Task ‐ Cross‐Platform Test Strategy

Objective:

Create a comprehensive test plan to validate HDF5 functionality, performance, and user experience across Windows, macOS, and Linux. A key component of this task is to formally document the justification and strategic reasoning for supporting and testing each specific platform.

Deliverables:

The testing team is responsible for producing the following documents:

1. Platform Justification and Risk Analysis

This document will serve as the foundation for the test plan. For each target operating system (Windows, macOS, and Linux), you must provide:

• User Base Case: Articulate the primary user base and opportunities for each platform. Why is it strategically crucial for HDF5 to function flawlessly on this operating system?
• Technical Risk Assessment: Identify the unique technical risks and potential failure points inherent to each OS. Your analysis must detail at least two platform-specific examples, such as:
  • Windows: File system path syntax (\), registry dependencies, User Account Control (UAC) permissions.
  • macOS: Application sandboxing, Gatekeeper notarization, differences between Intel and Apple Silicon architectures.
  • Linux: Package management fragmentation (e.g., .deb vs. .rpm), variations in software environments, and system library dependencies (e.g., glibc versions).
• Testing Rationale: Conclude with a summary explaining why a dedicated testing effort on each OS is critical to mitigate the identified risks and ensure we meet user expectations.

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2. Comprehensive Test Plan

Based on your justification document, create a detailed test plan that includes:

• Environment Specification: Define the exact versions of each OS and any required hardware configurations (e.g., Windows 11, Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, macOS Sonoma on M2).
• Scope and Scenarios: Outline the test cases, distinguishing between universal core functionality and tests for platform-specific features.
• Methodology: Define the types of testing to be performed (functional, performance, UI/UX, compatibility, etc.) and the approach for each.
• Automation Strategy: Propose which test scenarios are candidates for automation and the tools you will use to implement them consistently across all three platforms.
• Testing Results Dashboard: Describe how testing reporting will work and how it will be standardized.