May 1st, 2007
Coverity lets you watch what your code does
When engineers (or Mythbusters) want to test a concept they first build a small scale model.
Now you can do the same thing with your code. The new version of its Prevent SQS builds models of what the program you’re written is doing so you can quickly find flaws.
CTO Ben Chelf calls te result ”a software DNA map” and it’s based on a compilation of the code. “You want to analyze what is actually going to run,” he explained.
“You can’t just give a line number and an error message. You have to tell them what’s going on, what’s happening in the code. It’s just like what a Quality Assurance (QA) person does.” The mapping also lets you send bug reports to the right developer in your team, so bugs actually get fixed.
While Prevent itself is proprietary, Chelf said it has open interfaces to bug-tracking products like Bugzilla and Remedy. And he emphasized Coverity’s continuing commitment to open source. It will add 100 open source projects to its scan.coverity.com site Friday, including support from Prevent SQS maps.
Tools like this are for experts, but unlike the case with Mythbusters, you can try this at home.
Dana Blankenhorn has been a business journalist for 30 years, a tech freelancer since 1983. You can follow Dana on Twitter. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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