#Software Testing Interview questions

[edu-art9]

Usability testing is a crucial component of product development that ensures better performance and user satisfaction. This process involves real users engaging with a product, website, or application to assess its ease of use and effectiveness. By observing how users interact with the system and collecting their feedback, designers and developers gain valuable insights into any usability issues. Learn More In The Blog

[nemaria]

hot take: if an office/remote job requires mostly email communication, the interview questions should be written. There should also be a sample email that you have to write a response to, and something that tests your ability to draft an initial email about something related to whatever the job is about.

if you really need telephone skills as well, then there should be a mock call that is similar to the calls you'd have to make on the job, e.g. you are given a document to read beforehand and have to answer some questions about the content of the document on the call. No more of this "tell me about a time when you...." bullshit, just assessing things that are Directly Related To The Job, Please For The Love of God

[imarkinfotech089]

How SQL Coding Classes Help Developers Work Smarter

Web developers and software engineers can greatly benefit from SQL coding classes. Managing backend systems and working with relational databases are daily tasks in development roles. SQL coding classes teach you how to create, update, and manage data effectively using SQL. You’ll also learn to integrate SQL into apps and understand how database performance affects user experience. With the skills you gain, you’ll write cleaner code and build more efficient software systems that scale easily.

[ezeetester]

🚨 QA Freshers & Aspiring Testers — Don’t Miss This! 🚨 Ever been asked "What's the difference between Smoke and Sanity Testing?" in an interview and fumbled? 😅 I've broken it down clearly and practically in my latest blog — with real-world examples,💡✅ 🔗 Read now & never mix them up again: https://ezeetester.wordpress.com/?p=368 #SoftwareTesting #QAInterviews #SmokeVsSanity #TestingTips #CareerInQA

[seoperfectqa]

When preparing for an interview in automation testing, it's essential to be ready for a range of questions that test both technical proficiency and problem-solving skills. Here is an article that discusses common automation testing interview questions, offering insights into what each question seeks and how best to respond.

[what-even-is-thiss]

Free or Cheap German Learning Resources for all your Hochdeutsch Needs

I will update this list as I learn of any more useful ones. If you want general language learning resources check out this other post. This list is German specific. Find lists for other specific languages here.

For the purposes of this list "free" means something that is either totally free or has a useful free tier. "Cheap" is a subscription under $10USD a month, a software license or lifetime membership purchase under $100USD, or a book under $30USD. If you want to suggest something to add to this list, include things in this price range that are of good quality and not AI generated.

WEBSITES

DW - A public broadcasting service from Germany that also has a German learning section. They have videos, tv series, and lessons from beginner to advanced. The website is free to use with an account.

Gothe Institut - An organization affiliated with the German government that administers language level tests and promotes German culture abroad. They have a lot of free exercises and test questions. If you're willing to pay they may also have classes available in your region.

thegermanproject.com - A free website with explanations of beginner German concepts and stories to read for people at the beginner level.

germancorrector.com - A free website that will correct your spelling and grammar. You can also set the dialect to Switzerland or Austria.

Your Daily German - A blog in English by a native German speaker named Emanuel who makes posts about grammar, vocabulary, tips, and suggestions for reading.

YOUTUBE CHANNELS

Comprehensible Germani - A comprehensible input channel with German lessons in German using visual aids. Has content from beginner through upper intermediate.

Learn German - A channel that explains certain concepts and provides listening practice. The channel uses a mix of German and English.

Chill German - A channel that makes vlogs in slow German. They have videos from beginner to lower advanced levels.

Natürlich German - A comprehensible input channel that talks about different aspects of German culture and other topics as well. Has videos for complete beginner to lower advanced. This channel hasn't updated in a while but there's a large archive to watch through.

Easy German - A channel that has a combination of videos about basic German phrases for beginners and videos with interviews on the street in German speaking regions. The channel has dual language German/English subtitles on screen. The hosts of this channel also have a podcast for intermediate to advanced learners.

Expertly German - A channel about learning German with discussion of grammar, vocab, and business German. The channel is entirely in German.

Deutsch Mit Lari - A channel with a mix of German Lessons and vlogs in slow German. Content ranges from beginner to intermediate. All content and explanations are in German.

Learn German With Anja - A channel with a mix of lessons and videos on culture and living in Germany. Videos are in a mix of both English and German and often have dual language subtitles on screen.

READING PRACTICE

German graded readers by Olly Richards Short Stories in German, Intermediate Short Stories in German, Conversations in Simple German, Western Philosophy in Simple German, World War 2 in Simple German. Books tend to range from $4-$20 depending if you buy the digital or print versions. The books can also generally be found easily at used book stores or used on Amazon for cheaper.

Dino Lernt Deutsch - A series of short stories for beginners about a man named Dino lost in various German speaking countries. The full series new in print costs about $25 but it can be bought used or as a digital edition. Each individual story can also be bought separately

Nachrichtenleight - A website with news articles in simple German. The website is entirely in German.

AlumniPortal - Website with articles about business, academics, and other related topics organized by difficulty level. Has articles from upper beginner to upper intermediate. The website is entirely in German.

Grimm Stories - A website with an archive of the original Grimm's fairy tales. Language may be a bit archaic. The website is available in multiple languages.

PODCASTS

Slow German Podcast - Advertises itself as being for beginner to lower intermediate. The host talks about everyday topics such as seasonal weather and describing your apartment.

Easy German Podcast - The hosts from the Easy German Youtube channel talk about different topics, news, and answer questions from listeners in clear and understandable German.

News in Slow German - It is a podcast with news in slow German, including international news and culture news. Only a small section of the program is available for free.

Top-Thema Mit Vokalbeln - A podcast from DW for lower intermediate learners that discusses news topics in simple German and provides vocabulary lists related to the episode topic.

German Stories - A podcast for beginners in a mix of English and German that gives lessons through dialogues and short stories.

Speaking of Berlin - A podcast by Babbel of Berliners telling personal stories in slow German.

SELF STUDY TEXTBOOKS AND DICTIONARIES

Complete German All-in-One from McGraw Hill - a textbook that also doubles as a workbook. It’s more expensive at about $30. It’s difficult to find intact used copies of this book because it’s also a workbook and people tend to write all over it and tear it up. However the sentence builder and grammar sections are sold separately for much cheaper if you just want one or the other.

German Made Easy - Individual books in this series tend to be about $10-$20. From what I’ve read it’s just fine but it’s cheap and has all the beginner concepts you need and used copies are fairly easy to find online.

Easy German Step By Step - This is McGraw Hill’s budget option at $12-$16 new. Though as this one isn’t a workbook, it’s easier to find used copies. It focuses hard on only the most frequently used vocabulary and grammar concepts to get someone started as quickly as possible. It’s also available in audiobook form.

German Grammar Complete - This book is a full comprehensive guide to all levels of grammar from absolute beginner to college level. However it’s on the more expensive side at $30 and the workbook is sold separately.

DK German to English illustrated dictionary - This dictionary is sorted by topic and includes pictures and English translations. This is a new edition and is slightly harder to find used as I’m writing this. The base price is about $20 but there are older editions of this dictionary that might be easier to find used.

Merriam-Webster’s German to English Dictionary - The OG. The legend. The menace. The classic bilingual dictionary. Simple. Many words. Decent explainations. Only $8 new. Easy to find used older editions.

SERIES FOR LEARNERS AND KIDS TV

Hallo Aus Berlin - A series infamous among German students everywhere. Made in the early 2000s for use in classrooms, it has ten episodes of kids talking about certain topics like numbers and going out to a restaurant. It also has a number of songs. It’s cringey but in a fun way in my opinion.

Löwenzahn - a kids tv series aimed at very young audiences that’s been on for several decades. Every episode discusses one topic like bridges or factories so you’ll hear certain words repeated a lot. Theres only been a couple of different hosts so the presentation style remains consistent and unlike some other shows for kindergarteners it’s not obnoxiously loud and can be enjoyable for adults.

Sesamstraße - Sesame Street in German and localized for the German market with different themes and characters. In their YouTube channel you can find clips from as far back as the 1970s.

[mariacallous]

Arvind Narayanan, a computer science professor at Princeton University, is best known for calling out the hype surrounding artificial intelligence in his Substack, AI Snake Oil, written with PhD candidate Sayash Kapoor. The two authors recently released a book based on their popular newsletter about AI’s shortcomings.

But don’t get it twisted—they aren’t against using new technology. “It's easy to misconstrue our message as saying that all of AI is harmful or dubious,” Narayanan says. He makes clear, during a conversation with WIRED, that his rebuke is not aimed at the software per say, but rather the culprits who continue to spread misleading claims about artificial intelligence.

In AI Snake Oil, those guilty of perpetuating the current hype cycle are divided into three core groups: the companies selling AI, researchers studying AI, and journalists covering AI.

Hype Super-Spreaders

Companies claiming to predict the future using algorithms are positioned as potentially the most fraudulent. “When predictive AI systems are deployed, the first people they harm are often minorities and those already in poverty,” Narayanan and Kapoor write in the book. For example, an algorithm previously used in the Netherlands by a local government to predict who may commit welfare fraud wrongly targeted women and immigrants who didn’t speak Dutch.

The authors turn a skeptical eye as well toward companies mainly focused on existential risks, like artificial general intelligence, the concept of a super-powerful algorithm better than humans at performing labor. Though, they don’t scoff at the idea of AGI. “When I decided to become a computer scientist, the ability to contribute to AGI was a big part of my own identity and motivation,” says Narayanan. The misalignment comes from companies prioritizing long-term risk factors above the impact AI tools have on people right now, a common refrain I’ve heard from researchers.

Much of the hype and misunderstandings can also be blamed on shoddy, non-reproducible research, the authors claim. “We found that in a large number of fields, the issue of data leakage leads to overoptimistic claims about how well AI works,” says Kapoor. Data leakage is essentially when AI is tested using part of the model’s training data—similar to handing out the answers to students before conducting an exam.

While academics are portrayed in AI Snake Oil as making “textbook errors,” journalists are more maliciously motivated and knowingly in the wrong, according to the Princeton researchers: “Many articles are just reworded press releases laundered as news.” Reporters who sidestep honest reporting in favor of maintaining their relationships with big tech companies and protecting their access to the companies’ executives are noted as especially toxic.

I think the criticisms about access journalism are fair. In retrospect, I could have asked tougher or more savvy questions during some interviews with the stakeholders at the most important companies in AI. But the authors might be oversimplifying the matter here. The fact that big AI companies let me in the door doesn’t prevent me from writing skeptical articles about their technology, or working on investigative pieces I know will piss them off. (Yes, even if they make business deals, like OpenAI did, with the parent company of WIRED.)

And sensational news stories can be misleading about AI’s true capabilities. Narayanan and Kapoor highlight New York Times columnist Kevin Roose’s 2023 chatbot transcript interacting with Microsoft's tool headlined “Bing’s A.I. Chat: ‘I Want to Be Alive. 😈’” as an example of journalists sowing public confusion about sentient algorithms. “Roose was one of the people who wrote these articles,” says Kapoor. “But I think when you see headline after headline that's talking about chatbots wanting to come to life, it can be pretty impactful on the public psyche.” Kapoor mentions the ELIZA chatbot from the 1960s, whose users quickly anthropomorphized a crude AI tool, as a prime example of the lasting urge to project human qualities onto mere algorithms.

Roose declined to comment when reached via email and instead pointed me to a passage from his related column, published separately from the extensive chatbot transcript, where he explicitly states that he knows the AI is not sentient. The introduction to his chatbot transcript focuses on “its secret desire to be human” as well as “thoughts about its creators,” and the comment section is strewn with readers anxious about the chatbot’s power.

Images accompanying news articles are also called into question in AI Snake Oil. Publications often use clichéd visual metaphors, like photos of robots, at the top of a story to represent artificial intelligence features. Another common trope, an illustration of an altered human brain brimming with computer circuitry used to represent the AI’s neural network, irritates the authors. “We're not huge fans of circuit brain,” says Narayanan. “I think that metaphor is so problematic. It just comes out of this idea that intelligence is all about computation.” He suggests images of AI chips or graphics processing units should be used to visually represent reported pieces about artificial intelligence.

Education Is All You Need

The adamant admonishment of the AI hype cycle comes from the authors’ belief that large language models will actually continue to have a significant influence on society and should be discussed with more accuracy. “It's hard to overstate the impact LLMs might have in the next few decades,” says Kapoor. Even if an AI bubble does eventually pop, I agree that aspects of generative tools will be sticky enough to stay around in some form. And the proliferation of generative AI tools, which developers are currently pushing out to the public through smartphone apps and even formatting devices around it, just heightens the necessity for better education on what AI even is and its limitations.

The first step to understanding AI better is coming to terms with the vagueness of the term, which flattens an array of tools and areas of research, like natural language processing, into a tidy, marketable package. AI Snake Oil divides artificial intelligence into two subcategories: predictive AI, which uses data to assess future outcomes; and generative AI, which crafts probable answers to prompts based on past data.

It’s worth it for anyone who encounters AI tools, willingly or not, to spend at least a little time trying to better grasp key concepts, like machine learning and neural networks, to further demystify the technology and inoculate themselves from the bombardment of AI hype.

During my time covering AI for the past two years, I’ve learned that even if readers grasp a few of the limitations of generative tools, like inaccurate outputs or biased answers, many people are still hazy about all of its weaknesses. For example, in the upcoming season of AI Unlocked, my newsletter designed to help readers experiment with AI and understand it better, we included a whole lesson dedicated to examining whether ChatGPT can be trusted to dispense medical advice based on questions submitted by readers. (And whether it will keep your prompts about that weird toenail fungus private.)

A user may approach the AI’s outputs with more skepticism when they have a better understanding of where the model’s training data came from—often the depths of the internet or Reddit threads—and it may hamper their misplaced trust in the software.

Narayanan believes so strongly in the importance of quality education that he began teaching his children about the benefits and downsides of AI at a very young age. “I think it should start from elementary school,” he says. “As a parent, but also based on my understanding of the research, my approach to this is very tech-forward.”

Generative AI may now be able to write half-decent emails and help you communicate sometimes, but only well-informed humans have the power to correct breakdowns in understanding around this technology and craft a more accurate narrative moving forward.

[codingquill]

Why is landing an Internship as a Computer Engineering/Computer Science Student so hard ?

Hey there, dear coders!

I apologize for my long absence—life caught me off guard with a lot of work and projects. Now that I finally have some time, I wanted to make a post to connect with you all. Thank you so much for 1,000 subscribers! I know maintaining a community requires consistent posting, and I feel like many of you might have forgotten about me. But I promise to make something big out of this. I've been thinking about starting a newsletter where you can receive weekly emails from me, discussing something I learned that week or anything that intrigued me and I felt like sharing.

Now, back to our question: Is it really hard to land an internship as a computer science student? The answer is yes, and as a computer engineering student myself, I can attest to this.

I've often wondered why it's so difficult. After some observations, I discovered that almost every computer science student's resume looks the same. The portfolios are nearly identical, lacking uniqueness. If you've studied at the same school as your friends, what would make a recruiter choose you over them?

This is where uniqueness and a sense of self come in. Your portfolio or website should reflect exactly who you are as a person and highlight your strengths.

The second crucial factor is dedication. I've had classmates who are extremely dedicated. They might not have any special skills, but they show immense interest in what they want to do. This drive is palpable, and recruiters can sense it too.

Sometimes, the resume isn't even the most important aspect. For big companies like Oracle, what you say and know during the interview and technical tests matters more. The resume is just the very first step.

So, what I've learned along the way can be summed up in two words: uniqueness and dedication.

Now how to Create the Perfect Resume to Land an Internship as a Student ?

1. Keep the design simple:

Avoid extra designs or too many colors. While uniqueness is important, recruiters generally do not favor overly designed resumes.

2. Structure your resume properly:

- The Resume Header

Contact Information:

Full name and title: List your first and last name. Use the title of the role you want instead of your current title.

Professional email address: Use a clean format like firstname.lastname@gmail.com.

Phone number: Choose the number you check most frequently. Record a professional voicemail greeting if yours is too casual.

Address: List only your city and state. Let recruiters know if you're willing to relocate if applicable.

LinkedIn or other professional social media: Include your LinkedIn profile if it's active and relevant. List any portfolios or computer engineering-related sites.

- The Resume Summary

A paragraph where you describe yourself by answering these questions:

What is your professional style? (Use one or two descriptive words such as patient, critical thinker, consensus builder, excellent designer.)

What is your greatest engineering strength?

What will you add to this particular team?

What is your process for building and maintaining computer networks?

What are you proudest of in your career?

Example:

Motivated computer engineering student with a strong foundation in software development and solid analytical and problem-solving skills. Looking for an opportunity to enhance my skills in a challenging professional environment.

- The Employment History Section

Be specific about how you contributed to each position and the impact you made.

List the job title, organization name, dates of employment, and 3–6 bullet points showcasing your achievements.

Start each bullet point with a strong action verb like collaborated or designed.

Highlight significant achievements rather than just listing responsibilities.

If you have no experience, include a projects section. This will act as your experience. Highlight how you worked on each project and your passion for it.

- The Skills Section

Combine hard and soft skills. The skills section is often the first place recruiters look to ensure you have the key abilities they're seeking. Your entire resume should support the skills you list here.

- The Education and Certifications Section

List your education, including any relevant courses or special achievements during your degree. Also, mention any certifications you have, whether from freeCodeCamp, Google, Coursera, etc.

By following these tips, you can create a resume that stands out and showcases your unique strengths and dedication. Good luck with your internship search, and remember to stay true to yourself!

[weepingpussywillowtree]

I think some ppl (autistic and not) are confused by why/how not understanding hierarchy and subtle cues impacts workplace performance or makes employment difficult. So going to list some times I got in trouble for those traits at my various positions, from retail to internships to now. I had a contracting position for about a year where I was shielded from this bullshit by a frankly amazing boss, but the reality is work is political and it's difficult for many autistic people.

- in grocery store job, was told to load bags as heavy as my Grandma could carry them. Took this literally and got in trouble for loading my bags too heavy (strong grandma).

- Did not understand store politics and was scheduled fewer hours for not gossiping with and sucking up to management.

- as an intern, was shunned after I explained to a group of devs (who were much more experienced than me but had almost no experience with the software we were working with) that the feature they were talking about building from scratch came out of the box

- same internship, did not understand that they expected *me* to implement a solution we talked in hypothetical terms about in a meeting. Got in trouble the subsequent week when I hadnt done it

- there was an unspoken agreement amongst the interns to not really do any work to keep expectations low. I did not pick up on this and was bullied by the other interns for it.

- first job after college, was bullied by coworker one level above me for doing my job well (she felt threatened)

- first job, was told in annual performance review that I performed too high level for my title and that I should stop. Also got told I ask too many questions. (Questioning any process is seen as hostile, even if it's for the benefit of the company or team)

- first job, found a release stopping bug when asked to test a page, was ignored when I brought it up and brushed off by seniors. Later, the bug did in fact shut down the release.

- current job, recent new manager on another team asked me two questions in about a week. The first I scheduled a call to help him with at his request and looped in another team member that I knew had more subject matter expertise. Second question I didn't know the answer to and didn't know who did so I directed him to our team channel. My thought was this familiarizes him with our team and the different subject matters we are experts in. Next week he makes a "joking" comment in a meeting with a bunch of people and my boss that I must not like him because I keep brushing him off. I realize too late that since he is at the same level as my boss he expected me to hunt down the answers he wanted with no background provided or info about who our team members are and what they do (hierarchy)

- current job, interviewing for a senior and they became upset in interviews when I knew more about something than they did or corrected them about something.

- all jobs, noticing coworkers treat me less warmly because I don't do small talk well.

- all jobs, feeling like it's an injustice and unfair that higher up people are more listened to and sucked up to than anyone else at the company.

- all jobs, not understanding that you are supposed to lie about how busy you are

- all jobs, being told I speak out of turn for responding when asked for an opinion in a group meeting, as only those in the meeting "allowed" to respond to those opinion questions are supposed to.

[fieldbears]

Hi! Thank you for doing this AMA! How did you get started in on your career path? I feel like I keep hearing either "know somebody who has faith in your ability to write technical documents" or "write technical documents for fun" both of which I'm not certain how to start.

Great question! In grade school, my friends and I were little nerds who wrote and traded stories with one another. We were giving honest feedback, learning, writing more, rinse and repeat. A couple of summers, we took writing workshop classes. We learned the general style of workshop critiquing. Being able to deliver and receive criticism is a valuable life and career skill.

Fast forward, I went to college, majored in English with an informal focus on modern literature, and took more creative writing classes! Having been in a workshop environment as a kid REALLY helped prepare me for the ones in college. Not everyone in those classes knew how to receive even very gentle criticism. Learning how to re-calibrate for them was its own learning experience. Another skill!

Fast forward again and I'm in the job market. I thankfully had a friend whose company was hiring, and that started my personal ball rolling. I got in through a friend, yes, but my career advances have been because I'm incredible. :)

But don't get it twisted. Most of the stuff in my background was completely unnecessary to getting an entry-level position. They helped me keep the job, and get more jobs, and get promotions, but nobody is expecting all that workshop experience. If you have average or higher people skills, you can teach yourself how to gently deliver the news that someone is functionally illiterate and you need to fix their work.

What you should have: a 4-year degree majoring in English, a relevant STEM field, or Communications, in that order. You should be ready to clean up a "test" document as part of your interview. You should probably pay close attention to the job description you're applying for, because 'technical documentation' is a really broad field and you need to be able to prove you're ready for whatever flavor they're asking for. Are you writing instructions (how to operate a device)? Processes (how to onboard an employee)? How much of your job will be interviews with SMEs (Subject Matter Experts)? Are you writing a new document at all or updating something that's outdated or untested? You can do some light testing of software, right?

If the interviewers are smart, they will ask you your plan when you're asked to make a new document. Have an answer ready. The information I always want first is: who is this for? Let's say it's an internal guide for some software your company uses. Is everyone on the project an engineer who's very familiar with computers? Or, is it a more generic office, where a 64-year old named Eustace will need very clear instructions on where the start button is? That information is a starting point for figuring out what your document should be.

So tl;dr: 1) Have a relevant degree. 2) Know the specifics of the position. 3) Be ready to walk interviewers through the steps you'd start taking to make a requested document.

Hope this helps <3

[demifiendrsa]

Valve has released a 25th anniversary update for Half-Life.

Half-Life is free to own on Steam until November 20, 2023 10AM PT / 1PM ET.

Overview

BRAND NEW INTERVIEWS WITH THE HL1 DEV TEAM!

We got the band back together to celebrate this anniversary, and we invited the fine people at Secret Tape to film it all happening. Getting together after all this time was the perfect opportunity to revisit the game as it existed in its earliest forms, and to talk about how and why it eventually took shape the way it did. Check out the film to see what it was like to be a part of the team, way back then.

THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY UPDATE FOR HALF-LIFE INCLUDES:

HALF-LIFE UPLINK

Originally released as a CD exclusive for magazines and hardware manufacturers, this mini-campaign was built by the Half-Life team right after the game went gold. As this was many people's first experience with Half-Life, we thought it was finally time to bundle it with the main game—no sound card purchase necessary.

4 NEW MULTIPLAYER MAPS

Built by Valve level designers, these new maps push the limits of what's possible in the Half-Life engine.

CONTAMINATION

Two-foot-thick steel doors block off access to this contaminated waste facility, which has questionable scientific goals at best. Strap on a gluon gun and roast all intruders.

POOL PARTY

Enjoy a relaxing stay at this abandoned Xen outpost built around a cluster of soothing healing pools free-floating in space. How do you breathe here? It doesn't matter!

DISPOSAL

Processing Area 3, a massive radioactive waste plant gone quiet. Tons of room for you and your colleagues to do experiments with a Tau Cannon or some hand grenades.

ROCKET FRENZY

The creaking weight of this decaying orbital satellite launch facility somehow feels familiar… If we could switch on the oxygen lines, power, and fuel, we might just be able to light this candle.

UPDATED GRAPHICS SETTINGS

Play the game the way it looked in 1998, but on a modern monitor.

Widescreen field of view!

Option to disable texture smoothing on the GL renderer!

Lighting fixes including the long-lost GL Overbright support!

Software rendering on Linux! Crisp colors, animated water, and unfiltered textures!

CONTROLLER AND STEAM NETWORKING SUPPORT

A proper gamepad config out of the box!

Added support for Steam Networking! Invite your friends or join games instantly with no fuss.

STEAM DECK SUPPORT!

We finally put our game through our own “Verified” tests, and... we failed super hard. So we fixed it! After re-testing the game, Half-Life gets to officially wear the green checkmark.

Now you can play Half-Life on the best handheld gaming computer in the world in glorious 800p with improved controls and UI.

UI SCALING SUPPORT FOR HIGHER RESOLUTIONS

The entire UI has been reworked to scale at larger screen sizes. We built most of this stuff for 640x480 CRTs and apparently some of you have upgraded since then.

RESTORED CONTENT

We brought back the classic Valve logo video with its iconic music and reskinned the menu to match the 1998 build.

IVAN THE SPACE BIKER AND PROTO-BARNEY

After all this time we finally shipped the original heroes from the alpha builds of Half-Life, available as multiplayer skins!

AS WELL AS THESE RARELY-SEEN EXTRAS!

In 1999, Valve released a CD called Half-Life: Further Data at retail stores, and we're finally including much of that content.

THREE MULTIPLAYER MAPS

Double Cross

Rust Mill

Xen DM

TWO MP PLAYER MODELS

The Half-Life: Further Data CD also included some multiplayer skins made by the original team; we've brought back this incredible skeleton (now with tintable eyes!) and fan-favorite Too Much Coffee Man.

DOZENS OF SPRAYS

While playing a bunch of multiplayer matches we kept wanting more sprays... So we grabbed several megabytes of them from the Further Data release!

BUG FIXES AND CHANGE NOTES

New Content

Now Verified on the Steam Deck (and our native Linux runtime has been set as the default).

Half-Life: Uplink — the original standalone Half-Life demo — has been added to the game, and is accessible through the "New Game" menu.

Added four all-new Half-Life Deathmatch maps: contamination, pool_party, disposal, and rocket_frenzy

Added three old Half-Life Deathmatch maps formerly available only on the "Half-Life: Further Data" CD: doublecross, rust_mill, xen_dm.

Added Ivan the Space Biker, Prototype Barney, Skeleton, and Too Much Coffee Man as player models to Half-Life Deathmatch.

Added dozens of new sprays formerly available only on the "Half-Life: Further Data" CD.

Added support for Steam Networking, allowing easy multiplayer via Steam's Join Game and Invite features.

Added support for Steam Friends Rich Presence, allowing your friends to follow your journey through Black Mesa.

Nostalgia

Brought back the original Valve Intro video. Can be skipped with the "-novid" launch command.

Updated main menu to a design inspired by the game's original 1998 main menu.

Changed the default models to the original (non "HD") models.

Gameplay Changes

Improved physics for throwing grenades.

Improved randomness for initial spawn points in multiplayer.

Improved satchel charge controls: primary fire now always throws a new satchel, and secondary fire always detonates.

Fixed push-able entity movement being based on framerate.

Fixed players with high framerates freezing in place on death in multiplayer.

Fixed some cases where the player could get stuck in place on level transitions.

Fixed some cases where characters would interrupt important dialogue with their "greetings" dialogue.

Fixed weapon view-bob angles.

Fixed red barrels at the start of Surface Tension not launching as intended.

Fixed Snarks attacking FL_WORLDBRUSH entities (such as func_walls).

Fixed players sometimes failing to deploy a snark while crouching and looking down.

Fixed certain convars ("pausable" and "sv_maxspeed") being set to incorrect values when entering a singleplayer game after a multiplayer game.

Fixed singleplayer auto-aim setting being changed when entering a multiplayer game that disallows auto-aim.

Fixed the flashlight HUD showing empty after loading a savegame.

Fixed rockets in CONTENTS_SKY not always detonating.

Fixed incorrect bullet impact sounds for NPCs.

Fixed gauss gun making a loud static noise if it was charged across level transitions.

Fixed a crash in mods that display keybinds in their UI.

Fixed singleplayer weapons not auto-switching away when exhausted (grenades / snarks / satchels / etc)

Fixed interpolation artifacts when animated models are moved by other entities.

Fixed some buffer overflow exploits.

UI Changes

Main-menu background and buttons have been reskinned, and now scale based upon screen resolution without stretching, supporting background image layouts up to 3840x1600.

In-Game HUD now uses double or triple sized sprites when playing at higher resolutions.

UI dialogs and in-game fonts now scale to improve readability at high screen resolutions.

In-Game HUD HEV suit display has been shifted to the left of the screen, and no longer changes position at larger screen resolutions.

Added an "Enable texture filtering" setting.

Added an "Allow widescreen Field of View" setting to correct non-anamorphic FOVs, for widescreen and ultrawide displays.

Re-organized all the Settings screens to improve legibility, and support controller navigation.

Updated the Pause menu to be aware of the current gameplay mode.

The default server name and multiplayer player name are now based on the player's Steam Persona.

The Steam platform menu has been removed, now that all its features are in Steam itself.

Fixed application icon rendering incorrectly when using the software renderer.

Fixed player and spray images not updating their coloring on the settings screen.

Removed the now very unnecessary "Low video quality. Helps with slower video cards." setting.

Input Changes

Improved support for keyboard and controller navigation everywhere.

Added "Lower Input Latency" option: Synchronizes the CPU and GPU to reduce the time between input and display output.

Fixed issues that caused jerky mouse / joystick input.

(We basically rewrote it all - if you've got a custom Steam Input controller configuration, you should rebuild it from our newly published Official Configuration).

Multiplayer Balancing

Increased the 357 damage from 40 → 50.

Hive Hand reload time has been reduced from 0.5s → 0.3s per shot, and it will be selected at higher priority than the pistol on pickup.

MP5 now always starts it with full ammo when picked up.

Players no longer drop empty weapons, and any that are dropped are reloaded by what's in the dying player's backpack.

Improved client-side prediction to reduce "ghost shots". Like Counter-Strike, consider hitboxes and not just bounding boxes for hits on the client.

Fixed network predicted crowbar swing damage being incorrect.

Rendering

Added supported for UI Sprites and Texture files larger than 256x256.

Added support for UI Font special render modes: "blur" and "additive".

Added setting to turn off texture filtering when using the OpenGL renderer.

Default resolution is now based on the resolution of the desktop, instead of a 640x480 window.

Default gamma has been decreased from 2.5 → 2.2, now that we aren't all playing on CRTs.

Software renderer will now correctly filter out incompatible resolutions, unless there is only 1 resolution available on the display.

Restored OpenGL overbright support.

Fixed fullscreen software renderer crashing on systems that don't support 16-bit color.

Fixed software renderer being stretched when using widescreen resolutions.

Fixed skyboxes and sky color incorrectly carrying over when transitioning maps in multiplayer.

Fixed the game appearing too dark after modifying video settings.

Fixed MSAA in windowed mode.

Fixed mipmap rendering on studio models.

Fixed gluon gun sprite rendering in multiplayer.

Fixed gluon gun sinusoidal noise being incorrect.

Various optimizations to support the newly increased engine limits.

OpenGL optimizations for the Steam Deck.

Engine Improvements for Mod Makers

Increased maximum limit of dynamic sound channels from 8 → 32.

Increased maximum limit of sentences in the sentences.txt file from 1536 → 2048.

Increased maximum number of entities (MAX_EDICTS) from 900 → 1200.

Increased MAX_PACKET_ENTITIES increased from 256 → 1024.

Increased MAX_GLTEXTURES from 4800 → 10000.

Increased software renderer geometry limits: max spans 3000 → 6000, max surfaces 2000 → 4000, and max edges 7200 → 14400.

Cycler and func_button entities can now be the entity target for scripted_sentence entities, and are allowed to speak in multiplayer.

Incorporated func_vehicle entity support from Counter-Strike, for mod-makers to use. Full SDK update will come later, but level designers can use it now.

Native Linux Build

Added support for the software renderer.

Improved font rendering.

Many stability and behavior fixes.

Other

Localization files updated.

Miscellaneous security fixes.

Notes

The previous version of the game has been archived to a publicly visible Beta branch named "steam_legacy", with the description "Pre-25th Anniversary Build." If a mod or feature is behaving in an unexpected way, you may need to run this archived build until the issue is resolved in the default build.

We now consider this anniversary version of Half Life to be the definitive version, and the one we'll continue to support going forward. Therefore, we'll be reducing the visibility of Half Life: Source on the Steam Store. We know Half-Life: Source's assets are still being used by the Source engine community, so it'll remain available, but we'll be encouraging new Half-Life players to play this version instead.

WALLPAPERS

Celebrate 25 years of Half-life by decorating your desktop and mobile phone.

[edu-art9]

https://www.edu-art.in/usability-testing-complete-overview-for-better-performance/

Usability testing is a critical component of the design and development process, and Edu-Art offers a comprehensive overview to enhance performance. This testing method involves real users interacting with a product or website to assess its user-friendliness and overall effectiveness.

[wanderinginksplot-writes]

Clone Trooper Rambles

Probably closer to maladaptive daydream than imaginary friends at this point, but we'll overlook it.

Warnings: Nerves, self-doubt, mentions of job dissatisfaction.

---

Interview

I took a very necessary moment to fix my hair, arranging it in a manner that I hoped would look casual yet professional. One last smile in the mirror to check that there was nothing in my teeth. (My recent brushing should have made that a ‘no’, but it was better to be sure.) When everything was as perfect as I could make it, I stepped out of the bathroom. 

My laptop was already set up on Travis’s desk, perfectly framed by the bookshelf and plant behind it. I had plugged in the laptop’s charger in case things took longer than expected, and the meeting invitation was on the screen, waiting to be clicked. 

“So, you’re really doing this,” Rex commented as I sat down in Travis’s chair and smoothed my button-down shirt. 

“There was doubt?” I asked archly. 

He shrugged. “Just seems a little sudden.” 

“I realize you’ve been around for a while and you already know how things work,” I conceded. “But here’s something I’ve realized about the way I make decisions: I agonize over the choice for so long that, when I’ve made it, I’m all in.” 

“You have been talking about this for a while,” Cody pointed out. “It’s not arbitrary.” 

I nodded gratefully at him. The decision to find a new job hadn’t been one I took lightly. I had considered every option - Do I actually want a new job, or a different one in the same company? What happens if I regret it? Is this new company worth working for? How would getting this job impact my life? Would I be able to handle it? Is this something I want long term? - discussed it with my roommates and trusted family members, then finally applied. 

Even after I had applied, there were other requirements to fulfill: a barrage of personality tests, logic tests, tests to see whether I would be able to learn the intricacies of the company’s software, tests to find out whether I would fit in with the company’s culture… Somehow, I had passed them all. Well, I assumed I had, since I had finally gotten an interview. Then another.

This was to be my final interview, one with the manager and supervisor who I would be working with directly. 

“You nervous?” Alpha asked. 

I shrugged. “Not especially. I actually won an award in school for interviewing.”

“Interviewing?” Rex asked, frowning deeply. “There was a contest for that?” 

“Yeah, it was weird,” I admitted. “They pulled judges from local businesses. One of them said some pretty horrible things to me, trying to get me flustered or make me break down. It didn’t work.”

Cody crossed his arms. “How old were you?”

“I don’t really remember. Fifteen or so?” 

No one seemed happy about that, complete with uncharitable mutterings about the business owners in question. 

I fiddled with my computer, wiping the camera lens and adjusting the googly eyes I had stuck on either side of it. They had helped me hold ‘eye contact’ instead of staring at my screen during virtual presentations in college, and I hoped they would do the same for job interviews. 

“You can still back out,” Rex reminded me. 

I thought about it, I really did. This was something new, something unknown. Not only was it a new job, it was a new industry. It was a little scary, but what was the alternative? Going back to my current job for another week? Another month? Another year? I shuddered. 

“You can try for a different job with the same company,” Rex added, unaware of my internal monologue. “You like working for them. They’ve been good to you.” 

“I tried that, remember?” I pointed out. “I applied for seven jobs with them. Seven. And I was perfectly qualified for all of ‘em.” Alpha opened his mouth and I nodded. “Except that one. Yeah, I remember. But my point stands. I didn’t even get to the first round of interviews. If I’m not what they’re looking for, that’s fine. But I have a degree and I want to use it. More importantly, I need something new. Does that… make sense?” 

I hated how hesitant I sounded. Hated how hesitant I felt. But no matter how much I had thought it all over, I was worried this was a stupid decision. Maybe Rex was seeing something I had missed.

“It does make sense,” he assured me. “If you’re really set on this… Then get to it. You’ve got this.” 

When I glanced down, I found that it was indeed time for my interview to start. I flashed a quick smile at Rex, Cody, and Alpha, then started the video call.

---

Previous | Next | Masterlist

Author's Note - It's a busy time of year over on my other side-blog, so I've been neglecting things here. Sorry about that! I'm going to try to start posting more regularly now than February is finally wrapping up.

Thanks for reading! Quick reminder: I no longer offer a taglist. Everything I post on this account will be a piece of my own writing, tagged with whatever story it belongs to. Feel free to follow a tag or this account to see my works!

[ezeetester]

Getting your feet wet with Generative AI

Disclaimer:  The above image is AI generated Alright, here I am after a gap of a few months. Gen AI is creating a lot of buzz. While you have several names like ChatGpt, Perplexity, Google Gemini etc. doing the rounds wait… DeepSeek. Eeeek! Some folks did get scared for a while As a beginner, one should be concerned about privacy issues.   You need to issue a prompt which contains detail of the…

[beardedmrbean]

The recent amendments to the rules for obtaining a driver's license in Bulgaria have sparked mixed reactions among the public. According to new regulations published on September 10 in the State Gazette, which will take effect on December 10, 2024, prospective drivers will be allowed a maximum of four attempts at both the theoretical and practical tests.

Seven organizations involved in driver training have expressed strong opposition to the proposed changes, particularly concerning the introduction of electronic driving hour cards and limits on practical test attempts. Trendafil Marinov, the chairman of the Bulgarian Driving Instructor Union, confirmed plans for a protest scheduled for tomorrow, September 25.

Marinov voiced concerns during an interview with BNR, arguing that the new regulations do not align with existing educational standards. He criticized the push towards digitalization, labeling it "complete ambiguity" and questioning how the proposed changes would improve road safety.

He highlighted the additional financial burdens the new requirements would impose on driving schools, noting that each training vehicle would need to be equipped with specific devices that maintain a permanent Internet connection, necessitating contracts with mobile service providers.

Currently, the Automotive Administration employs inspectors who can effectively verify the validity of paper driving cards on the road, according to Marinov. He pointed out that these cards include essential identification information and photographs.

Additionally, Marinov raised issues regarding the limited number of examiners available to provide practical driving tests, leading to potentially long waiting periods. He questioned the rationale behind limiting attempts to four and the six-month timeframe for testing, calling for a collaborative working group with industry representatives to address these concerns.

Concerns about potential corruption have also emerged, with Marinov asking why a single company should develop the required software instead of promoting competition through multiple software solutions.

The protest is set to take place in front of the presidency, with activities planned from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Krasimir Georgiev, manager of the Association for the Qualification of Motorists in Bulgaria, offered a contrasting perspective during a discussion on the national radio. He argued that the new regulations will effectively eliminate corrupt practices, which he claims opponents are afraid of.

Georgiev emphasized that the exam should serve as a test to assess knowledge gained during training, rather than as part of the training itself. He suggested that driving schools fearing the new requirement of four exams within six months indicate they are not adequately preparing their students.

He noted that after years of stagnation, reform is finally underway. "If the existing requirements were followed, there wouldn’t be so many driving schools. Many only had a classroom to obtain permits, while their actual operation occurred in their cars, which often served as family vehicles."

He further explained the prevalent practice of maintaining two sets of training cards: one for the instructor and student, and another that reflects the full 30 hours of required instruction, often fabricated to satisfy inspections by the traffic police.

Georgiev dismissed concerns regarding the financial burdens that driving schools would face, arguing that they often do not invest or reinvest profits, and are unfamiliar with tax concepts such as "Profit" or "Dividends."

He also mentioned that some civil servants work as driving instructors, asserting that there are sufficient examiners available.

Georgiev announced plans for a procession to support the reforms, scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Alexander Battenberg Square. He noted that over 12 NGOs focused on road safety are backing the rally, which will culminate in a declaration supporting the reforms to the Ministry of Transport leadership.

[sarkos]

Investigating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the world of work, Hilke Schellmann thought she had better try some of the tools. Among them was a one-way video interview system intended to aid recruitment called myInterview. She got a login from the company and began to experiment – first picking the questions she, as the hiring manager, would ask and then video recording her answers as a candidate before the proprietary software analysed the words she used and the intonation of her voice to score how well she fitted the job. She was pleased to score an 83% match for the role. But when she re-did her interview not in English but in her native German, she was surprised to find that instead of an error message she also scored decently (73%) – and this time she hadn’t even attempted to answer the questions but read a Wikipedia entry. The transcript the tool had concocted out of her German was gibberish. When the company told her its tool knew she wasn’t speaking English so had scored her primarily on her intonation, she got a robot voice generator to read in her English answers. Again she scored well (79%), leaving Schellmann scratching her head. “If simple tests can show these tools may not work, we really need to be thinking long and hard about whether we should be using them for hiring,” says Schellmann, an assistant professor of journalism at New York University and investigative reporter. The experiment, conducted in 2021, is detailed in Schellmann’s new book, The Algorithm. It explores how AI and complex algorithms are increasingly being used to help hire employees and then subsequently monitor and evaluate them, including for firing and promotion. Schellmann, who has previously reported for the Guardian on the topic, not only experiments with the tools, but speaks to experts who have investigated them – and those on the receiving end.

The AI tools that might stop you getting hired | Artificial intelligence (AI) | The Guardian