Algorithm, open source tool for faster testing
By siliconindia   |   Tuesday, 12 January 2010, 17:48 IST
Printer Print Email Email
Algorithm, open source tool for faster testing
Bangalore: The issue of faulty software has bothered many companies, which indirectly often casts a shadow on the software testing companies. But now, researchers at the University of Nebraska have tackled this issue by developing an algorithm and open source tool that is 300 times faster at generating tests and also reduces current software testing time. The new algorithm has potential to increase the efficiency of the software testing process across systems, reports ScienceDaily. This software will also be helpful for the private sectors, especially in the U.S. where some agencies are reporting financial losses of up to $50 billion per year because of poor software. The U.S. military is keenly interested in this project. So far, the project is funded partly by an Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), Young Investigator Award, and National Science Foundation Early CAREER Award. "Software failures have the potential to cause financial, environmental or bodily harm. Our techniques will help to improve the quality of software in the military to help ensure that those systems behave properly in the field. Although algorithms exist that can produce samples for testing, few can handle dependencies between features well. Either they run slowly or they select very large test schedules, which means that testing takes too long," said Lead Researcher, Dr. Myra Cohen. "The ultimate goal of research like this is not just to reduce software testing costs, but to do so while maintaining or even increasing confidence in the tests themselves," said AFOSR Program Manager, Dr. David Luginbuhl who is overseeing Cohen's work. Large and complex families of software systems are common, and within them, groups of interacting features may cause faults to occur. The scientists have examined ways to ensure that faults are found earlier and more often in these types of systems. "In the long term, we expect that as software product lines are used to produce large numbers of systems, and as they mature over time, we will be able to deploy new systems faster and with less likelihood of failure," Cohen said.

Votal AI: Redefining Workforce Efficiency Through Ethical AI