Best Practices
IoTBue Workshop – Getting closer to a real IoT device
Recently the Buenos Aires Internet of Things (IoTBue) Meetup held a workshop to train developers on IoT development from scratch. This workshop was hosted by developers from R/GA, Patagonia Technology and Cran.io. The goal was simple: build a Nest thermostat clone in 6 hours. We split the exercise into 3 phases. We established communications with the sensors, then added a […]
Let’s Ship! A (Speculative) Lesson Learned from the iOS 8.0.1 Launch
iOS 8.0.1 was not a big success. It was released about a week after iOS 8.0 officially launched. The build’s goal was to fix a few bugs, but instead, 8.0.1 turned into a debacle that will cost Apple time and money. Worse yet, it’s bound to lower people’s lofty perception of Apple’s commitment to quality. […]
Data Driven Automated Testing
There are times in software testing when you have a lot scenarios or features to validate but not a lot of time for testing. This may also involve running the same tests repeatedly over a period of time. In cases like this, I recommend using a method of test automation known as data driven testing. For example, […]
Building the Nike 10K Registration for Scale
A few months ago we launched a registration site for the Nike 10k race in Buenos Aires. Keeping the site performing while under load was a major concern for the client, so we carefully considered the site’s architecture. Ultimately we mixed and matched best-of-breed tools to create a solid infrastructure. Our backend consisted of: AWS, with a Elastic […]
Combining BTLE and SpriteKit for Alvio’s iPad game
Alvio by Qol Devices is one of 10 companies from the first R/GA Connected Devices Accelerator. Their breathing training system combines an iPad with a breath-powered Bluetooth controller to help kids with respiratory challenges such as asthma. This platform makes breathing therapy fun for kids by gamifying what was previously a tiresome process for both parent and child. A myriad of […]
Quality Can’t Be Emulated, Imitated, or Simulated
Testers find bugs. Finding bugs is one of the main goals for someone in QA. We strive to achieve a high quality product by finding bugs and issues before launch. It’s not exactly how W. Edwards Deming described it, but it is the way that software development works for the most part in fast paced […]
The Automation Misconception: Should you really automate your testing?
“Let’s automate!” is a newly popular rallying cry from technology companies. “Looking for a QA manager who will transform our manual process into a 95% automated process!” teases a job listing for a role at a technology company. Many companies see automation as a “quick fix” for testing. Not so fast. These statements imply manual and automated testing are […]
Three Tips for Improved Online Account Security
The recent meltdown of Japan-based bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox and the potential threat of leaked personal information motivated me to update security settings for my key online accounts. Throw in some free credit monitoring thanks to Target’s recent security breach, and I feel like I have a fighting chance to stay solvent this year. Identity […]
HAL versus the swamp of POX
Everyone wants to build good REST APIs, but pure implementations are not always straightforward. For instance, a standard representation of a resource that includes links to other resources still escapes many. The Richardson Maturity Model defines a 4-step journey from the “Swamp of POX” (plain old XML) to the “Glory of REST.” The first 2 […]
Your API design is a silent killer
When building applications for mobile devices the first consideration is usually the screen size. This is very different from desktops but an equally critical distinction is how these mobile devices connect to the internet. Mobile internet connections tend to be unstable, have massive fluctuations in their latency and are frequently offline. We should be enabling our […]
