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QA Under The Open Source Development Model
carrowood writes "A survey was conducted questioning open source developers from both large and small projects concerning their quality assurance practices. A
research paper based on the survey result was just published in the Journal of Systems and Software.
Some comparisions between QA practices of open vs closed source projects are made with some interesting observations. While on the whole it looks like open source QA can be as good as that in traditional software development, there were a few areas pointed out where the open source community does not do so well, such as regression testing and setting release dates.
A thought provoking read."
Lemme guess... "When it's done" isn't good enough?
N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
1. Introduction
As everyone knows, Open Source software is the wave of the future. With the market share of GNU/Linux and *BSD increasing every day, interest in Open Source Software is at an all time high.
Developing software within the Open Source model benefits everyone. People can take your code, improve it and then release it back to the community. This cycle continues and leads to the creation of far more stable software than the 'Closed Source' shops can ever hope to create.
So you're itching to create that Doom 3 killer but don't know where to start? Read on!
2. First Steps
The most important thing that any Open Source project needs is a Sourceforge page. There are tens of thousands of successful Open Source projects on Sourceforge; the support you receive here will be invaluable.
OK, so you've registered your Sourceforge project and set the status to '0: Pre-Thinking About It', what's next?
3. Don't Waste Time!
Now you need to set up your SourceForge homepage. Keep it plain and simple - don't use too many HTML tags, just knock something up in VI. Website editors like FrontPage and DreamWeaver just create bloated eye-candy - you need to get your message to the masses!
4. Ask For Help
Since you probably can't program at all you'll need to try and find some people who think they can. If your project is a game you'll probably need an artist too. Ask for help on your new Sourceforge pages. Here is an example to get you started:
Thousands of talented programmers and artists hang out at Sourceforge ready to devote their time to projects so you should get a team together in no time!5. The A-Team
So now you have your team together you are ready to change your projects status to '1: Pre-Bickering'. You will need to discuss your ideas with your team mates and see what value they can add to the project. You could use an Instant Messaging program like MSN for this, but since you run Linux you'll have to stick to e-mail.
Don't forget that YOU are in charge! If your team doesn't like the idea of giant robotic spiders just delete them from the project and move on. Someone else can fill their place and this is the beauty of Open Source development. The code might end up a bit messy and the graphics inconsistant - but it's still 'Free as in Speech'!
6. Getting Down To It
Now that you've found a team of right thinking people you're ready to start development. Be prepared for some delays though. Programming is a craft and can take years to learn. Your programmer may be a bit rusty but will probably be writing "hello world" programs after school in no time.
Closed Source games like Doom 3 use the graphics card to do all the hard stuff anyhow, so your programmer will just have to get the NVidia 'API' and it will be plain sailing! Giant robot spiders, here we come!
7. The Outcome
So it's been a few years, you still have no files released or in CVS. Your programmer can't get enough time on the PC because his mother won't let him use it after 8pm. Your artist has run off with a Thai She-Male. Your project is still at '1: Pre-Bickering'...
Congratulations! You now have a successful Open Source project on Sourceforge! Pat yourself on the back, think up another idea and do it all again! See how simple it is?
Open Source... Quality Assurance... I didn't know you could use those 4 words together in a sentence...
:)
"51% projects have one developer" - Now we have proof geeks really can't work well with others
- Adam L. Beberg - The Cosm Project - http://www.mithral.com/
Or that the itches they're scratching are quite personal ;-)
Yes, like, say, Duke Nukem Forever.
Karma: Frotzed (mostly due to the Frobozz Magic Karma Company)
You can have a wonderful process, ..., and still have a product that's a piece of crap.
Certainly, but it is predictably, reliably and consistently a piece of crap. Your customers have some guarantee that it's not going to get significantly worse than that.
And, of course, if your product is crappy in ways your customers don't really care about, then it's not even a problem.
sigs are hazardous to your health
ISO 9001 is about process. Not warranty or bugs, etc.
To be certified, you must have a process, and must be accountable to the process.
For example - I could say that I take all defect reports, shred them, and that is how I deal with quality. This is ok, as long as I tell my customers that this is what I do, and I am completely accountable. Of course, it wouldn't be worth anything to have this quality method certified.
Ratboy.
Just another "Cubible(sic) Joe" 2 17 3061