Summary: Software Quality Problems

Software has a quality problem. It's big and widespread. It affects nearly all software development efforts.It's not getting better. What's going on?

Effective methods of software QA have been in use for decades.

https://www.blackliszt.com/2023/04/summary-software-quality-assurance.html

Given this, you would think that expensive and time-consuming methods that don’t work would have long-since been discarded. But the bad methods are taught in academic Computer Science and broadly supported throughout the industry. The people in charge of quality say they’re doing the best they can – and they are, given the terrible methods they use.

Big companies with all their resources can’t build – or even buy – quality software.

https://www.blackliszt.com/2015/09/software-quality-at-big-companies-united-hp-and-google.html

https://www.blackliszt.com/2021/02/why-cant-big-companies-build-or-even-buy-sofware-that-works.html

You might think that those cool internet companies would get it right.

https://www.blackliszt.com/2012/01/internet-software-quality-horror-shows.html

Twitter is a good example of cool-company software failure.

https://www.blackliszt.com/twitter/

Like Google and FB, they mask errors in their search and sequencing algorithms giving you whatever answers their error-prone software comes up with as facts. All sorts of major organizations have endorsed Twitter results as factual when those results are riddled with error.

https://www.blackliszt.com/2013/05/the-bogus-basis-of-trending-on-twitter.html

Facebook is as bad as the rest. Here are the details on FB’s mobile app, including what its users have to say.

https://www.blackliszt.com/2014/11/facebooks-software-quality.html

And generally about quality at FB:

https://www.blackliszt.com/2017/03/software-giants-image-and-reality-facebook.html

When you look at a financially successful company based on software, it’s natural to think that they must know how to build great software. Facebook grew to its strong position in the market in spite of its poor software quality. Here’s an explanation of FB’s path to success, which shows all FB had to do was not be drastically worse than their competitors in terms of quality.

https://www.blackliszt.com/2014/12/fb.html

Here’s an example of a government software QA disaster with serious human consequences.

https://www.blackliszt.com/2011/07/software-quality-horror-tales-electronic-diversity-visas.html

Naturally, since government is so great at software, sometimes it intervenes to "make things better."

https://www.blackliszt.com/2015/04/the-government-wants-to-help-ubers-software-quality.html

Bad software QA goes way beyond screwing things up; it can kill people.

https://www.blackliszt.com/2012/03/why-software-quality-stinks.html

There is absolutely no excuse for this, when proven methods are available.

https://www.blackliszt.com/2023/04/summary-software-quality-assurance.html