Index
A
abstract input, 24
accelerating your testing career, 141-142
through repetition, 139
through technique, 139-140
adding steps to scenarios, 68-69
after-hours tour, business district, 50
after-hours Zune bug, 50
aimlessness of software testing, relieving, 114-116
all-nighter tour, 74
entertainment district, 55
antisocial tour, seedy district, 60-61
applying
scenario-based exploratory testing, 67
Wikipedia concept to testing, 126
test atoms, 128
test case reuse, 127
test molecules, 128
arrogant American tour, 48
The Art of Software Testing, 157
atomic input, 24
atomic test cases, 206
August 2008 blog entries
If Microsoft Is So Good at Testing, Why Does Your Software Still Suck?, 180-182
The Future of Testing (Part 1), 185
The Future of Testing (Part 2), 187
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 4), 179-180
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 5), 183
autism, facilitating communication with software, 2
B
back alley tour, 73
entertainment district, 53-54
Visual Studio, 104-105
supermodel tours with, 84
Back to Testing, JW’s July 2008 blog entry, 177-178
bad neighborhood tour, historical district, 51
blockaded taxicab tours, Dynamics AX client, 80-81
blog entries
August 2008
The Future of Testing (Part 1), 185-186
The Future of Testing (Part 2), 187
If Microsoft Is So Good at Testing, Why Does Your Software Still Suck?, 180-182
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 4), 179-180
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 5), 183
December 2008, Google vs. Microsoft and the Dev:Test Ratio Debate, 201-202
January 2009
Exploratory Testing Explained, 204-205
I’m Back, 207-208
Test Case Reuse, 205-206
The Zune Issue, 203-204
July 2008, 166
Back to Testing, 177-178
Hail Europe!, 174
measuring testers, 168-169
PEST, 167-168
The Poetry of Testing, 175-176
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 1), 170
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 2), 173-174
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 3), 176-177
Users and Johns, 170-172
November 2008
Keeping Testers in a Test, 201
Software Tester Wanted, 200
October 2008
Manual vs. Automated Testing Again, 198-199
Speaking of Google, 198
The Future of Testing (Part 6), 194-195
The Future of Testing (Part 7), 195-196
The Future of Testing (Part 8), 197-198
September 2008
The Future of Testing (Part 3), 189, 191
The Future of Testing (Part 4), 191-192
The Future of Testing (Part 5), 192-193
On Certification, 188-189
Software testing ten commandments, 143-149
boundary subtours, intellectual tours and, 103
breaking software tours, Visual Studio, 104
Brown, Shawn
three-hour tours, 95-96
Windows Mobile device tours, 90
rained-out tours, 92
saboteurs, 93-94
supermodel tours, 93-94
testing approach/philosophy, 91-92
WMP tours
garbage collector tours, 97-99
intellectual tours, 100, 102-103
supermodel tours, 100
“What If?” questions during manual tests, 100-101
bugs, 4-9
bug finding tours
FedEx tours, 89
rained-out tours, 87
saboteurs, 88
test case management solutions, 86
TOGOF tours, 90
detecting, 13-14
Dynamics AX client
blockaded taxicab tours, 81
multicultural tours, 82-84
taxicab tours, 82
origin of, 11
preventing, 12-13
process improvement, 156
tools for eliminating, 155-157
business district in touring metaphor, 45-46
after-hours tour, 50
FedEx tour, 49
garbage collector’s tour, 51
intellectual tour, 48-49
landmark tour, 47-48
money tour, 46-47
C
career in testing
ascent, 139-140
descent, 142
obtaining, 137-138
summit, 140-142
categories of software users, 158
certification, JW’s September 2008 blog entry, 188-189
checks, input checks, 28-29
Clarke, Arthur C., 1
code paths, 35
collector’s tour, 74
tourist district, 55-56
continuing education, focus on as reason for respect, 153
Copeland, Lee, 170
couch potato tour, hotel district, 59
The Craft of Software Testing, 157
Crick, Francis, 1
crime spree tour of seedy district, 61
crowdsourcing, 185
D
data substitution, 70-71
December 2008 blog entry, Google vs. Microsoft and the Dev:Test Ratio Debate, 201-202
default versus user-supplied input, 30-31
defining tests
methods, 116
targets, 115
time, 115-116
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), 1
detecting bugs, 13-14
developers, weaknesses as testers, 12
districts in touring metaphor, 44
business district, 45-46
after-hours tour, 50
FedEx tour, 49
garbage collector’s tour, 51
intellectual tour, 48-49
landmark tour, 47-48
money tour, 46-47
entertainment district
all-nighter tour, 55
back alley tour, 53-54
supporting actor tour, 53
historical district
bad-neighborhood tour, 51
museum tour, 52
prior version tour, 52
hotel district
couch potato tour, 59
rained-out tour, 58-59
seedy district
antisocial tour, 60-61
obsessive-compulsive tour, 62
saboteur tour, 60
tourist district
collector’s tour, 55-56
lonely businessman tour, 56
Scottish pub tour, 57
supermodel tour, 57
TOGOF tour, 57
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), 1
Dynamics AX client, touring, 78
blockaded taxicab tours, 80-81
landmark tours, 85
multicultural tours, 80
collected bugs, 82-84
rained-out tours, 85
supermodel tours, 84
E
educational background as reason for respect, 153
eliminating buggy software, 157
through formal methods, 155
through process improvement, 156
through tools, 155
Elizondo, David Gorena, 54
bug finding tours, 86
FedEx tours, 89
rained-out tours, 87
saboteurs, 88
test case management solutions, 86
TOGOF tours, 90
entertainment district in touring metaphor
all-nighter tour, 55
back alley tour, 53-54
supporting actor tour, 53
environment, 36-37
environment substitution, 71-72
environment-carrying tests, 127
error code, testing, 149-151
error handlers, 150
exception handlers, 29
input checks, 28-29
input filters, 27-28
Excel, bugs, 5
excellence, insistence on as reason for respect, 152
exoplanets, 2
exploratory testing, 180
benefits/drawbacks, 16
combining with script-based testing, 18-19
definition of, 16
exploratory testing in the large, 18
exploratory testing in the small. See exploratory testing in the small
Exploratory Testing Explained, JW’s January 2009 blog entry, 204-205
exploratory testing in the small
code paths, 35
definition of, 17
environment, 36-37
overview, 21-23
software state, testing, 35
definition of state, 32-33
temporary versus persistent state, 34
user data, 36
user input, testing, 23
abstract input, 24
atomic input, 24-25
default versus user-supplied input, 30-31
definition of user input, 24
guiding input selection with outputs, 31-32
input sequences, 25
legal versus illegal input, 26-29
normal versus special input, 29-30
extrasolar planets, 2
F
failure of software, 4-9
FedEx tour
business district, 49
bug finding tours, 89
feedback-based exploratory testing, 184
filters, input filters, 27-28
finding bugs, 86
FedEx tours, 89
rained-out tours, 87
saboteurs, 88
test case management solutions, 86
TOGOF tours, 90
formal methods for eliminating buggy software, 155
freestyle exploratory testing, 183
functional code, 149
future of software testing, 123-124, 132-134
THUD, 125-126
The Future of Testing (Part 1), JW’s August 2008 blog entry, 185
The Future of Testing (Part 2), JW’s August 2008 blog entry, 187
The Future of Testing (Part 3), JW’s September 2008 blog entry, 189, 191
The Future of Testing (Part 4), JW’s September 2008 blog entry, 191-192
The Future of Testing (Part 5), JW’s September 2008 blog entry, 192-193
The Future of Testing (Part 6), JW’s October 2008 blog entry, 194-195
The Future of Testing (Part 7), JW’s October 2008 blog entry, 195-196
The Future of Testing (Part 8), JW’s October 2008 blog entry, 197-198
G
garbage collector tours
business district, 51
Visual Studio, 105
WMP (Windows Media Player), 97-99
ghost hunting as software testing metaphor, 40
goals of exploratory software testing, 40-41
Google vs. Microsoft and the Dev:Test Ratio Debate, JW’s December 2008 blog entry, 201-202
GTO (Games Test Organization), 141
H
Hail Europe!, JW’s July 2008 blog entry, 174
Haugen, Nicole, 54
Dynamics AX client, touring, 78
blockaded taxicab tours, 80-81
landmark tours, 85
multicultural tours, 80-84
rained-out tours, 85
supermodel tours, 84
Hetzel, Bill, 138
historical district in touring metaphor
bad neighborhood tour, 51
museum tour, 52
prior version tour, 52
Hopper’s moth, 11
hotel district in touring metaphor
couch potato tour, 59
rained-out tour, 58-59
How to Break Software (Whittaker), 17, 39, 138
Human Genome Project, 1
hybrid exploratory testing techniques, 65
scenario-based testing, 66
applying, 67
scenario operators, 68-72
tours, 72-75
I
If Microsoft Is So Good at Testing, Why Does Your Software Still Suck?, JW’s August 2008 blog entry, 180-182
I’m Back, JW’s January 2009 blog entry, 207-208
illegal input, testing, 26
exception handlers, 29
input checks, 28-29
input filters, 27-28
infinite loops, Zune bug, 50
injections of variation, 117-118
input (user). See user input
input sequences, 25
input type, properties, 151
inserting steps in scenarios, 68-69
insourcing, 185
intellectual tour, 73
boundary subtours and, 102-103
business district, 48-49
WMP (Windows Media Player), 100-103
intent, tours of, 108
J
January 2009 blog entries
Exploratory Testing Explained, 204-205
I’m Back, 207-208
Test Case Reuse, 205-206
The Zune Issue, 203-204
July 2008 blog entries, 166
Back to Testing, 177-178
Hail Europe!, 174
Ode to the Manual Tester, 171-172
PEST, 167-169
The Poetry of Testing, 175-176
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 1), 170
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 2), 173-174
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 3), 176-177
Users and Johns, 170
K–L
Keeping Testers in a Test, JW’s October 2008 blog entry, 201
Kulawiec, Rich, 21
Ladd, David, 178
landmark tour, 73
business district, 47-48
Dynamics AX client, 85
Larius, Jim, 168
legal versus illegal input, 26-29
lonely businessman tour, tourist district, 56
M
manual testing, 179
combining with exploratory testing, 18-19
definition of, 14-15
scripted manual testing, 15
Manual vs. Automated Testing Again, JW’s October 2008 blog entry, 198-199
Marick, Brian, 170
mastering software testing, 158-159
measuring testers, JW’s July 2008 blog entry, 168-169
memorylessness of software testing, relieving, 120-121
metaphors for scenario-based exploratory software testing, tourist metaphor, 41-43
Microsoft
GTO, 141
“Watson,” 129
Mills, Harlan, 168
mixed-destination tour, 54
money tour, 73
business district, 46-47
Visual Studio, 104
monotony of software testing, relieving, 119-120
morning-commute tour, 50
Muharsky, Joe Allan, 190
multicultural tours, Dynamics AX client, 80-84
museum tour, historical district, 52
N–O
Newton, Isaac, 2
normal versus special input, 29-30
November 2008 blog entry
Keeping Testers in a Test, 201
Software Tester Wanted, 200
obsessive-compulsive tour, 73, 96
seedy district, 62
Visual Studio, 104
October 2008 blog entries
The Future of Testing (Part 6), 194-195
The Future of Testing (Part 7), 195-196
The Future of Testing (Part 8), 197-198
Manual vs. Automated Testing Again, 198-199
Speaking of Google, 198
Ode to the Manual Tester, JW’s July 2008 blog entry, 171-172
On Certification, JW’s September 2008 blog entry, 188-189
opposite tour of seedy district, 61
origin of software bugs, 11
Outlook (Microsoft), bugs, 7
outputs, guiding input selection with, 31-32
outsourcing, 185
P
Page, Alan, 209
pain points of software testing, 113
aimlessness, relieving, 114-116
memorylessness, relieving, 120-121
monotony, relieving, 119-120
repetitiveness, relieving, 116-118
transiency, relieving, 118-119
parking lot tours, Visual Studio, 103-105
Perlis, Alan J., 11
persistent outputs, 32
persistent state, 34
PEST (Pub Exploration and Software Testing), JW’s July 2008 blog entry, 167-168
The Poetry of Testing, JW’s July 2008 blog entry, 175-176
post-release testing, 134
preventing bugs, 12-13
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 1), JW’s July 2008 blog entry, 170
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 2), JW’s July 2008 blog entry, 173-174
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 3), JW’s July 2008 blog entry, 176-177
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 4), JW’s August 2008 blog entry, 179-180
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 5), JW’s August 2008 blog entry, 183
prior version tour, historical district, 52
process improvement, eliminating buggy software, 156
properties of input type, 151
Q–R
quality, focus on as reason for respect, 152
Quality Quest, 167
rained-out tour, 75
bug finding tours, 87
hotel district, 58-59
Dynamics AX client, 85
Windows Mobile devices, 92
regression tests, 117
relieving pain points of software testing
aimlessness, 114
test method, defining, 116
test targets, defining, 115
test time, defining, 115-116
memorylessness, 120-121
monotony, 119-120
repetitiveness, 116
injections of variation, 117-118
transiency, 118-119
removing steps from scenarios, 69
repeatability, 62
repeating steps in scenarios, 70
repetitive nature of software testing, 139
relieving, 116-118
replacing steps in scenarios, 70
respect for test community, reasons for, 152-154
restoring respect to software industry, 160-161
reusability, 186
Ridley, Matt, 178
S
saboteur tour, seedy district, 60
bug finding tours, 88
Windows Mobile devices, 93-94
scenario operators
data substitution, 70-71
environment substitution, 71-72
steps, inserting, 68-69
steps, removing, 69
steps, repeating, 70
steps, replacing, 70
scenario-based exploratory testing, 65-66, 183
applying, 67
scenario operators
data substitution, 70-71
environment substitution, 71-72
steps, inserting, 68-69
steps, removing, 69
steps, repeating, 70
steps, replacing, 70
all-nighter tour, 74
back alley tour, 73
collector’s tour, 74
intellectual tour, 73
landmark tour, 73
money tour, 73
obsessive-compulsive tour, 73
rained-out tour, 75
saboteur, 74
supermodel tour, 74
supporting actor tour, 75
tour-crasher tour, 75
scope, 34
Scottish pub tour, tourist district, 57
scripted manual testing, 179
combining with exploratory testing, 18-19
overview, 15
seedy district in touring metaphor
antisocial tour, 60-61
obsessive-compulsive tour, 62
saboteur tour, 60
September 2008 blog entries
On Certification, 188-189
The Future of Testing (Part 3), 189-191
The Future of Testing (Part 4), 191-192
The Future of Testing (Part 5), 192-193
Sherman, Roger, 196
Shostack, Adam, 57
skeptical customer tour, 47
software. See also software testing
at rest, difficulties in testing, 12
failure of, 4-9
importance of, 1-4
state, testing, 32-35
definition of state, 32-33
temporary versus persistent state, 34
users, categories of, 158
visualization, 130-132
software industry, restoring respect to, 160-161
Software Tester Wanted, JW’s October 2008 blog entry, 200
software testing
as discipline, 157-159
future of, 132-134
source code, visualization, 130
Speaking of Google, JW’s October 2008 blog entry, 198
special input, testing, 29-30
Staneff, Geoff, 54
test planning/managing via tours, 107
landscape, defining, 106
tour results, analyzing, 109-111
tours, running, 109
tours of intent, 108
Visual Studio tours
back alley tours, 104-105
breaking software tours, 104
garbage collector tours, 105
money tours, 104
obsessive-compulsive tours, 104
parking lot tours, 103-105
supermodel tours, 105
state, testing, 35
definition of state, 32-33
temporary versus persistent state, 34
strategy-based exploratory testing, 184
substituting
data, 70-71
environment, 71-72
back alleymixed destination tours with, 84
Dynamics AX client, 84
supporting actor tours with, 84
tourist district, 57
Visual Studio, 105
Windows Mobile devices, 93-94
WMP (Windows Media Player), 100
supporting actor tour, 75
entertainment district, 53
supermodel tours with, 84
T
taxicab tours, Dynamics AX client, 79
blockaded taxicab tours, 80-81
collected bugs, 82
technique, importance of, 139-140
temporary state, 34
ten commandments of software testing, 143-149
test assets, virtualization, 129
test case mangement, bug finding tours, 86
Test Case Reuse, JW’s January 2009 blog entry, 205-207
testing
error code, 149-151
planning/managing via tours
analyzing tour results, 109-110
defining landscape, 106
reporting tour results, 110-111
running tours, 109
tours of intent, 108
Windows Mobile device tours
rained-out tours, 92
saboteurs, 93-94
supermodel tours, 93-94
testing approach/philosophy, 91-92
Testipedia, 126
test atoms, 128
test case reuse, 127
test molecules, 128
testsourcing, 186
three-hour tours, 95-96
THUD (tester’s heads-up display), 125-126
TOGOF tours
bug finding tours, 90
tourist district, 57
tools
eliminating buggy software, 155
visualization tools, 130
tour-crasher tour, 75
touring metaphor for scenario-based exploratory software testing, 41-43
back alley tours
Visual Studio, 104-105
supermodel tours with, 84
blockaded taxicab tours, Dynamics AX client, 80-81
breaking software tours, Visual Studio, 104
bug finding tours
FedEx tours, 89
rained-out tours, 87
saboteurs, 88
test case management solutions, 86
TOGOF tours, 90
Dynamics AX client, 78
blockaded taxicab tours, 80-81
landmark tours, 85
multicultural tours, 80-84
rained-out tours, 85
supermodel tours, 84
FedEx tours, bug finding tours, 89
garbage collector tours
Visual Studio, 105
WMP (Windows Media Player), 97-99
in scenarios, 72-75
intellectual tours
boundary subtours and, 103
WMP, 100-103
landmark tours, Dynamics AX client, 85
money tours, Visual Studio, 104
multicultural tours, Dynamics AX client, 80-84
obsessive-compsulsive tours, 96
Visual Studio, 104
parking lot tours, Visual Studio, 103-105
putting to use, 62
rained-out tours
bug finding tours, 87
Dynamics AX client, 85
Windows Mobile devices, 92
software “districts,” 44
business district, 45-51
entertainment district, 53-55
historical district, 51-52
hotel district, 58-59
seedy district, 60-62
tourist district, 55-57
supermodel tours, 96
back alley/mixed destination tours with, 84
Dynamics AX client, 84
supporting actor tours with, 84
Visual Studio, 105
Windows Mobile devices, 93-94
WMP, 100
supporting actor tours, supermodel tours with, 84
taxicab tours, Dynamics AX client, 79, 82
test planning/managing via, 107-109
analyzing tour results, 109-110
landscape, defining, 106
reporting tour results, 110-111
running tours, 109
tours of intent, 108
three-hour tours, 95-96
TOGOF tours, bug finding tours, 90
tours of intent, 108
Windows Mobile devices, 90
rained-out tours, 92
saboteurs, 93-94
supermodel tours, 93-94
testing approach/philosophy, 91-92
WMP, 97
garbage collector tours, 97-99
intellectual tours, 100-103
supermodel tours, 100
tourist district in touring metaphor
collector’s tour, 55-56
lonely businessman tour, 56
Scottish pub tour, 57
supermodel tour, 57
TOGOF tour, 57
transiency of software testing, 118-119
U
user data, 36
user input, testing, 23
abstract input, 24
atomic input, 24-25
default versus user-supplied input, 30-31
definition of user input, 24
guiding input selection with outputs, 31-32
input sequences, 25
legal versus illegal input, 26-29
exception handlers, 29
input checks, 28-29
input filters, 27-28
normal versus special input, 29-30
testing, 30-31
Users and Johns, JW’s July 2008 blog entry, 170
V
van de Kamp, Peter, 2
virtualization, 186-187
virtualization of test assets, 129
Visual Studio
back alley tours, 104-105
breaking software tours, 104
garbage collector tours, 105
money tours, 104
obsessive-compulsive tours, 104
parking lot tours, 103-105
supermodel tours, 105
visualization, 130-132
W–Z
Watson, 129
Watson, James, 1
whack-a-mole analogy to testing, 209
“What If?” questions, WMP tests, 100-101
Whittaker, James, blog entries
August 2008
If Microsoft Is So Good at Testing, Why Does Your Software Still Suck?, 180-182
The Future of Testing (Part 1), 185
The Future of Testing (Part 2), 187
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 4), 179-180
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 5), 183
December 2008, Google vs. Microsoft and the Dev:Test Ratio Debate, 201-202
January 2009
Exploratory Testing Explained, 204-205
I’m Back, 207-208
Test Case Reuse, 205-206
The Zune Issue, 203-204
July 2008, 166
Back to Testing, 177-178
Hail Europe!, 174
testers, measuring, 168-169
Ode to the Manual Tester, 171-172
PEST, 167-168
The Poetry of Testing, 175-176
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 1), 170
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 2), 173-174
Prevention vs. Cure (Part 3), 176-177
Users and Johns, 170
November 2008
Keeping Testers in a Test, 201
Software Tester Wanted, 200
October 2008
The Future of Testing (Part 6), 194-195
The Future of Testing (Part 7), 195-196
The Future of Testing (Part 8), 197-198
Manual vs. Automated Testing Again, 198-199
Speaking of Google, 198
September 2008
The Future of Testing (Part 3), 189, 191
The Future of Testing (Part 4), 191-192
The Future of Testing (Part 5), 192-193
On Certification, 188-189
Wikipedia concept, applying to testing, 126
test atoms, 128
test case reuse, 127
test molecules, 128
Windows Mobile devices
tours in, 90
rained-out tours, 92
saboteurs, 93-94
supermodel tours, 93-94
testing approach/philosophy, 91-92
WMP (Windows Media Player), 97
garbage collector tours, 97-99
Intellectual tours, 100, 102-103
Supermodel tours, 100
“What If?” questions during manual tests, 100-101
World of Warcraft, 125
Zune bug, 50