I'm thinking of having badges made which say "Conscientiously Uncertified." It's for those of us who want to resist the dumbing down of our craft by cynical consultants promoting bogus tester … [Read more...] about Conscientious Uncertification
A View From Inside ISTQB/ISEB
Alan Richardson writes this commentary from inside one of the stupidest of the certification programs: the ISTQB (well, he says "ISEB", but by all accounts, it's being taken over by ISTQB … [Read more...] about A View From Inside ISTQB/ISEB
What if Software Development isn’t Golf?
Jason Gorman uses a golf analogy to talk about estimation. I like his analogy, but he didn't take it far enough for me. He left out a key element: we may not be playing golf. A typical sin committed … [Read more...] about What if Software Development isn’t Golf?
The Gerrard School of Testing
Paul Gerrard believes there are irrefutable testing axioms. This is not surprising, since all axioms are by definition irrefutable. To call something an axiom is to say you will cover your ears and … [Read more...] about The Gerrard School of Testing
Lawyers are Testers, Too
In 1982, when I was still in high school, I read an article in Time Magazine about teenagers who worked as programmers. The article inspired me to quit school and go to work as a programmer, too. I'm … [Read more...] about Lawyers are Testers, Too
Why Labels For Test Techniques?
Steve Swanson is very new to testing. I predict he has a great future. He has already noticed that the common idea of boundary testing is almost content-free. Michael Bolton and I do a whole session … [Read more...] about Why Labels For Test Techniques?
Can a Non-Sapient Test Exist?
My vote for the World's Most Inquisitive Tester is Shrini Kulkarni. He asks: Do you believe that “non sapientâ€? tests exist or for that matter - any part (seems like a very negligibly small portion … [Read more...] about Can a Non-Sapient Test Exist?
What is Test Automation?
[This post is here for historical reasons. However, I no longer use the term "test automation." I refuse to utter that phrase any more because people keep thinking it means that testing can be … [Read more...] about What is Test Automation?
Sapient Testing Rules
Hey, somebody at AST must have read my blog when I coined the term "sapient testing", because they named their magazine after it. I'm still waiting for people to pick up on my other coinage: … [Read more...] about Sapient Testing Rules
Self-Discipline Redux
I want to follow up on what I said about discipline in yesterday's post. I said that discipline is "motivation without reason." I stand by that, as far as it goes, but there's more to discipline than … [Read more...] about Self-Discipline Redux