My brother and I continued our peer conference series meant to explore the experiences of serious testers with AI and subject them to scrutiny. We call this the Workshop on AI in Testing (WAIT). Our … [Read more...] about WAIT #2 Peer Conference Report
Critique
Inevitability of Bugs: An Example
Once in a while, I see bizarre posts on LinkedIn, purportedly by experienced programmers, claiming that testers aren't needed because unit testing, developer discipline, and, I guess "clean livin'" is … [Read more...] about Inevitability of Bugs: An Example
A Good Example of a Stupid Idea: Testers Shouldn’t Test
Once in a while, when I claim that there are fools out there who want to destroy the culture and craft of testing, some people don't believe me. So, here is a good example of what I'm talking about: … [Read more...] about A Good Example of a Stupid Idea: Testers Shouldn’t Test
A Tester Debates a Dead Man
Stockton Rush is dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. He was killed in a spectacular implosion of the Titan submersible during a dive to the site of the wreck of the Titanic, on … [Read more...] about A Tester Debates a Dead Man
34 Years in Testing
This past Friday, May 21st, 2021, was exactly 34 years since my first day at Apple Computer as a tester. Before that I was a dev, but I have been a tester ever since. This has put me in a … [Read more...] about 34 Years in Testing
The Immaturity of CMM
Originally published in 1994, this article pre-dates "Agile" as a named thing. It was written out of a culture that was critiquing authoritarian and factory-oriented approaches to software … [Read more...] about The Immaturity of CMM
What Could Kill Testing?
(I wrote this several years ago with Michael Bolton, but never got around to publishing it... UPDATE: Oh! I did publish this as an editorial in Tea Time for Testers. Well, anyway this is an … [Read more...] about What Could Kill Testing?
Round Earth Test Strategy
The "test automation pyramid" (for examples, see here, here, and here) is a popular idea, but I see serious problems with it. I suggest in this article an alternative way of thinking that preserves … [Read more...] about Round Earth Test Strategy
The Next Step In “Test Automation” is Pure Bullshitting
I defy any responsible, sober technical professional to visit this website and discover what the "MABL" tool is and does without reaching out to the company to beg for actual details. It has an … [Read more...] about The Next Step In “Test Automation” is Pure Bullshitting
Rethinking Equivalence Class Partitioning, Part 1
Wikipedia's article on equivalence class partitioning (ECP) is a great example of the poor thinking and teaching and writing that often passes for wisdom in the testing field. It's narrow and … [Read more...] about Rethinking Equivalence Class Partitioning, Part 1