The Latest Stories

Basketball player playing defense Defensive Design Strategies to Prevent Flaky Tests

Flaky tests could be the result of issues in the code, but more often they are due to assumptions in the test code that lead to non-relatable results. There are many reasons that tests can fail intermittently, and some can be easily avoided by applying good defensive design strategies. It's all about making your code agile.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk
Silhouette of team members jumping up to cheer Build Better Teams by Finding Hidden Talents

We’re not all created equal, and it’s counterproductive to act like that’s the case on a team. Every individual has their own unique set of strengths, and knowing what everyone’s strengths are contributes to the team’s success. When you're putting a team together, you first have to discover each person’s strong suits.

Richard Estra's picture
Richard Estra
Developer typing programming language Comparing XML and JSON: What’s the Difference?

XML (Extensible Markup Language) and JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) are the two most common formats for data interchange. Although either can be used to receive data from a web server, there are differences that set them apart. Here are the abilities and support for each option so you can choose what works for you.

Deepak Vohra's picture
Deepak Vohra
Silhouette of person unlocking a door with keys Shifting Security Left in Your Continuous Testing Pipeline

Security is often the black sheep of testing—an afterthought that gets only a scan before release. We have to make security a first-class testing citizen with full-lifecycle support. For the best impact, introduce security testing into the early phases of the continuous testing pipeline. Here are some tools to help.

Glenn Buckholz's picture
Glenn Buckholz
Green plastic army soldier figures Building a DevOps Army

As you scale DevOps, you need more team members who understand the fundamentals. You could bring in external folks, but they're expensive and in short supply, so start building your DevOps army now by training existing employees. Here's what testers, developers, and IT operations professionals each need to know.

Tom Stiehm's picture
Tom Stiehm
Woman putting her head down on her laptop in frustration How to Decide whether to Quit Your Job

Some people are happy with their jobs and know they want to keep them. Others are clear that they want to quit. What's difficult is when the decision to quit or stay is a tough one. The important thing in making that choice is to be sure you’ve examined the issue as objectively as you can from different viewpoints.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Hacker typing on a backlit computer keyboard Cybersecurity Consciousness during COVID-19

As we all deal with COVID-19 across the globe—medically, economically, and professionally—there are plenty of lessons to discover. There is also a lot to learn when it comes to cybersecurity. More people moving toward working from home means more opportunities for hackers to strike, so we must be smart and vigilant.

Rajini  Padmanaban's picture
Rajini Padmanaban
Hand pointing at data on a screen Should You Use XML or Protocol Buffers to Store and Exchange Data?

XML is a flexible text format used for a wide variety of applications, including data serialization and exchange of data. More recently, protocol buffers were also introduced for data exchange and data serialization. Even though their purpose is the same, these are very different technologies. Which is better for you?

Deepak Vohra's picture
Deepak Vohra