| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident having happened again at one_organization:
The software failure incident with the Gmail iOS app happened again at Google. The app was released with a bug that broke notifications and caused users to see an error message when first opening the app. Google had to yank the app to deal with this issue, and then re-release it after fixing the bug [9185, 9184].
(b) The software failure incident having happened again at multiple_organization:
There is no information in the provided articles about the software failure incident happening again at multiple organizations. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles can be attributed to the design phase. The Gmail app for Apple's iOS platform had a bug that broke notifications and served up an error message when users first opened the app. Google acknowledged the bug and had to remove the app from the App Store to correct the problem before re-releasing it [9185, 9184]. This indicates that the failure was due to contributing factors introduced during the system development phase.
(b) The software failure incident in the articles can also be linked to the operation phase. Users who had already installed the buggy app were allowed to continue using it while Google worked on fixing the issue. This suggests that the failure was also influenced by the operation or use of the system by the end-users [9184]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is primarily within_system. The failure was due to a bug within the Gmail iOS app that broke notifications and caused users to see an error message when first opening the app. Google acknowledged the bug and mentioned that they had fixed it, leading to the app being removed from the App Store temporarily [9185, 9184]. The bug was an internal issue within the software itself that needed to be addressed by the developers. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles was primarily due to non-human actions, specifically a bug in the Gmail iOS app that broke notifications and caused users to see an error message when first opening the app. Google quickly acknowledged the bug and removed the app from the App Store to correct the problem [9185, 9184].
(b) Human actions also played a role in the software failure incident as Google released the Gmail iOS app without thoroughly checking it in-house, leading to the bug affecting notifications and causing user frustration. The decision to launch the app with the bug was a human action that contributed to the failure [9184]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
- The software failure incident reported in the articles does not mention any issues or failures specifically originating from hardware. It primarily focuses on a bug in the Gmail iOS app that caused notifications to break and users to see an error message [9185, 9184].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
- The software failure incident reported in the articles is attributed to a bug in the Gmail iOS app that broke notifications and caused users to see an error message when first opening the app. Google acknowledged this software issue and removed the app from the App Store to correct the problem [9185, 9184]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is non-malicious. The failure was due to a bug in the Gmail iOS app released by Google for iPhone users with Gmail accounts. The bug broke notifications and caused users to see an error message when first opening the app. Google acknowledged the bug and removed the app from the App Store to correct the problem [9184, 9185]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
poor_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to poor decisions can be inferred from the articles. The incident involved the release of Google's much-anticipated Gmail app for Apple's iOS platform, which had a bug that broke notifications and served up an error message when users first opened the app. The app was released earlier in the month but was yanked almost immediately due to these issues. Google acknowledged the bug and had to fix it before re-releasing the app [9185].
Additionally, the incident involved frustration and disappointment from users and tech bloggers due to the poor performance of the Gmail app. Blogger Robert Scoble initially recommended the app but later described it as "a piece of crud" and not worth loading. The app was criticized for being useless compared to Apple's integrated Mail app, leading to concerns about Google's misstep in releasing the app in its current state [9184]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident related to development incompetence can be seen in Article 9184. The article mentions that the Gmail iOS app released by Google had to be yanked shortly after launch due to a bug that broke notifications and caused users to see an error message when first opening the app. This indicates a lack of thorough testing or quality control before the release of the app, which can be attributed to development incompetence [9184].
(b) The software failure incident related to accidental factors can be observed in Article 9185. The article reports that the Gmail app for Apple's iOS platform had a bug that broke notifications and served up an error message the first time users fired it up. Google acknowledged the bug and quickly fixed it, indicating that the failure was accidental rather than intentional [9185]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
(a) The software failure incident in this case was temporary. The Gmail app for Apple's iOS platform was released with a bug that broke notifications and caused users to see an error message when first opening the app. Google acknowledged the issue and promptly removed the app from the App Store to correct the problem. Users who had already installed the app were allowed to continue using it until the new version was ready [9185, 9184]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident described in the articles can be categorized as a crash. The Gmail app for Apple's iOS platform experienced a bug that broke notifications and served up an error message when users first opened the app, leading to its removal from the App Store [9185]. This behavior aligns with a crash where the system loses state and fails to perform its intended functions.
(b) omission: The incident can also be categorized as an omission. The bug in the Gmail app caused it to omit performing its intended function of displaying notifications correctly and instead showing an error message to users upon opening the app [9185]. This omission led to frustration among users and the need for Google to address the issue.
(c) timing: The timing of the software failure incident does not align with this category. There is no indication in the articles that the system performed its intended functions too late or too early.
(d) value: The incident can be categorized as a failure due to the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The bug in the Gmail app led to the incorrect behavior of breaking notifications and displaying error messages, impacting the user experience [9185].
(e) byzantine: The behavior of the software failure incident does not align with the byzantine category. There is no mention of inconsistent responses or interactions in the articles.
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident is the release of a software update to address the bug and improve the app's functionality. Google fixed the bug causing the notifications issue, improved image handling in HTML messages, and advised users to uninstall or log out of the original app before installing the newer version [9185]. This proactive response to the failure incident falls under the "other" category of behavior. |