Development testing service Coverity’s annual scan report, which is based on data from almost 500 software projects with a total of over 450 million lines of code, says that almost 230,000 defects were found and fixed. And while the average defect density per thousand lines of code was almost identical between open source and proprietary, there was an interesting diversion in the results.

Open source projects, Coverity says, tend to have .69 bugs per thousand lines of code, virtually the same as proprietary software, which tends to have .68 errors per thousand lines. But large closed-source projects — over one million lines of code — tend to have 33 percent fewer errors than small closed-source projects, with .66 errors over each thousand lines of larger projects compared to .98 in smaller projects. And small open source projects have a massive 70 percent fewer errors than large open source software, with only .44 defects compared to .75.

The difference, according to Coverity, is that small open source projects are labors of love by individual developers or small teams, who carefully comb through their code to reduce errors. Large open source projects, on the other hand, tend to lack standardized processes to ensure code quality, and so the error rate increases.

In commercial or closed-source software, developers experience almost the opposite conditions. Large projects tend to have well-defined formal testing processes, which ensure higher code quality, and small projects tend to be hasty, quick endeavors that show the effects of growing pains, as no standardized testing is in place.

In other words, if you’re looking for bug-free apps, look for a small open source project or a large proprietary piece of software, because those have the best chance of having few defects and high overall code quality.

All of the data in infographic form:

photo credit: gui.tavares via photopin cc

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“Our goal is to make Cloud Player the most widely compatible cloud playback solution available, giving our customers the capability to buy their music once and enjoy it everywhere,” said Steve Boom, Amazon’s well-named VP for digital music.

Sounds familiar?

It should, because Apple has said similar things on multiple occasions. The difference is that Amazon actually has the capability to make it happen, as it not only has its own devices but also builds software for other company’s devices, such as iPhones, iPads, Android phones and tablets, and more.

Cloud Player stores all your Amazon music purchases and up to 250 imported songs or free. If your music library is larger — and whose isn’t — you can import up to 250,000 songs into Cloud Player and store them for $25 per year in a feature similar to Apple’s iTunes Match.

You can safely bet that Cloud Player will not be music-only for long, as Amazon continues to invest in digital content of all kinds.

But Amazon isn’t exactly doing the happy dance today. Like all software companies, it has glitches, and one in its ubiquitous Kindle iOS software is causing an annoying issue for iPhone and iPad users: It’s deleting their book libraries. Amazon acknowledges the issue, and it says that it does not currently recommend that users install the update.

Getting all your books deleted is not necessarily catastrophic — users can simple resync with Amazon, presumably when an app update-to-the-update is released, to redownload all their content.

But it is annoying and time-consuming, and it could be seriously dangerous for those users who have sent PDFs and other documents to their Kindles via Amazon’s send-to-Kindle functionality. If you don’t have backups for those files, it’s possible you’d lose them for good.

The issue? Amazon issued a statement to The Verge:

“We have identified an issue with the app update that may cause your app to become deregistered. To register, enter your Amazon account e-mail address and password and all your Amazon content will be available in the cloud. We have submitted an update fix for this issue and are working with Apple to release.”

photo credit: AJC1 via photopin cc

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

The iOS 6.1 lockscreen hack from earlier this month isn’t the only security vulnerability in Apple’s latest mobile OS.

Benjamin Kunz Mejri, the chief executive of the security firm Vulnerability Lab, detailed yet another iOS 6.1 hack last week in the Full Disclosure mailing list. The hack enables attackers bypass your iPhone’s lockscreen password, giving them access to your phone’s contacts, photos, voicemails, and more.

Judging from Mejri’s description, the new hack seems related to the earlier iOS 6.1 lockscreen exploit. Both involve using the iPhone’s emergency call function, cancelling it immediately, and then trying to make a screenshot. But the newer attack takes advantage of a slightly different method to make the iPhone vulnerable (basically, pressing the power, home, and emergency call buttons all at once).

Apple acknowledged the previous iOS 6.1 security flaw and quickly issued a fix to developers with the second iOS 6.1.3 beta. That update hasn’t yet trickled down to iPhone owners, and it’s unclear if it also fixes Mejri’s exploit.

Here’s how Mejri describes the exploit in his e-mail to Full Disclosure:

The vulnerability is located in the main login module of the mobile iOS device (iphone or ipad) when processing to use the screenshot function in combination with the emegerncy call and power (standby) button. The vulnerability allows the local attacker to bypass the code lock in iTunes and via USB when a black screen bug occurs.

The vulnerability can be exploited by local attackers with physical device access without privileged iOS account or required user interaction. Successful exploitation of the vulnerability results in unauthorized device access and information disclosure.

Check out a video of the exploit below:

via Wired, ThreatPost; Photo: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat

Apple is known for having relatively few massive bugs in its software, but that doesn’t mean bugs don’t exist.

Last week, developers posting on OpenRadar discovered a fatal bug capable of crippling nearly any Mac application by simply typing in the 8-character code, which causes the app to crash. Hilariously, this means Apple’s native Mac error reporter app is also susceptible to the bug.

I’ve tested this bug in a few Mac apps myself this morning, and can confirm that it indeed does cause them to crash instantaneously — even when copying and pasting the eight characters accompanied by other text. I had someone using a Windows machine IM me the code, which didn’t crash my app — meaning you actually have to type the characters for the crashing to occur.

The bug only affects apps that run on Apple’s latest OS X version Mountain Lion, but none of the older versions (Leopard, Snow Leopard, or Lion OS X). TheNextWeb points out that the bug has something to do with how an app recognizes dates that are typed, which it’s typically used to help add events and schedule meetings to your calendar.

If you’ve tested this out, or been the subject of a nasty prank, you should know that there is a way to stop your Mac apps from constantly crashing. OpenRadar forum user Shess said that you’ll need to go into your System Preferences >Language & Text>Text, and do the following: “uncheck ‘Correct spelling automatically’ and ‘Use symbol and text substitution’. Both need to be unchecked.”

Since the bug was publicized over the weekend, I’m sure Apple is probably aware of it by now, and will issue a fix in the next OS X update.

1. Find a bug that could reveal the personal information of 250,000 students
2. Report it to the proper authorities at his school, Dawson College in Montreal, Canada
3. Get threatened with jail, and get expelled from college

Twenty-year-old Ahmed Al-Khabaz found a flaw in the college-management Omnivox software that most colleges in Quebec use, according to Canada’s National Post. He reported it to the college’s director of IT, who congratulated him and thanked him.

But two days later, when Al-Khabaz decided to double-check whether a fix was in place, he was surprised by a phone call from Edouard Taza, the president of Skytech, the company that makes Omnivox. Al-Khabaz say that Taza accused him of implementing a “cyber-attack,” threatened him with jail, and forced him to sign a nondisclosure agreement.

But despite his cooperation with what some might say was an unreasonable and bullying approach, Al-Khabaz was expelled from college.

Calls to Donna Varrica and Carey-Ann Pawsey at the Dawson’s communications office go straight to voicemail, but the college has posted a statement on its website, standing by its decision and saying that Al-Khabaz had been warned on at least one occasion to “cease and desist.”

Dawson College stands by its policies regarding academic integrity and professional code of conduct. The provisions of these policies are clearly stated in the Institutional Student Evaluation Policy and the Code of Conduct on the website (listed below).

Under the terms of Quebec privacy laws, it is illegal to discuss the details of student files with individuals or with the media. Dawson College practices due process and due diligence in every case brought before the review committee. If a student does not agree with a decision, he or she has the right to appeal, as spelled out in the policies

In the recent case of Ahmed Al-Khabaz, which he himself brought to the media, the College stands by its decision. The reasons cited in the National Post article for which the student was expelled are inaccurate. The process which leads to expulsion includes a step in which a student is issued an advisory to cease and desist the activities for which he or she is being sanctioned, particularly in the area of professional code of conduct. Conditions for remaining in the College on good terms are clearly explained in person to the student.

When this directive is contravened by the student by engaging in additional activities of the same sort, the College has no recourse but to take appropriate measures to sanction the student.

I have not been able to speak to Al-Khabaz yet, but based on the publicly available facts, Dawson College and Skytech — sounds suspiciously like Skynet, no? — should be thanking him and perhaps rewarding him.

VentureBeat has reached out to Edouard Taza, Skytech’s president, and will update if he responds.

photo credit: Gìpics via photopin cc

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

The last thing Microsoft needed with Windows Phone 8 was a widespread software issue — so of course that’s exactly what it got.

Many Windows Phone 8 users have seen a peculiar issue that makes their devices reboot spontaneously. But it looks like Microsoft has figured out what the problem is, and is working on a fix.

“We’re continuing to investigate some reports of phones rebooting and have identified a cause with our partners,” Microsoft said in a statement released last night. “We are working to get an over-the-air update out in December.”

We’re still awaiting further details on what caused the issue. While it never seemed big enough to convince people away from Windows Phone 8 (indeed, most consumers won’t even be aware of the rebooting problem), it’s the sort of thing that makes Microsoft lose credibility among more tech-savvy buyers. And at this point, Microsoft can’t afford anything that will slow down sales for Windows Phone 8.

Via AllThingsD

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Verizon iPhone 5 owners can breathe a sigh of relief today.

Since the release of the iPhone 5, some Verizon subscribers have complained about a potentially expensive bug that afflicts their new phones when connected to Wi-Fi. Rather than transfer data solely via a Wi-Fi connection, the phones sometimes used cellular data, potentially exposing owners to some hefty overage fees.

Thankfully, Apple today is rolling out a fix for the issue, which will prevent the iPhone from using cellular data when it’s connected to a Wi-Fi network.

While Verizon hasn’t specified what caused the problem, some iPhone 5 users speculate that it’s the result of the iPhone 5′s tendency to shut down Wi-Fi access while in sleep mode in an effort to conserve battery.

And what if the big resulted a lot of data usage? Verizon says customers have nothing to worry about.

“Verizon Wireless customers will not be charged for any unwarranted cellular data usage”, the company said in a statement to VentureBeat.

Here’s the full statement:

“Under certain circumstances, iPhone 5 may use Verizon cellular data while the phone is connected to a Wi-Fi network. Apple has a fix that is being delivered to Verizon customers right on their iPhone 5. Verizon Wireless customers will not be charged for any unwarranted cellular data usage.”

Photo: VentureBeat/ Devindra Hardawar

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Fear no more, sexters and gossip-y texters, Skype fixed a bug in its instant messaging system today that was sending messages intended for one contact to another in your address book.

The issue seemingly started after Skype issued an update to its software in June. Unlike malware, it did not craft its own message and send it around, but rather took a message you crafted and delivered it incorrectly. According to Skype, the problem occurs when the app crashes during a messaging session. If you entered text or sent a message just before the program crashed, then it redirected that message away from the original receiver to someone else in your contacts.

Yesterday, Skype confirmed its existence and reassured users that it was a “rare circumstance.” You are not affected by the bug if you are running 5.9 for Windows, 2.8 for Android, or 4.0 for iOS, according to Skype’s announcement today.

The issue affects those running versions 5.10 for Windows, 5.8 for Mac, 4.0 for Linux, and 1.2 for Windows Phone. If you are running one of these versions, you should update your Skype software as soon as a fix goes live. “Hotfixes” are currently available for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The Linux update also includes fixes for a bug that causes Skype to crash when a user marks all conversations as “viewed,” as well as another one that makes call participants disappear from the screen if there is “not enough screen estate to show them all.”

“We have identified a leak of graphic resources in the Chrome browser related to the drawing of plugins on Mac OS X,” Google told Gizmodo Thursday. The leaky resource is causing a kernel panic in the new MacBook Air’s Intel HD 4000 graphics chip, which has the Mountain View, Calif. Internet giant befuddled, terming the problem a potential “bug” by Apple.

While both Google and Apple investigate, the Chrome browser was updated to disable some graphics acceleration on the MacBook Air. A more permanent fix  will be pushed out “in the coming days,” Google assures concerned MacBook Air owners.

The response to all the fuss seems to have driven Mac fans away from Chrome and more solidly toward Apple’s Safari browser. “Chrome is great for my Dad’s 2003 vintage PC. But on my Mac it offers no advantage…it’s just another piece of redundant software to maintain. Safari all the way,” said a 9to5Mac user named “Tigerlilly.”

Others questioned Google placing blame on Apple for a “bug” in the new MacBook Air. Which gets us back to the conspiracy theories. Presumably, Apple developers tested the new MacBook Air on a wide range of software, looking for problems. The trouble with Chrome may have surfaced, but been overlooked. After all, wouldn’t a problem with Chrome push Apple fans deeper into the arms of Safari — as is happening now?

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Big Data and Predictive/Real-time Analytics startups: Are you looking to jumpstart development & accelerate market traction? Sign up for the SAP Startup Focus program to receive technology, support, resources and community to help you develop new applications on SAP HANA, a cutting edge database platform. Get started here, and enter promo code “VB2013″ on the form.

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July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Apple released the latest update to its mobile operating system, iOS 5.1.1, today. The update fixes a few minor issues pertaining to the camera as well as a bug in the iPad.

Specifically, the update makes the high dynamic range photography capability more reliable when using a shortcut that allows you to take pictures without unlocking your phone. For those who don’t know, HDR in Apple devices takes three photos at different exposures which are then melded together to create a photo that’s evenly exposed and full of detail throughout the range of dark to light. Apple says the update will also make syncing bookmarks and your Reading List in Safari more reliable.

The iPad had a bug in it that switched its data connection from 2G to 3G, which has been patched in the new OS.

A couple other minor fixes include an update to AirPlay, software that streams content between Apple devices, which was having trouble with video playback in “certain circumstances.” Apple also killed a bug that showed an “unable to purchase” message when a purchase had been successfully executed.

iOS 5 was originally introduced in October when the iPhone 4S was released. Its latest update was announced at the newest iPad’s release in March. You can download the update by heading over to iTunes, or in your iOS settings under “Software Update.”

hat tip Ars Technica

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Lumia 900 owners can rest easy, as Nokia has just released a software update that fixes the data connectivity bug in its new flagship handset.

A crippling data bug probably wasn’t the best news for Nokia shortly after launching the Lumia 900 — Windows Phone’s potential savior, and a device that I called the best $100 smartphone yet. But at least the company has made good by offering a $100 credit — effectively making the phone free — for anyone who buys it until April 21.

The update fixes a memory management issue in the Lumia 900 that led to a loss of network connectivity. Nokia’s swift response to the issue is commendable, though I’m surprised the company didn’t notice the issue before the phone actually launched.  Nokia already apologized to users for the issue earlier this week, but the company made sure to do so once again on its new Lumia 900 update site.

You can get the Lumia 900 update by going through the Zune software on PCs, or the Windows Phone Connector on Macs. Nokia is also going the extra mile by letting Lumia 900 owners swap their phones for an updated model in any AT&T store.

Photo: Sean Ludwig/VentureBeat

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Remember those phantom battery draining issues that some iPhone 4S owners have been reporting? Apple has finally determined a cause for the problem.

The company confirmed today that the unusually short battery life is due to bugs in Apple’s iOS 5 mobile operating system software, and not due to defective hardware.

“A small number of customers have reported lower than expected battery life on iOS 5 devices,” an Apple spokesperson told VentureBeat. “We have found a few bugs that are affecting battery life and we will release a software update to address those in a few weeks.”

While Apple declined to comment beyond the statement above, some iPhone 4S owners are reporting that the battery draining is caused by corrupted contact data imported from Mobile Me, iCloud or Google. Others have reported that clearing the contacts data and re-uploading it has fixed the battery drain problem.

As we mentioned in a previous report, the 4S already has an unimpressive standby battery time (the total amount of time the device can stay powered when inactive) of 200 hours. That’s 100 hours less standby time than the iPhone 4, and 50 less than the first generation iPhone.

Hopefully, Apple will release the iOS 5 update soon so those experiencing the problem don’t have to plan their day around finding electrical sockets to communicate.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Windows Phone 7 users can blame Yahoo Mail for their mysteriously high 3G data usage, the company revealed to Windows Phone Secrets yesterday.

Microsoft didn’t admit Yahoo was the problem until Within Windows’ Rafael Rivera did some sleuthing and confirmed that Yahoo’s mail server was sending around 25 times as much data as it needed to. Previously, Microsoft would only say that an unnamed third-party was the root of the issue.

Many thought that Microsoft was only covering for its own software issues by blaming a third-party, but now it’s clear that Yahoo is indeed guilty. Still, Microsoft isn’t completely blameless, as it could have provided users some relief earlier by admitting Yahoo was the problem and offering some tips on how to minimize the issue. For now, Microsoft recommends changing your Yahoo Mail account to manually update, and reducing the time range of emails synchronized.

Microsoft says that it has worked together with Yahoo to fix the issue, and a software update will be coming in the next few weeks. Additionally, Microsoft says that it has found a problem with its Exchange ActiveSync protocol that could affect Outlook and Gmail users. A fix for that is one the way as well.

Update: Yahoo has responded to the news with the following statement, which pushes the blame back to Microsoft:

Yahoo! Mail is widely available on tens of millions of mobile phones, including those running on Apple iOS, Android, Nokia Symbian, and RIM. The issue on the Windows Phones is specific to how Microsoft chose to implement IMAP for Yahoo! Mail and does not impact Yahoo! Mail on these other mobile devices.  Yahoo! has offered to provide Microsoft a near-term solution for the implementation they chose, and is encouraging Microsoft to change to a standard way of integrating with Yahoo! Mail, which would result in a permanent fix.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Location-based check-in app Foursquare has released an updated version of its service for RIM’s BlackBerry smartphones, according to mobile blog Crackberry. However, any excitement by users should be short-lived.

The new version, v1.9.10, was released earlier this evening, and an issue immediately arose where some users got a false “unable to check-in screen.” Checking in, or announcing your location to your friends on the service, is kind of the point of Foursquare. Recognizing the severity of the bug, the company quickly released another version, v1.9.11, to resolve the issue.

Foursquare isn’t out of the woods just yet. According to several BlackBerry commenters on Crackberry, the new version is now leaving a white blank screen when the app is launched. (My girlfriend’s BlackBerry shows the same behavior.) A Foursquare employee named “Pete” posted on the Crackberry comment thread, saying that the company was looking into the issue and that is should be fixed within 24 hours.

Regardless of the bugs, the new version does have a few upgrades worth noting, including improved tip and to-do management, ability to call a business from the venue page and improved battery life and performance. Regardless of the updates, it appears BlackBerry users are once again left wanting more.

It’s tempting to blame the app developer in these situations. But given the complaints we’ve heard about BlackBerry versions of popular apps like Foursquare, we’re wondering if RIM’s aging platform and inconsistencies in behavior from device to device aren’t equally to blame.

Foursquare, based in New York City and founded in 2009, has raised more than $21 million in funding. It currently has more than 40 employees in its hometown and a new engineering office it’s opening in San Francisco.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

If you live in the US, don’t rely on your iPhone’s alarm clock to wake you up on time Monday morning.

Apple has failed to fix a Daylight Saving Time bug in the iPhone’s Alarm app that has already disrupted mornings for many users in Europe and Australia. Even though your iPhone’s internal clock may automatically fall back an hour Sunday morning, a bug in the Alarm app causes it to ignore the Daylight Saving change, which in turn leads certain alarms to go off an hour late.

The bug specifically affects repeating alarms that are scheduled to go off on certain days. Alarms set to repeat every day, or one-time alarms, are reportedly unaffected by the bug.

Apple recommends that users delete existing repeating alarms and rely on one-time alarms until after the Daylight Saving change to Standard Time (2 a.m. EST, Sunday morning). After November 7, you can recreate your repeating alarms. The glitch will be fixed permanently in Apple’s upcoming iPhone operating system 4.2 update, which is slated to land later this month.

European users (and some US users, inexplicably) dealt with the Daylight Saving Time bug last week, which gave Apple only a few days to release a fix in time for the US. Still, Apple doesn’t have much of an excuse — users in Australia and New Zealand first reported the bug several weeks ago.

The company likely doesn’t consider the issue big enough to warrant a software patch of its own, but I’m sure many unhappy iPhone owners who rely on the device as their only alarm clock would disagree.

Via CNN

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

iPhone users in Europe and the U.S. were in for a rude awakening this morning as the device’s alarm clock application experienced a bug related to Daylight Savings Time.

European iPhone owners have been reporting throughout the morning on Twitter that their alarms are going off one hour late. Meanwhile, some users in the US are reporting alarms going off an hour early.

Users in Australia and New Zealand first reported the issue when they switched over to Daylight Savings Time a few weeks ago. Apple had mentioned that a fix was on the way, but clearly one hasn’t arrived in time to avoid annoying countless European users. Daylight Savings won’t hit America until next Sunday, so Apple has a few days to fix the bug before it’s held responsible for early-morning panic in yet another country.

The bug seems to affect any recurring alarm that isn’t set to repeat “every day”, or one-time alarms set to never repeat, Engadget reports.

Check out a video demonstration of the bug below: