The hottest Software Testing Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

It is 2026; where were we?

zverok on lucid code • 86 implied HN points • 18 Jan 26
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Writing time shifted into projects like an annotated Ruby 4.0 changelog, poetry translations, and a novel, which reduced regular blog output and long series work.
  2. The technical side of AI still inspires wonder, but there is deep worry about its economic and societal impact; LLMs are likely to industrialize information work and change software development from a craft into mass production.
  3. Plans for 2026 are to keep focusing on craft‑oriented writing about "thinking in code," testing, and practical experience, favoring deeper, pragmatic topics over broad philosophical series while acknowledging time and audience constraints.

The beautiful theory of TDD and the reality check of practice

Bite code! • 2568 implied HN points • 04 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. TDD can make your code more flexible, reliable, and less error-prone by focusing on testing upfront.
  2. TDD may not work well for everyone, as it requires experience, ability to hold complex models in mind, and sustained focus.
  3. Not all projects are suited for TDD, and it's important to assess the cost and benefit of testing based on project needs and constraints.

Testing a book's code

Mostly Python • 628 implied HN points • 11 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Maintaining a technical book involves continuous updates to ensure code relevancy.
  2. Automated testing is crucial for keeping book code up to date and relevant.
  3. Testing a book's code involves challenges like user input, random values, and cross-OS issues.

Fuzzing Ladybird with tools from Google Project Zero

awesomekling • 522 HN points • 16 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Using tools like Domato from Google Project Zero can stress test software and reveal potential security issues.
  2. Implementations in software can be prone to issues like null pointer dereferences, especially when assumptions about the DOM structure are not validated.
  3. Finding and fixing bugs, whether real bugs or spec bugs, is essential to improving software stability and ensuring it can handle unexpected inputs.
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Quality Engineering Basics: Bug Retrospectives

QUALITY BOSS • 39 implied HN points • 05 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. A Bug Retrospective is a team meeting to review and learn from bugs that occurred during a project. The focus is not on blaming anyone but on understanding why the bugs happened and how to prevent them in the future.
  2. These retrospectives help improve the quality of the product by fostering a culture where everyone takes responsibility for quality. Each bug can be seen as a lesson that can strengthen the team’s processes and test strategies.
  3. To start a Bug Retrospective, gather the team, discuss selected bugs, analyze their root causes, and create an action plan for prevention. Sharing insights and encouraging collaboration can lead to better practices and overall product quality.

How to Test a Private Method Inside a Widget

Widget Tricks • 58 implied HN points • 08 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. It is recommended not to test private methods, as they are for internal use only.
  2. You may need to test a private method when working with legacy code, fixing bugs, or dealing with widget dependencies.
  3. To test a private method inside a widget, create a forwarder method, use the @visibleForTesting annotation, and follow specific steps based on widget type.

What Makes a Great Quality Engineer?

QUALITY BOSS • 39 implied HN points • 30 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Great quality engineers need a quality mindset. This means they care about making sure the product is useful and works well for customers, not just ticking off boxes.
  2. Some key traits of top QEs are curiosity, adaptability, and persistence. These qualities help them understand the product better and keep pushing until they get to the bottom of any issues.
  3. Effective communication and problem-solving skills are also important. This ensures they can share findings clearly and work well with other teams to improve the product.

Quality Engineering Basics: Debugging

QUALITY BOSS • 19 implied HN points • 12 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Debugging is like being a detective; you need to find clues to solve the problem in the software. Understanding how or when a bug happens can help get it fixed faster.
  2. A good bug report includes details like when the bug occurs and what steps to reproduce it. The more information you provide, the easier it is for developers to understand and fix the issue.
  3. Trying different methods and tools can help uncover more about the bug. For example, using different browsers or versions of software can help pinpoint what's causing the problem.

How to Stress Test your Systems [Technique Tuesdays]

Technology Made Simple • 19 implied HN points • 18 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Automated testing with varied inputs like erratic actions helps ensure software systems function correctly under diverse conditions.
  2. Utilizing click farms for testing can provide insights into user behavior and help identify areas in a system that may need improvement.
  3. Breaking components intentionally to see how the system responds reveals weaknesses and helps in improving robustness.

Systems Distributed '24

Eventually Consistent • 1 HN point • 02 Jul 24
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Systems engineering is more than programming - it's about understanding complex systems and critical thinking. Engineers with systems thinking skills are becoming increasingly valuable in the industry.
  2. Developing new software abstractions can enhance developer experience and lead to concrete technological innovations. It's important to focus on improving software design patterns and solving problems on the right layers of the stack.
  3. Ensuring safe and correct software remains a significant challenge in building distributed systems. Innovative approaches to testing, such as deterministic hypervisors and model checking techniques, are crucial for uncovering hidden bugs and enhancing productivity.

Stability Begets Tests

Tribal Knowledge • 0 implied HN points • 03 Jul 22
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Tests are only valuable when you already have stability in your product.
  2. Focus on developing a stable core set of features before investing heavily in testing.
  3. Design features for a smaller customer base initially to work out kinks and build a sustainable product.

Software Projects: Sink or Swim

Bismuth • 0 implied HN points • 14 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Establishing and maintaining consistent patterns in a software project is crucial for long-term maintainability and success.
  2. Thorough testing, especially of core business logic and high-risk features, is essential to prevent bugs and ensure code maintainability over time.
  3. High-quality documentation is vital for attracting users, helping new contributors, and ensuring the long-term success and growth of a software project.

Quality Engineering Basics: Automated vs. Manual

QUALITY BOSS • 0 implied HN points • 11 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Deciding which tests to automate or run manually is important. You should look at the risk level and necessary effort for each test.
  2. Using a scoring system can help prioritize tests. This involves scoring impact, likelihood, frequency, and the effort required for manual or automated testing.
  3. Starting small with your scoring approach is a good idea. You can adjust the numbers until you find what works best for your testing needs.

Quality Engineering Basics: Exploratory Testing

QUALITY BOSS • 0 implied HN points • 26 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Exploratory testing is a flexible approach that doesn't need detailed preparation. It lets testers use their skills and creativity to find bugs efficiently.
  2. Using test charters can help focus exploratory testing. You can define what to explore, how to explore it, and what you want to learn.
  3. To improve your testing, think about worst-case scenarios for your product. Coming up with nightmare headlines can help guide your exploratory testing efforts.

Quality Engineering Basics: Types of Testing

QUALITY BOSS • 0 implied HN points • 19 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. There are two main types of testing: functional and non-functional. Functional testing checks if the software meets its intended requirements, while non-functional testing looks at things like performance and security.
  2. Testing can also be categorized by the level, such as unit, integration, system, and acceptance testing. Each level focuses on different parts of the software and helps ensure everything works together smoothly.
  3. Finally, there are different ways to test, including manual and automated testing. Manual testing involves humans checking software directly, while automated testing uses tools to run tests automatically. Both are important for delivering a quality product.

Weekly Digest #2 : The Plan for Rails 8

monoRails - a Ruby on Rails newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 11 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Rails 8 is planning new features like a background worker, cache backend, framework for mobile notifications, and more development tools.
  2. The article discusses the internal workings and design decisions of Sidekiq, a popular background processing tool for Ruby.
  3. Understanding the Rails router is important for developers to grasp the concepts of routing, named routes, and different types of routes in a Ruby on Rails application.

Quality Engineering Basics: Bug Reporting

QUALITY BOSS • 0 implied HN points • 19 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. A good bug report should have a clear title that describes the issue. This helps others understand the problem quickly without needing to read everything.
  2. Including steps to reproduce the bug is essential. This allows developers to see the issue themselves and figure out how to fix it.
  3. Adding relevant details like environment information, expected vs. actual results, and visual aids like screenshots makes the report more useful and helps prioritize the fix.

Getting Started as a Quality Engineer

QUALITY BOSS • 0 implied HN points • 08 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Start with exploratory testing to learn the basics of software quality. You can practice this by using any application you regularly use.
  2. Once you find bugs, learn how to document and report them properly. This practice is key to getting recognized in the quality engineering field.
  3. Familiarize yourself with essential tools like APIs and Chrome DevTools, especially if you want to move into automation. Free online courses can help you build your skills.

ABEND dump #5

Bit Maybe Wise • 0 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. ABEND dump is back after a break, sharing interesting content
  2. Tests should run fast, be easy to write, and give good feedback
  3. Compilers are fascinating software that can be optimized for faster performance

Once a Maintainer: Marit van Dijk

Once a Maintainer • 0 implied HN points • 01 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. Marit van Dijk studied a mix of social science and computer science, ultimately finding a passion for coding and open source projects.
  2. Getting into open source like the Cucumber project brought Marit great learning opportunities and a supportive community.
  3. Marit emphasizes the importance of diversity in open source, welcoming people from different backgrounds and languages to contribute and collaborate.

tool kiểm tra dns của bkis có thể trả về kết quả sai

Thái | Hacker | Kỹ sư tin tặc • 0 implied HN points • 26 Jul 08
🕹 Technology Software Testing
  1. False negative results can be a risk if one DNS cache is patched but another is not, impacting the safety of clients.
  2. A NAT device can unintentionally protect vulnerabilities in DNS caches by causing randomization issues, affecting security tool results.
  3. Simple command line tools may offer more accurate DNS analysis results compared to potentially misleading specialized software, benefiting both regular users and sysadmins.