Notes on testing, automation, and software craft.
Monday 3rd September 1827, A man steps off the road at the corner of Fifth and Elm, and walks into a store. He's frequented the store a few times since it opened, and he's starting to get to know the owner and his range of merchandise. In fact, like many of people in town he's…Monday 3rd September 1827, A man steps off the road at the corner of Fifth and Elm, and walks into a store. He's… more »
Someone once asked me if "Testing a login process was a good thing to 'automate'?". We discussed the actual testing and checking they were concerned with. Their real concern was that their product's 'login' feature was a fundamental requirement, if that was 'broken' they wanted…Someone once asked me if "Testing a login process was a good thing to 'automate'?". We discussed the actual testing and… more »
Last week I was performing another of my 5 minute testing exercises. As posted before, if I get a spare few minutes I pick something and investigate. This time, I'd picked Google Calendar. One thing people use calendars for is logging what they have done. That is, they function…Last week I was performing another of my 5 minute testing exercises. As posted before, if I get a spare few minutes I… more »
I once had an interesting conversation with a colleague who worked in a company selling hotel room bookings. The problem was interesting. Their profits depended on many factors. Firstly, fluctuating demand e.g.: Holidays, Weekends, Local events etc. Secondly, varying types of…I once had an interesting conversation with a colleague who worked in a company selling hotel room bookings. The… more »
I recently purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tab and an iPad2. Unlike many of my previous gadget purchases, these new gadgets have become very much part of the way I now work and play. One thing I like about them, is their tactile nature. You have a real sense that their is less…I recently purchased a Samsung Galaxy Tab and an iPad2. Unlike many of my previous gadget purchases, these new gadgets… more »
There's a story about air force scientists during world war 2, that reflects an interesting concept about the things we see and how they can alter our assumptions. The story goes that the allied bombers were suffering great losses during their air raids of continental europe.…There's a story about air force scientists during world war 2, that reflects an interesting concept about the things we… more »
I was recently struck by a glaring difference between how I and a programmer prepared for testing. Unlike the majority of the testing I am involved in, this particular testing 'phase' had to be scheduled in advance and we couldn't "just do it". This also meant we had more time…I was recently struck by a glaring difference between how I and a programmer prepared for testing. Unlike the majority… more »
In 2008 I attended GTAC in Seattle, a conference devoted to the use of automation in software testing. Since their first in London in 2006, Google have been running about one a year, in various locations around the world. This post isn't really about the conference, its about a…In 2008 I attended GTAC in Seattle, a conference devoted to the use of automation in software testing. Since their… more »
I recently blogged about some of the tools I use, and how some are so useful I keep using them. As I mentioned, randomness is pretty useful, and I have tools to help me generate random text. A few of my readers requested a copy of my simple random text generating script, so I've…I recently blogged about some of the tools I use, and how some are so useful I keep using them. As I mentioned… more »
Consistency, is one thing I test for in software. For example, if software refers to something by a particular name, then [usually] it should always refer to it by that name. Furthermore, when it uses that name e.g. 'London Tube Map' I would expect to see such a map, when I…Consistency, is one thing I test for in software. For example, if software refers to something by a particular name… more »