With all the hype surrounding Heartbleed and the IE bug, you may have been led to believe that every other piece of software in world has been running flawlessly the past several weeks – not so.
It took some digging, but we found a few other notable bugs that testers (and their organizations) could learn a few lessons from. Let’s take a look…
Software Glitch Interrupts Student Testing
KTen News reported that software glitches within the Oklahoma public school system have stopped the administration from distributing a test that will allow many of the students to graduate this summer. This glitch in the software is placing both the public school systems in a bad light, and putting students in an uneasy place (aka summer school). Many of the students have been studying year-round in order to pass this exam, so you can imagine how thrilled they are with this news:
“’They’re already under a bit of stress and then to have this happen on top of that is pretty disheartening, for kids and teachers, to work that hard then have this happen,’ Ardmore High School principal Kim Holland said.”
This glitch causes the test to stop mid-way for most students, without saving any of their work from the previously answered questions. Not only would a glitch in the software be both inconvenient and aggravating for the students, but it could potentially change the initial scores of all students.
Internet Security Questioned in Orleans’ Prison
According to WWLTV.com, kiosks that were set up in the Orleans’ prison – which provide inmates access to the internet in order to submit grievance forms – experienced a glitch that allowed them to access social sites such as Facebook and YouTube.
“The Internet access, which the sheriff’s office attributed to a “software glitch,” comes as the prison is under intense scrutiny of a federal consent decree and is struggling to curb persistent contraband problems.”
Thankfully, there have been no reports made regarding potential security threats or criminal behavior during this hiccup in security (at least for now).
Glitch Found in Native Windows Applications
When a mobile phone is purchased, several applications on the device are technically part of the phone – such as the calendar, clock, etc. However, according to Ubergizmo, a bug has been found in the OS that makes such applications on a Windows phone capable of being deleted.
“The glitch is found to be working on Windows Phone 8 devices as well as devices that are running Windows Phone 8.1 developer preview. It is unclear if Microsoft will patch this glitch in the public release of Windows Phone 8.1, which is destined for this summer.”
They might not be as glamorous as some of the high-profile apps like Facebook or Twitter, but apps like calendar, clock and others are no less essential. In fact, without them, our smartphones would lose much of their appeal, not to mention integration with other apps that we use on a regular basis.
A Set-Back in the Search for the Missing Malaysian Plane
Bloomberg reported that during a submarine’s search for the missing Malaysian plane, the software used to scan the seabed of the area suddenly stopped working.
“A software glitch on an unmanned submarine hampered the search for the missing Malaysian Air jet as the underwater hunt for wreckage approaches its third week. The Bluefin-21 submersible was pulled from the Indian Ocean early during yesterday’s search and fixed overnight.”
Thankfully the glitch was fixed without much delay, but it does highlight the critical role that software has played in their search thus far.
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With Heartbleed somewhat behind us – and with Microsoft working on a fix for the IE bug – brands shouldn’t be lulled into a false sense of security when it comes to their app testing efforts. The bugs are out there – and it’s best that you find them before your users (and the media).
Did we miss any other interesting bugs in the news? If so, let us know in discussion thread.