Bugs in the real world

I have, saved on my phone, a list of different topics for the Blog, which I am slowly expanding into actual articles.
However I keep on getting distracted by work, trying to get a 2nd hand Specialized Enduro off eBay and bugs that I come across whilst surfing the net.

The latest and rather annoying one is from a magazine/website I have grown to admire.
SDTimes has become a source of interesting articles covering topics I would never have thought about. It often gives me ideas and sends me off search new technology that I don't come across in my daily work.

The latest article which I thought would make interesting reading whilst I eat my Special K at work (yes I know eating breakfast at your desk is lazy, but I like to think it's productive...), Ten Concepts for Successful Automation Scripts.

Now like most web magazines, they incorporate adverts at every possible stage, using a loading page before you read the article for that little extra eye-fall of revenue.

This morning, there seems to have been a little problem with their adverts.


I like the way that as soon as I find a potential issue, I automatically test it on several browsers.
So out came Firefox 3, IE6, Safari and Google Chrome.

Actually there are two.
1) The link to 'Skip this page' isn't actually a link.
2) The page keeps the advert displayed

Using the ever handy HTML Validator I have a peek at the code.

" <a id="ctl00_skipThisAd_HyperLink">SKIP THIS ADa>"

It seems, to the untrained eye (which mine always is) that they're missing the href part of the link, thus it isn't a link at all.

But why is the advert continually displaying? Surely there would be a time out feature on it?

Seems not. Oh well, I got 7 out of the 10 tips, looks like I'm only going to be partially successful :)

P.s.
Yep this is on all their pages and obviously fed through from their ad company.
But why haven't they noticed it yet?
Does no one read it?

Who tests the Testers?

I have an ever growing list of URL's that I visit from time to time to see how testing is going in the outside world. These are normally fairly interesting and keep me updated on the latest buzz words, if only to sound like I know...

During lunch today I decide to update myself with Microsofts Tester Centre. Whilst Microsoft is big business in many areas of computing development and lifecycle, one noticeable hole is testing.
The Tester Centre ".. showcases the test discipline as an integral part of the application lifecycle, describes test roles and responsibilities, and promotes the test investments required to deliver high-quality software."

So off we pop to the homepage, within seconds of landing, my spider sense is tingling. The Testdar is homing in on errors. Could Microsoft have errors, faults, issues, DEFECTS on the homepage of their Test Centre?

Right in the middle is a link to their featured video.












However I click on the image/link to hopefully watch the movie.
Nothing.... not a thing.

Now as a non-tester/developer you would look at that and think, hmmm oh well they've stuffed things up, so off you go. Reluctantly tester head is on, so off we pop to find out what is wrong.


The image is a link to a video which has been made in their own Flash beating competing plug-in Silverlight.

Right clicking on it bring ups that Silverligth Config.















And to double check, as I am browsing in Firefox 3.01, it is installed as an Add-on.














What to do?
Lets check another website which uses Silverlight. The offical Silverlight site has "A showcase of next generation experiences using Silverlight."
A quick check of Quicksilver and after a good hour of watching some surfing vidz I think it's working just fine :)...

Puzzling......

Ok so Firefox 3 with Silverlight plug-in fails.
What about the other browsers.
Lets crank up IE6 (not got to IE7 yet due to ClearQuest issues..).

If anything can handle this it's going to be the mighty Internet Explorer
Click on the image, yes something is happening..









Lets have a look at the Quicksilver site, yep surfers surfing.

Another Silverlight site, Save the Robot displays an image in IE6 telling me I have to Install Silverlight.








(it is a blank black screen in Firefox)

Do I or don't I have Silverlight?
There is a reference in my computer,





SO Is it my computers or the internet ?..

Lets see what Google's Chrome has to say....
Chrome does not even recognise it as a link!

By now I'm leaning towards it being a problem with the website.
I decide to re-install Silverlight












It still fails in IE, Firefox and Chrome.

Oh well I'll go and watch another Testing Video (link above the failing video).
Try the first one Brian Lypscy




















PAGE CANNOT BE FOUND..


Welcome to Microsoft testing :)














UPDATE............ 17/09/08

I received a nice reply from someone at Microsoft.

Hello

I believe the web team is looking in to why this is occurring…in the mean time you can also access the video on C9 at: http://channel9.msdn.com/posts/Charles_Sterling/Bryan-Lipscy-discusses-the-hallmarks-of-a-great-tester-and-Bryans-work-with-testing-the-help-system/


Thanks
Chuck


BUT STILL it's not working.
They've managed to update new articles but not the links. This is a little poor...
Luckily they don't aren't a big player in the testing software market, as I'd hate to be using their software if this was the homepage

The Reluctant Tester

My first foray in to the world of Blogging.

Why create a blog? and why one about testing?

Well the simple answer is that I have all these ideas, musings and thoughts, which I would like to share and discuss.