Diagnose Problems Using Differential Testing

Sometimes, you may find yourself reporting a problem, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken - and observe that nobody else has the same problem.

If there's any normal problem activity in the forum, you might find yourself waiting - in vain - for an immediate answer to your problem report. While you wait for advice, why not do some basic analysis of your problem?

A differential test set of your problem, based on some reasonably basic details, can help you see where many problems may originate.

Sometimes, you can identify the basic source of your problem - or at least, offer some ideas to a forum helper.

Similar to affinity testing, differential testing can be a big help when you have a problem. Here are a few simple differentials, which you can perform, with a little determination and planning.

1. Account. Use a different Blogger account, and try the same procedures against your blog.
2. Blog. Setup a different blog, and try the same features and procedures on the other blog.
3. Browser. Use a different browser, and try the same procedures on your blog.
4. Computer. Use a different computer, and try the same procedures on your blog.
5. Connection. Use this browser / computer from a different Internet connection - or use a different computer which uses a different Internet connection - and try the same procedures on your blog.
6. Logout. Logout from Blogger completely, when diagnosing a problem that involves viewing the published blog.
7. Posts. Identify the last few posts, published before you first observed the problems. Edit those posts, and save them as Draft copies.
8. Template. Change the blog, to use a different template.

Maybe, you can think of still more differential tests.

By changing exactly one significant detail at a time, and carefully observing the result of the change, you can at least get an idea what actions which you may have made, to contribute to the problem.

Use a different Blogger account, to maintain / publish your blog. As an alternative, first clear cache, cookies, and sessions (yes, all 3, in this case!), then restart the browser. A second alternative would be to use an "incognito" / "private browsing" window, in this browser. Both alternatives may complement each other, when used simultaneously.

Set up a different blog, with similar features / content. As an alternative, ensure that your blog uses a standard Blogger template - then reset the post template, and remove any shiny third party accessories. Note that all problem third party code may not have been recently installed - but may still cause problems.

Use a different browser, to maintain / publish your blog. As an alternative, ensure that you have the latest browser update - then disable all add-ons and extensions, in this browser. The "incognito" / "private browsing" window may be useful, in this case also.

Use a different computer, to maintain / publish your blog. As an alternative, check (and update) all cookie and script filters, on this browser / computer.

Use a different Internet connection, to maintain / publish your blog. As an alternative, try changing your Internet address - if your ISP will permit this.

For problems which involve viewing the published blog, logout completely from Blogger. As an alternative, first clear cache, cookies, and sessions (yes, all 3, in this case!), then restart the browser. A second alternative would be to use an "incognito" / "private browsing" window, in this browser. In this case, all three alternatives may complement each other, when used simultaneously.

Remove any recently published posts, from the blog. As an alternative to deleting your recent work, edit each questionable post and save it as draft.

Use a different template, on this blog. After changing the blog template, remember to reset the post template. As an alternative, reset all gadgets and the post template. If you're using a custom, third party template, update to a Blogger standard.

If you have any experience with Blogger problem analysis and resolution, you'll note that none of the alternatives, suggested above, will create the full effect of the specific differential. However, each alternative will give you a partial differential - if the complete change is not convenient.

Many Blogger problems start with you - and can best be reproduced by you. That being the case, it's best that you try to reproduce the problems (or "bX codes"), through a differential analysis - and observe the results of your tests.

The best idea here is to try at least 2 differentials.

• Make one change at a time.
• Observe the results of each change, separately.

If you try a different browser - and magically the problem goes away, you're good - for right now. But what happens next week, if you experience a different problem? Do you want to try a third browser?

How many browsers can you use - and break - before running out of browsers, that you like? Using a second or third differential, now, may help you more precisely identify the cause of the problem - and that's when you are more likely to get the attention of Blogger Engineering.

It's a lot more useful to diagnose a problem, with you carefully making changes, and observing what happens, then it is for you to report

I can't see my blog!

and get the reply

Your blog is fine!

High level (differential) testing can go a long way, towards getting a problem identified - and possibly, resolved.

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Windows XP / IE V8 Is "Good Enough" - But For How Long?

This month, we've seen more than a few reports, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken, about various Blogger dashboard problems.

Both the Overview and Post Editor dashboard sections seem vulnerable to problems - typically described as bX code terminations. Many of the people reporting problems admit that they are using Internet Explorer V8.

For some blog owners, the choice of staying with IE V8 is not an option.

Get everyone to use Chrome, and don't support those using IE V8. Win XP works fine. Everyone can't get new computers or operating systems, every time some new software comes out!

Unfortunately, Windows XP was sunsetted, by Microsoft, some time ago - and IE V8 is the last version of that browser that will run, on Windows XP.

Windows XP and IE V8 may be "good enough" for now - but time is running out, on both.

Blogger, like every website on the Internet, is going to design their displays and wizards - such as Post Editor - to use features provided in the newer browsers.

As Blogger fixes problems, like the recent problem with the Post Title, the more browser versions they have to support, the more complex their code becomes. Besides fixing problems with Post Editor, Blogger will be developing new features - like Google+ Comments, and the recently added "Blog Posts" option to "Show Author Profile Below Post".

Each of these changes - the recent Post Editor fix, Google+ Comments, and the new "Blog Posts" option - must include code to work in all supported browsers. The more browsers supported, the more complex the Blogger code becomes.

Owners of older computers, with less bandwidth and memory resources, are going to notice Blogger - and other websites - requiring more resources. As the Blogger code base becomes more complex, the amount of code required will make the increased resource use more obvious. Many people have already noticed Blogger running slower, when they edit their posts.

As Blogger code becomes more complex, and as they support more browsers, it's going to take them longer to develop new features - and to fix problems with current features.

The only answer here is that Blogger simply can't support an infinite number of older browsers. As newer browsers, with newer features, are made available, they have to stop supporting older browsers.

It's possible that Blogger is currently making an effort to temporarily override their earlier stated browser support policy, so they can accommodate Windows XP and Internet Explorer V8 - but it's unlikely that they can do this, forever.

If Blogger fixes the current flood of bX code errors, for users of IE V8, this may not last, for long.

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