Notes on testing, automation, and software craft.
Once upon a time there was a young and naive tester, he was new to the world of software testing. He often felt he didn't have what it took to be a tester. Sure, he found the odd bug, and he enjoyed his work, but he also often missed bugs, issues or problems. After a while, he… more »
Do you ever examine what you carry around with you every day, and wonder if you actually use it? For example, in my pockets I've got a 'smart' phone, wallet (credit & debit cards, cash and ID), keys, Travelcard (Oyster) and some coins. Every now and then something gets added, if… more »
About 10 years ago, I was working with a client who were in the process of developing a new ecommerce website. The new website and servers were designed to replace an entire existing suite of systems, and provide a platform for the company's future expansion. As you might… more »
You probably don't know, but I'm keen on fishing (Honest! Ok, maybe not, but bare with me...) I spend my free time, by the river bank or out on the sea searching for 'the big one'. The big catch that'll stand as tall as me, and feed my family for a week. My dream is to be the… more »
Pick a coin from your pocket, and hold it at arms length. Take a good look. Now take another one, of the same denomination and hold it out at arms length as before. Based on your observations alone can you say they are the identical? Lets go a step further. If someone had given… more »
Do your hear phrases like "All our users use [insert some technology]" spoken in your office? or possibly "We have a 'corporate standard' desktop". I have a lot. I have since my first job, back in the '90s. It's a commonly held belief in most of the client companies I've worked… more »
Do you ever feel like we do all this work and maybe we needn't of bothered? Things might have worked out without our intervention. Or we are actually worse off, now, after the work? You're not alone. This is a common problem in any role where you need to investigate the effects… more »
I recently read a post on the Google Testing blog titled: How Google Tests Software Part Three. I added a comment to the post, but that comment has yet to appear . I thought I'd add post my comment here in the mean time. (I've added some links here, for the curious) “I agree… more »
Meet my new friend 2.2250738585072012e 308, We've been hanging out recently. If you've not heard of him, he's about ten years old but thats pretty old in [dog and in] software years. He's getting pretty famous in his old age, but he had humble beginnings as a lowly bug report on… more »
Have you ever had trouble explaining to a non tester why you appear to be intent on breaking their software? It can be difficult to explain why it's important. So I thought a video might help... <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="https://www.youtube… more »