JoeBackward - Slashdot User

Submission + - How do you prove software testing saves money?

Submitted by cdman52 on Sunday January 02, 2011 @05:14PM

cdman52 writes: I work at a small software development company. We have one app that is used by a few hundred clients and was initially developed by a few undergrads about 10 years ago. The app is collection of about 25 developers preferences and ideas. Testing wasn't an initial concern since it was created as an internal application, I guess. Anyway, the app is now large and used frequently. Part of my duties are to fix bugs users find, I'm on a team with a few other people and at least once every 2-3 months I see some bug I fixed come back, and I can only assume it's because we don't have a formal test suite. The owner doesn't want to invest time or money in getting one set up, but I'm sure that in the long run it would save time and money.
Can anyone offer suggestions for how to convince the owner that setting up a test suite is in his own best interest?

Comment Re:can't you just do this now? (Score 2, Funny) 883

by JoeBackward on Wednesday May 09, 2007 @04:20PM (#19057559) Attached to: Hybrid Cars No Better than 'Intelligent' Cars

I've had a Honda Insight since 1999. s/n 152. Good car. It has a good suite of efficiency readouts. The lifetime mpg is about 55, pretty good. It's got a 5-speed manual transmission, a dinky 1 liter 3-cylinder engine, zero-RPM "idle," and an 18hp electric motor (on the engine side of the clutch and transmission) that serves as the hybrid motor, the regenerator, and the starter for the engine.

The ammeter readout (labeled "Charge -- Discharge") trained me to optimize both acceleration and regenerative braking pretty well. Regenerative braking cuts out at 30mph in fifth gear. This isn't documented anyplace, but it's easy to sort out from the ammeter.

I'll tell you, though, this Insight's design is uncompromising in saving gross weight, and I think a lot of the efficiency comes from the low weight. I have a fat friend. When we ride together places, efficiency goes down to 45 mpg. (And no, I don't hassle him about it, in case you were wondering.)

Submission + - Brazil voids Merck AIDS drug patent

Submitted by

JoeBackward

on Saturday May 05, 2007 @07:37AM

JoeBackward writes: "Merck has this useful anti-AIDS drug Elfavirenz, and Brazil has lots of poor people with AIDS. So, after trying really hard to get Merck to cooperate on pricing, the Brazilian government has decided to take a "compulsory license" to the patent, and get the drug from a factory in India. This "compulsory license" is basically a way to take the patent by eminent domain. Check out this story from the Reuters news agency."

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