this type of bug, it is one of the most common bugs you will encounter. You have to be careful and not list every single bug you find under this category. Instead, you should take a closer look and classify it accordingly.

Performance-based Bugs

But just because a function works, doesn’t mean that everything is fine. According to a report, a delay of just one second decreases the customer’s satisfaction by 16%. Now, let’s say you are at the payment gateway and have entered your password or the OTP. The payment has to be verified and a success message has to be displayed in a very short span of time. If it takes 5 minutes for the success message to be displayed, then the user would be livid with your software. Similarly, if it works smoothly only once every 5 times, you would have to be counting on your luck to get that successful message. So speed, stability, resource consumption, etc. are a few performance issues that one might face.

Usability Issues

Over the years the number of fields in the sign-up form has been on the decline and usability is one of the major reasons. If it seems like too much work, users might shy away from creating an account or using the product altogether. You might have developed a great feature that can make a task easier for the user. But if the feature is hidden away in some menu making it hard for the user to find, it most probably will remain unused. There can also be workflow bugs that can make navigation through the software very difficult.

Accessibility issues are some of the most overlooked types of usability issues that make your product inaccessible to people with disabilities. As one of the leading QA companies, we provide the best web accessibility testing services and believe that everyone should have equal access to the various applications and websites in the market. Now let’s take a look at the few common accessibility issues that are usually found.

Accessibility Awareness

Safety Issues

With so much of our personal information at stake, safety and privacy have become major concerns for many users. The Covid-19 pandemic also resulted in a surge of security breaches as many products were left vulnerable due to their lack of focus on security. So make sure to look out for the following security issues.

  • Encryption errors
  • Buffer overflows
  • Vulnerabilities in XSS
  • Susceptibility to SQL injections
  • Weak authentication
  • Loopholes in role-based access
  • Insecure deserialization
  • Using components with known weaknesses
  • Security misconfiguration
Compatibility Issues

If we take a mobile application as an example, compatibility is one mammoth challenge that the software development team has to overcome as there are so many mobile devices that are available in the market today. Each of these devices has its own display size & resolution, operating system, processors, and so on. So if you face any issues with a certain specification, then you would have to note it down. If you are developing a website, then you have to make sure it works fine across mobile devices, tabs, and computers. So just because everything works well in the defined circumstances, you can’t expect it to work the same way in real-world scenarios that have a lot of diversity.

System-Level Integration Bugs

Though the code for the different units of the software will be written by different software developers, it must all work together seamlessly. But it is not something that happens every time and you might encounter such issues when you are testing. You might something weird happening in the UI, or you might even witness memory overflow issues because of such bugs. So you can’t directly assume it is a UI issue as it might be caused due to the inconsistencies or incompatibilities across components. This makes it very hard to locate and resolve the issue as one would have to examine a larger chunk of code to identify the problem. So make sure to be extra careful when handling such complex issues.

Unit Level Bugs

Agile teams make use of unit tests to detect issues at the early stages of the software development so that they can be spotted and fixed easily. As a prominent agile testing services provider, we always focus on unit testing in all our projects. So it is highly important for you to know about unit-level bugs. If you are unaware of what unit tests are, they are nothing but the tests that are executed once a few models of the software have been developed. For example, if the sign-up page has been successfully developed, then the testers can verify that functionality alone with maximum coverage. Beyond the functionality, one could check if the data fields are accepting inputs as per the expectations. If the password must include both upper case and lower case letters, then it should not accept a password if this condition isn’t fulfilled.

The Other Different Types of Software Bugs

We have seen the major types of software bugs that you might come across while testing. Now we will be just skimming through the few other bugs that you should know about. The code might have syntax errors that prevent the code from compiling properly. Aspects like a missing character or bracket could cause such issues. Likewise, there might be unnecessary code duplication that is just making the software more bulky and slow. Apart from that, there could be logical errors in the code that can cause loss of functionality or even crash the application. Remember the example under the unit level bugs? You might face such out-of-bound bugs outside of unit testing too.

The Severity of the Different Software Bugs

By now you would have a pretty good idea of what types of software bugs will be severe and which ones have to be prioritized. Even if there is any confusion, the following example of a few bugs in an e-commerce website will help you get a crystal clear idea.

  • Critical – If there is an issue that is preventing the users from even accessing the site due to a server issue or not allowing you to place an order, then that should be termed critical as all major functionalities have been blocked.
  • High-level – This might also seem like a critical bug, but it is something that reduces functionality and not something that totally destroys it. For example, if you are able to access the site and place an order but not able to track the delivery. Here the main functionality is working, but still, there is a lot of inconveniences caused to the user while performing the main functionality (Shopping).
  • Medium level – Minor or less important functionalities that impact a user’s experience with the product can be categorized here. A broken link or navigation issues are perfect examples.
  • Low level – Bugs in this level will most probably be UI issues like alignment, typos, color issues, and so on.
Prioritization

Conventionally, many would assume that only the critical bugs should be resolved at the earliest. Though severity plays a major role in triaging which bugs to resolve first, complexity should also be considered. Critical bugs should get the main focus irrespective of how complex it is. But along with it, even small typos or issues that can be resolved much effort should also be fixed without any delay. It doesn’t matter if the bug is severe or not, a bug is still a bug and our plan should always be to fix it at the earliest. Highly severe bugs can be prioritized based on complexity. Whereas moderately severe bugs should be fixed by the next update.

Conclusion

We hope you had a good time reading our blog and now have a pretty good idea of the different types of software bugs you might have to deal with when testing. This is a list of the most common bugs you might face, there might be scenarios where you face bugs that are more complex or different in nature. But this list is a good place for you to start and then slowly up your skills as you move forward in your testing career.

Troubleshooting 101: Differentiating Bugs, Errors, and Issues

Troubleshooting 101: Differentiating Bugs, Errors, and Issues

Software testing is done to find anomalies in code that prohibit the product from performing as it should. These abnormalities are divided into specific groups to make debugging tasks more manageable for your team.

This article will explain the differences between bugs, errors, and issues so that QAs may be confident in cataloging, analyzing, and resolving these anomalies. Unfortunately, these flaws are guaranteed to appear while getting manual testing services for your website or app.

What is a Bug?

Any flaw in a software system that makes it act in unexpected and undesired ways is referred to as a bug. These might include unreasonable or inaccurate reactions, failed systems, and system crashes, among other things. It’s a programming fault that leads to software failure that can be discovered before the website or app is put into production.

Here are a few examples of bugs: 

  • Algorithm-related bugs
  • Bugs that impair logic, such as infinite loops
  • Uninitialized variables that cause bugs to appear 

What is an Error?

Errors refer to coding or programming faults that are often caused by wrong syntax or erroneous loops. Inconsistencies or blatant fallacies in the underlying code structure cause errors to appear in the source code. Misconceptions, oversights, or misunderstandings on the developer’s part (engineers, testers, analysts, etc.) cause anomalies.

Errors come in a variety of forms:

  • Calculation errors caused by incorrect formulas
  • Errors in data handling due to the overwriting of required files
  • Errors in configuration owing to a lack of storage capacity

What is an Issue?

The issue is a bit of a catch-all word. It signifies the presence of some abnormality in a software system that has to be resolved in software testing circles. As a result, an issue might be anything from a bug to missing or erroneous documentation, a feature request, or any other process that needs to be completed.

Issues are often assigned severity levels to be prioritized in the development and quality assurance hierarchy: high, medium, low, and cosmetic.

Clients and managers use the word “issue” to signify that something is wrong with the program at hand. It is often employed when the source of the problem is unknown. And once a problem has been identified, it must be investigated to determine its nature before being allocated to the appropriate team for remediation.

The Importance of Real Devices in Debugging and Problem-Solving

Identifying and removing any anomaly requires rigorous software testing on actual browsers and devices. Given the present state of browser-device fragmentation, every website or app must be accessible across various device-browser-OS combinations. 

More than 4 billion people use various devices to access the internet, including:

  • More than 9,000 different gadgets 
  • 21 distinct operating systems (vendor + version)
  • Hundreds of browsers powered by eight primary browser engines

To ensure a favorable user experience across the board, there are 63,000 browser-platform-device combinations to test, and the number is continually growing. Due to the unique specifications of one particular browser, device, or OS, faults may appear on one combination but not on others. The program must be tested on various devices and browsers to guarantee that flaws and issues may be spotted across them.

Conclusion 

Quality control operations include identifying defects, categorizing, reporting, and finally removing them. However, prevention is better than cure. The core of software quality assurance is to set up monitoring and inspection mechanisms at every level of the software development life cycle. Make sure to get optimal QA services to avoid any bug, error, or issue in your software. 

Codoid is an industry leader in QA services. Our brilliant team of engineers is dedicated to helping clients overcome the challenges of complex manual testing services to grow a product. Contact us today!