In many ways 2015 has been a great year for the software world. Unfortunately, it has also been a year with its fair share of disasters.
These disasters can take several forms, from publishers messing up big releases for want of software testing services to major companies having big problems with IT failures. Some of the year’s most notable failures included:
Microsoft’s Office Absence
One of the big successes of the year was Microsoft’s release of Windows 10, but consumers were rightly disappointed by the lack of improvements to Windows 8’s dire Microsoft Office situation. Where once basic office software was included as standard, now a separate Microsoft Office subscription (or alternative office package) is required before users can do basic tasks such as word processing.
Batman: Arkham Knight
What should have been one of the year’s biggest blockbuster game releases turned into a huge disaster. First, the PC release was so buggy it had to be withdrawn from sale. Then, months later, the supposedly fixed version was still so buggy that consumers were offered a refund. It seems studio Rocksteady could really benefit from looking for better software testing services, which are widely available from companies such as https://www.bugfinders.com/.
RBS Payments Go Missing
On an institutional level, a software error caused hundreds of thousands of RBS and NatWest payments to go missing back in June. Customers went several days not knowing when they could expect the transactions, which included wages and bill payments, to go through.
HSBC Payments Go Missing
A couple of months after the RBS problem, HSBC had a software error that went along very similar lines. More than a quarter of a million payments totalling hundreds of millions of pounds went missing, leaving many businesses unable to pay bills or staff wages.
Starbucks Till Error
Over in North America this April, coffee giant Starbucks had a software error afflicting its till system. The result was the forced closure of around 60% of branches in the US and Canada – more than 8,000 stores – and significant financial loss for the firm.
Volkswagen Emissions Scandal
Unlike the other items on this list, the VW emissions scandal was self-inflicted, but it was definitely a software-based disaster. On-board software led VW vehicles to cheat their way through emissions tests, and when the scandal was uncovered this year, the result was massive brand damage.
