Cloud Testing: How to test on Cloud

Unless you've been living under a rock you must already be knowing that 'Cloud Computing' has been making a lot of buzz over past couple of years -- whether it your peer meeting, a client interview, a demo POC session with a prospect, the recent Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Online Event on January 18, 2012 -- the talk about cloud is everywhere.

And why wouldn't it be? After all, if industry analysts and virtualization experts are to be believed then cloud based computing and business solutions are going to be the NEXT BIG thing of this decade.

So I guess it is only natural if you find yourself to be asking yourself questions like 'what is cloud testing?', 'how to test on cloud?', 'how can we use cloud to better our testing?', 'how does cloud impact how we used to test before?' etc.

However, since all these queries pose different questions, the answers to them would be unique. For starters, if you are looking for cloud testing, it simply means a testing environment that utilizes cloud infrastructure for performing software testing.

How to leverage Cloud to Transform Software Testing?

If you are someone who heavily use tools while testing then IBM (IBM Cloud) and Hewlett-Packard have already jumped into the market for software testing in the cloud. Thankfully, if done smartly, cloud based computing can prove to be a great value-addition for both software development and testing. The reason is simple -- the very nature of a cloud based infrastructure allows for great team collaboration.

As an added advantage, cloud based testing (as well as programming) environments are easy to setup (on-demand). In today's tight budgeted IT world, this can be a much bigger advantage than it appears at first. It is no secret that IT managers are operating under a very tight budgetary constraint and when it comes to testing phase, the budget is even smaller.

Traditional approaches to setting up a test environment involves high cost to setup multiple servers with various OS, hardware configuration, browser versions etc. And if you are going to simulate user activity from different geographic locations you will have to setup test servers with localized regional language OS, which in turn can add up to the cost. But using cloud based infrastructure, the team wouldn't have to setup expensive physical servers -- rather, setting up new testing environment will be fast and efficient and VMs (virtual machines) and test servers can be launched and decommissioned as needed.

On the other hand, as a tester you might also be required to one of those ever emerging cloud based SaaS applications that aim to cater to various large and small customer base, on-demand. If you are testing such a cloud based application then your challenges are double-fold. Because, testing all the layers - from your application to the cloud service provider - is something that as a tester you will have to become efficient in.

As a closing note, if you are a tester and if you are intrigued by all these buzz surrounding cloud testing, then here are 2 main reasons why you might consider trying it out -- Cloud based software testing infrastructure greatly helps in reducing capital expenditure and these testing setups are highly scalable , thus allowing your team to expand or decommission your test servers on-demand, as needed.

Tags: Software testing, IBM, Cloud Computing, Hewlett-Packard

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'Serverless': A New Concept - Thanks to Cloud Computing

Cloud computing has simply removed a significant chunk of work around managing and provisioning services. The momentous rise of this technology has simply implied a shift in the future strategy of software and apps which are primarily occupied by servers.

The current scenario suggests that things are starting to change as more and more apps are moving into a serverless world.  This seismic shift definitely will bring large implications for the creation and distribution of software applications.  

The ‘Pre-Cloud’ Era:

Back then, developers where keen enough to think a lot about servers. They planned budgets, powered and housed them, and some even leased servers. Developers also had to consider cabling and cooling systems within their data centers.

But as years passed, things caught up into a drastic makeover. Developers finally realized the hardships in dealing and maintaining servers. As the allocation facilities began taking out many parts of the resources, detailed planning and preservation seemed pretty waste.

Enter the cloud:

In the last two years, the tech world has subjected to a huge shift in terms of computing. Trends like cloud and BYOD have taken their own stand. Questions such as "Why cloud?" or even "How cloud?" are no longer to be heard. Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) has delivered dramatic improvement on cost, agility, scalability and reliability.

With almost limitless amount of virtual machines available, developers are so pumped up that they can chose  any operating system they wish to, load in their applications and even start profiting from them. Even launching hundreds of servers and coordinating is still far better when compared to what it was just six years ago.

Application in the “Cloud”:

The standalone applications built on Ruby, Rails, Python or any other Web app frameworks are giving way to a distributed system spread across a number of applications, processes and data stores. The concept on building a web app has changed. At present, it’s all about building apps that consist of loosely coupled components scattered across the cloud.

This trend has clearly outlined the fact that applications aren’t anymore server-based. At present, processing is increasingly taking place outside of an app framework. Assisting these processes are client apps and back-end data storages. In short, developers are on the verge of becoming serverless.

Thinking Serverless:

“Serverless” doesn’t mean servers are no longer involved. It means that developers no longer have to think much about them. A change in strategy is what we see, as service providers are increasingly taking the responsibility of managing servers, data stores and other infrastructural resources. This gives an increased advantage for developers as they no longer have to deal with additional physical commodities or limits.

Related articles

• Why The Future Of Software And Apps Is Serverless (readwriteweb.com)
• The Future is Serverless (iron.io)
• CloudU Series: Understanding the Cloud Computing Stack: SaaS, PaaS, IaaS (rackspace.com)

Tags: Cloud computing, Ruby, Python, Servers, Web application, Virtual machine, Ruby on Rails, Data store

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Soon You'll be able to store 10 TB of data on Finger-Nail sized Device

A new discovery may open the way for the development of next generation data storage devices with capacities of up to 10 terabits (10 trillion bits) per square inch - vastly enhancing storage on much smaller data devices.

Imagine storing thousands of songs and high-resolution images on data devices no bigger than a fingernail.

An ultra-smooth surface may be the answer, according to a discovery by the researchers from Agency for Science, Technology and Research's (ASTAR) Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) and the National University of Singapore (NUS), reports the journal Nature reports.

The self-assembly technique is one of the simplest and cheapest high-volume methods for creating uniform, densely-packed nanostructures that could potentially help store data, according to an ASTAR statement.

However, attempts to employ self-assembly on different surface types, such as magnetic media used for data storage, have shown varying and erratic results to date. This phenomenon has continued to puzzle industry researchers and scientists globally.

Researchers from ASTAR have now solved this mystery and identified that the smoother the surface, the more efficient the self-assembly of nanostructures will be.

This breakthrough allows the method to be used on more surfaces and reduces the number of defects in an industrial setting. The more densely packed the structures are in a given area, the higher the amount of data that can be stored.

"A height close to 10 atoms, or 10 angstroms in technical terms, is all it takes to make or break self-assembly," said MSM Saifullah, one of the key researchers from ASTAR's IMRE who made the discovery. This is based on a root mean squared surface roughness of five angstrom.

Related articles

• Secret to making cheap, high-density data storage discovered (sciencedaily.com)
• Researchers have ultra smooth surface to enable making cheap data storage with 15 times more data density (nextbigfuture.com)
• CDW Helps You Store and Protect Your Data (geardiary.com)

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Gillmor Gang: Rocks In A Can

The Gillmor Gang — Danny Sullivan, John Borthwick, Kevin Marks, Keith Teare, and Steve Gillmor — bemoan the political dregs of the finally-engaged election before working our way back into the tech waters we’d abandoned. It doesn’t seem like we’ve yet connected the social realtime moment with the issues of the day, preferring instead to count the tweets and let the media avoid the substance.

But just when all hope seems crushed in a sea of SuperPAC money and Jobs nostalgia, we finally remember what one of us said about imagining the future. In turn, we make the effort to ask the interesting questions, merge the technology and the business moment, and otherwise till the ground for the next wave of innovation. Bring on the Mini.

@stevegillmor, @borthwick, @dannysullivan, @kteare, @kevinmarks

Produced and directed by Tina Chase Gillmor @tinagillmor

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Amazon Acknowledges Uneven Lighting On The Kindle Paperwhite

The Kindle Paperwhite is an amazing ereader. It’s arguably the best on the market. But it’s not flawless. Some users, including several TechCrunch writers, noticed the lighting on their Paperwhite is not evenly spaced, resulting in odd, slightly distracting gaps at the bottom of the screen (see the pic).

Well, in a recent statement, Amazon stepped up to the plate and addressed this lighting issue as well as reaffirming the Paperwhite model has less storage than its predecessor and lacks text-to-speech. Even with these, let’s say design decisions, the Kindle Paperwhite is a fantastic ereader. As John states out in our official review, it’s a reader’s dream.

Full statement,

We want you to know…

Kindle Paperwhite is the best Kindle we’ve ever made by far, but there are certain limitations and changes from prior generations that we want you to know about.

Kindle Paperwhite does not have audio or Text-to-Speech. This makes the device smaller and lighter than it would otherwise be. Audio and an improved Text-to-Speech engine are supported on Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD.

Under certain lighting conditions, the illumination at the bottom of the screen from the built-in light is not perfectly even. See examples of how the screen looks in different lighting conditions. These variations are normal and are located primarily in the margin where text is not present. The illumination is more even than that created by a book light or lighted cover. The contrast, resolution and illumination of the Paperwhite display is a significant step-up from our prior generation.

The Kindle Paperwhite has 2 GB of storage. Some previous Kindle models had 4GB of storage. 2GB allows you to hold up to 1,100 books locally on your device. In addition, your entire Kindle library is stored for free in the Amazon cloud, and you can easily move books from the cloud onto your device.

Thank you, and we hope you enjoy Kindle Paperwhite.

- The Kindle Team

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An Interview With Josh Bechtel, The Inventor Of The Bicymple

There’s been quite a bit of disruption in bikes recently and the Bicymple is no exception. Designed by Josh Bechtel, the bike aims to be easy to ride, trouble free, and less expensive than traditional gear and chain models. You can check out a video here but we got a chance to talk with Josh a bit about his new design.

TC: What’s the impetus for this?


Josh: Ultimately, my passion for bicycles is the driving force behind the Bicymple. I’ve been riding bikes regularly since I was a child. I have more bikes than I care to admit to strangers on the web and people I’ve only just met. It’s a problem. I love cross country bikes, downhill bikes, road bikes, single speeds, fixies, cruisers, city bikes, clean bikes, rusty bikes, light bikes, heavy bikes…shall I go on? I think unicycles are great, too!

I built my first home-built bike back in the late 90′s. It was a traditional full suspension bike and I even successfully raced it. At the time, you could get away with that sort of thing, but as bike technology and building methods and materials advanced, it became tougher and tougher to compete in that way–especially for an average guy with a full time job and bills to pay. When the movement toward minimalist bikes came back around, it revitalized the bike builder in me and got me thinking about ways I could leave a mark, no matter how small it might be, in the world I am so passionate about. I started riding a single speed with a coaster brake that I had built up mostly out of used parts and it just made me so happy it got me thinking about how far one might be able to go in that direction. I started with a sketch of a standard bike and began crossing off parts one by one and addressing the problems created with each deletion until I ended up with a direct drive, freewheeling bike. From there, I felt like it might actually have become too simple. I felt it needed something else–a surprise in its back pocket–and the rear-steer was just the solution. I fully realize the contradiction this presents with the concept of simplicity and like the tension that creates.

TC: Is this the first bike of this particular type? I seem to remember seeing something like this before, but why this style and why now?

Josh: Yes and no. There have been swing bikes before, for certain, but they were all chain driven. There have been direct drive bikes before, too, but none (as far as I’m aware) had any lockout mechanism for the rear steering and they were all non-freewheeling and had smaller wheels, which severely limited their real-world practicality and left them in a purely “trick-bike” niche. I imagine most are familiar with the old penny farthing, too, and there are obvious connections there, too.

The bicymple might, however, bring these previous concepts together in a way that hasn’t been seen before. There seems to be a misconception out there on the web that I think that the established bicycle design is somehow lacking or insufficient, but that’s simply not the case. To me, that would be like thinking that anyone who ever picked up a paintbrush thought that Michelangelo just couldn’t hack it. I think that idea is a bit silly, really. The bicymple provides yet another outlet, another opportunity to accomplish the same goals as many other bikes, it just does it in a different way! Part of what makes life so great, in my mind, is diversity–and the bicycle world is a great example of this!

TC: What did you have to change to get it work properly? Is it really like a unicycle with another wheel? Something else?


Josh: At first glance, especially when you see someone riding it, it’s easy to see the similarities with a unicycle. Right away “the two-wheeled unicycle” became a nickname for it and the obvious oxymoron created by that name is pretty entertaining to me. It’s actually how I tend to explain it to those who haven’t seen it. The things that set it apart and make it special are obviously the rear steering, but also the fact that the rear steering can be locked out, allowing it to be ridden just like a regular bike. Many comments out there on the web overlook this key fact. It’s one of the subtle surprises that the bicymple has up its sleeve. The overdrive hub is another surprise. It is currently in development and has caught the attention of many in both the bicycle and unicycle communities. The classic thinking is that the only way to go faster with a direct coaxial drive is to increase the size of the wheel, which was the famous fatal flaw of the penny farthing. A few clever designs out there for unicycles have gotten around this but at quite a price. We’ll be able to accomplish the same goal at a price that should be quite affordable. It’s a compact, sealed, zero-service unit so you’ll never have to think about it–and it certainly won’t get your pants leg greasy!

TC: How much does it cost to build? How much was your prototype?

Josh: We’re not addressing dollar amounts until we’re able to offer an accurate

retail price.

TC: Bummer. When will you be ready to build some? Will you sell it via Kickstarter?

Josh: Our plan from the start has been to get an initial run built and provide them as test bikes to select bike shops. The incredible support and enthusiasm and sheer number of purchase requests from around the globe has made us consider a different approach. There is a very good chance we will be on Kickstarter in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for that. Crowdfunding is such a fantastic way for people to get their hands on products they never would have been able to before, so we’d be silly to not pursue that.

TC: What would you say to people who say it looks pretty goofy? Does it look as weird as those recumbent bikes?


Josh: I think it’s great if people think it looks goofy! I think it looks goofy too! It’s just not something many of us are accustomed to seeing. Ultimately, though, many, many people have expressed a great deal of interest and think it is a beautiful sort of goofy. From the first sketches, that’s how I felt about it. Wait, recumbent bikes look goofy?

TC: Have you ridden around on this in Bellingham? What do people think?

Josh: Oh yes, the bicymple has been out and about plenty. The reception has all been incredibly positive. I get yells from people across the street, from over fences and through windows, all curious and wanting to understand what it is they’re looking at. It is certainly eye-catching and incredibly unique. Those who are adventurous love the fact that the rear can be set loose to swing freely and really like the challenge it presents. Those less adventurous appreciate the ability to lock the steering out and pedal normally. I look forward to the bicymple getting in the hands of some really skilled trials riders to see the sorts of things they’re capable of doing with it–unicyclists, too! Thanks again, and let me know if you have any other questions!

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