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50ea2e lisa 2026-08-16 22:03:23
sd: add C08 reference (debugging & alpha testing) — 9 pages ported from C08-Reference-Godot; hub link Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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# Software Testing Hierarchy
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*Where your C8 work sits in the testing world — and why it's called **alpha** testing.*
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## The hierarchy
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```
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1. Development Phase Tests (early, internal)
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├── Unit Testing (α)
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└── Integration Testing (α)
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2. Pre-Release Tests (later, internal/external)
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├── System Testing (α/β)
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└── User Acceptance Testing (UAT) (β)
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3. Post-Release Tests (after launch)
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├── Regression Testing
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├── Performance Testing
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└── Security Testing
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```
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| Test | What it checks |
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|---|---|
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| **Unit** | one component in isolation — a single function returns the right value |
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| **Integration** | components working together — the "Add Student" form updates the database *and* the timetable |
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| **System** | the entire product end to end, against all requirements |
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| **UAT** | real users doing real tasks — is it usable, does it meet their needs? |
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| **Regression** | after a fix or update, do the old features still work? |
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| **Performance** | speed, scalability, stability under load |
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| **Security** | vulnerabilities — can data be accessed that shouldn't be? |
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## Alpha vs beta
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- **Alpha (α)** — *internal*: the developers (or company insiders) test, in a controlled environment. **Your C8 work is alpha testing** — you test your own SAT against your own testing table.
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- **Beta (β)** — *external*: real users test in their real environment. **That's Criterion 9** — beta testing with your actual users comes next.
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It's not about location — it's about **who** is testing and **how**.
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## Check Your Understanding
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Alpha or beta?
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1. A dev team spends a week testing its own new timetable app with fake student data.
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2. A games company invites 1,000 players worldwide to play an early build for two weeks.
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3. Company staff and their families use a new app feature for a month before public release.
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4. Fifty teachers use a quiz platform with their real classes for a semester and report back.
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5. A bank hires an external professional testing company (not real customers) to systematically test its new app. *(tricky)*
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>| ### Answer
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>| 1. **Alpha** — internal team, controlled environment (system testing).
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>| 2. **Beta** — real external users in their own environments (UAT).
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>| 3. **Alpha** — still inside the company, before release.
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>| 4. **Beta** — the real target users, in real classrooms.
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>| 5. **Alpha** — professional testers are not real users; it's controlled, systematic testing.