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Interesting take on Apple's approach to software development

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Six Reasons Why iOS 13 and Catalina Are So Buggy - TidBITS

That is a link to an interesting article from a former Apple developer. But before we get the usual crowd of "Apple isn't what it used to be under Jobs" commenters, I think that you could take out the name Apple and plug in just about any major developer--Google, Samsung, Microsoft, etc., and the story would be the same. I was in software development for 35 years and the pressure to get the release out, or as the article called it, "schedule chicken," is endemic to all of them. And whether or not you think it's gotten worse, the bottom line is that EVERY company pushes the boundaries. Read sometime about how Jobs pushed the iPhone initial release to the point where there was a host of folks behind the stage just praying that the iPhone in his hand would last through the demonstration because they KNEW it wasn't ready to go. Inside Apple'''s 6-Month Race to Make the First iPhone a Reality | WIRED

Nothing changes.
 

Raz0rEdge

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I agree Jake, while this is an interesting article, for those "in the biz", it's how things go. If you slow down development of features, you have all the complaints about being stale and aggressively pushing for new functionality leads to complaints about instability and bugs.

EVERY piece of software has bugs. No exceptions.

I'm reminded of my days in the Linux world where Debian would release a new version of the OS every 5 or so years. Yes the system was ultra stable in known situations, but it took forever to support new hardware or bring in updated software. That's the price you paid for ultra stability. But the need for faster updates prompted the creation of Ubuntu which releases every 6 months with the LTS version that follows the longer term view and support while the 6-months one just gives you bleeding edge stuff in whatever shape it is in and if it doesn't work, who cares a new version is coming out soon anyway. :)
 
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Yes, and in the case of the Boeing 737 MAX8, this "rush to market" approach cost over 350 people their lives. If this mindset did not exist, the world would be a better, and safer place.
 
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The one comment I found really interesting was about Apple not using automated testing. Automated testing has been around for a long time, and is both faster and more complete, at least for fundamental operations that need to work. I remember using automated testing in a system we developed back in the '90s. One test was to try various function keys and every letter, so CMD-A to Z, then Shift-CMD-A to Z, etc. We came across a key combo that opened up the database to direct, unaudited editing. When we reported it, the DBA indicated he had put it in so that he could "correct" errors directly. We pointed out that to do so was both illegal and against GAAP. He promised to fix it. Sure enough, the next test run showed that the particular combination was no longer there, but another one was. We confronted the DBA again and again he confessed he had put it in. I think he thought he could get away with it. When we caught him a third time, he was fired from the project and a new DBA came in. We briefed him on the issue and had no further problems with illicit back doors. Automatic testing is a brilliant tool to ensure that tests are consistent from run to run. The key, of course, is for the tester to know what is supposed to happen and what is not. Good design specs help. If the design keeps changing, the tester has to keep up. It is a challenge when everybody is under time pressures.
 

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