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
Methodology Debates: Traps and Transformations
(This article is adapted from work I did with Johanna Rothman, at the 1st Amplifying Your Effectiveness conference. It's never been widely published, so here you go.) As a context-driven testing … [Read more...] about Methodology Debates: Traps and Transformations
Collegiality
Recently I posted a sort-of attack on Jim Pensyl, who had posted a sort-of attack on my community. Then an interesting thing happened. He withdrew his blog post and called me on the phone. That was … [Read more...] about Collegiality
The Future Will Need Us to Reboot It
I've been reading a bit about the Technological Singularity. It's an interesting and chilling idea conceived by people who aren't testers. It goes like this: the progress of technology is increasing … [Read more...] about The Future Will Need Us to Reboot It
Terminologizing and Danger Words
I just read this on another blog: "Regression testing is usually seen as the poorer cousin of 'proper' domain-abstracted assertion-based testing. Often rightly so!" In twenty years of doing … [Read more...] about Terminologizing and Danger Words
Unambiguous Definition
I found this gem in the FDA Glossary of Computerized System and Software Development Terminology: "unambiguous. (1) Not having two or more possible meanings. (2) Not susceptible to different … [Read more...] about Unambiguous Definition