A Berlin-based startup has launched a new platform which it says will revolutionise how developers test their software – claiming it will make finding bugs a good thing. Previously specialising in crowdtesting, testCloud (who we first wrote about in 2012) unveiled its new product at the Dublin Web Summit this week.
The company has dubbed the core idea behind its new platform continuous testing – a process whereby developers test software in real time as they go along, using both automated and human methods. This, says testCloud, will help developers become much more efficient by eliminating the need to continually go back to things they had already moved on from in order to fix bugs.
It also means they can incorporate feedback and new ideas into their software more easily, hence the claim that finding bugs will become a positive development.
The platform is aimed largely at mobile apps, although it can also be used on web-based software, and is suitable for companies of all sizes, including startups. According to a release, testCloud combines the accuracy of automated tests with human creativity and reasoning. The real-time aspect of the testing means that basic problems, as well as ways to better optimise the software, can be logged overnight, allowing developers to come in the next morning and apply the fixes etc.
The testing platform also gives users a release readiness score to enable developers to ascertain whether or not an app is ready to launch.
Having cut its teeth in the competitive crowdtesting space, testCloud is now hoping to carve out a niche all for itself. Jan Schwenzien, co-founder and CTO at testCloud, said: “Bugs occur in any development process, so it makes no sense to wait until a piece of software has been finished before testing it, hoping it will be bug-free. Software testing should be an integral part of the project from the very beginning.”
Sascha Landowski joined testCloud as CEO earlier this year, and he said: “Projects nowadays are far too complex to be realised in a consistently planned manner. This means that software developers must be able to react appropriately when things go wrong. With our test management system, we eliminate the pain of testing for developers by accompanying and supporting them in the background throughout the project. In doing so, unplanned setbacks at the end of the project’s lifespan can be avoided.”
The product offering from testCloud – which was founded in Berlin in August 2011 – ranges from standard test management for agile development to overnight testing package, and there is also an enterprise package for larger teams. A complete test run is offered as a free trial, while prices for the full service start from €49 a month, rising to €1,000 a month for overnight/weekend testing for two developers.