Software Testing Blog

When does a bug beat a plane (or in this case, dozens of planes)?  CNN has the answer.

Dozens of trans-Atlantic flights from the United Kingdom were delayed Saturday after a glitch in an air traffic control system in Scotland, but the problem was fixed a few hours later and authorities were working to get the flight schedule back to normal.Engineers found a malfunction Saturday morning in the system that controls the airspace across the Atlantic Ocean from Scotland, a statement from the National Air Traffic Services said.

The agency said it had reverted to back-up equipment as engineers worked to fix the system. The agency said the problem did not create a safety issue but could cause delays in flights that could last hours.

We usually associate software glitches with apps that we interact with every day — operating systems, social networks or mobile apps.  But it’s easy to forget about the software apps that now run our air traffic control, our automobiles, our hospitals and our financial systems.

With that in mind, what are the scariest software bugs you’ve heard of or read about?  Two of my un-favorites are Denver Airport’s baggage handling system and the FBI systems upgrade that never made it off the ground.

Anyway, let’s hear your biggest, baddest, scariest, hairiest bug stories.  And here’s to our shared goal of a bug-free future!