A preliminary software test that checks basic functionality to ensure the system is stable enough for further testing. It's a shallow, wide test that covers critical features without going into detail.
Originally from electronics testing where circuits were powered on to see if they literally smoked (indicating failure). Adopted by software testing in the 1980s to mean basic functionality verification.
Smoke testing got its name because early electronics engineers would literally plug in new circuits to see if they caught fire! In software, it's like checking if your car starts before taking it on a road trip - you're not testing every feature, just making sure it's not completely broken.
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