Marvel with Marvin

Blog aggregation

2005-02-10T14:23:00.000Z

I've been looking at aggregators and rss feeds. This blog has an rss feed if you're interested in one. I have also set up other aggregator sites to try out the technology at:

Marvin at Bloglines

A site of software testing links

Marvin at Blog on the web

Marvin at Blog City

Marvin at Live Journal

Marvin
Software Testing

A goldmine of testing information in Texas

2005-01-07T09:15:00.000Z

I received an email today about this blog from a software testing consultant in Fort Worth, Texas. He runs some brilliant sites which are definitely worth checking out.

Take a look at:

Tejas Software Consulting

testingfaqs.org

The testing tool lists are great. If you want to find out more about open source software testing tools (and there are some useful free tools out there) then a visit to these sites is a must. There are also masses of articles and resources on all sorts of aspects of testing. If all that isn't enough there's a regular newsletter and a software testers discussion mailing list too.

Seeing sites like these makes you feel great about being a tester.

Marvin
Software Testing

Interesting testing questions answered interestingly (p 3)

2004-12-20T17:18:00.000Z

Lots more interesting testing questions since the last batch. Hope you find the answers just as interesting

Is it true that all male software testers are as good looking as Brad Pitt ?

That question came from a lady called H. Keller. Nice question H. Are you related to H formerly with pop-combo Steps? Hold on, I should be answering the questions here not asking them. Well, first off, I'm not sure that you have ever seen a software tester, have you H? Secondly, is it the whole Brad Pitt good-looking-ness I should be comparing the software tester with or just good looking bits of him like maybe his ears or his eyebrows? If I could clear that up I could come to a principled conclusion really quickly. Failing that there is a strong (even overwhelming) possibility that the answer is no.

Is a software tester more than a tourist?

That was sent in by someone connected with Wiley Computer Publishing. Got to admit, it is an interesting question. The converse (is a tourist more than a software tester?) is surreal. But nowadays surreal and interesting aren't synonymous. Now, strangely, I was reading Lessons Learned in Software Testing which has an eerily apposite passage:

"Lots of things you can do with a product that aren't tests can help you learn more about it. You can tour the product, see what it's made of and how it works. This is invaluable but it's not quite testing. The difference between a tester and a tourist is that a tester's efforts are devoted to evaluating the product, not merely witnessing it. Although it's not necessary to predict in advance how the software should behave, an activity that puts the product through its paces doesn't become a test unless and until you apply some principle or process that will identify some kind of problem if one exists."

So the answer is yes. Next.

Would you recommend that software testers ever use statistics creatively to disguise what could be huge black holes in budgetary forecasts?

Another one from Oliver Letwin. Thanks Oliver. I think that, perhaps, you have a secret passion for testing. Many politicians do have secret passions. Stephen Milligan had a passion for satsuma segments, Harvey Proctor had a passion for striped shirts (amongst many secret passions, it seems, although he wasn't the greatest at keeping them secret) and Nicholas Soames appears to have a passion for pies. Colchester is supposed to be the pie capital of England but Nicholas is the MP for Mid Sussex. Which shows that one man, even a determined and capable man such as Rt Hon Nicholas Soames, can't out eat an entire metropolitan community. Maybe that will become a pithy quote that appears in those quotation books.

Anyway back to the question. I say no they should not. And I say it without equivocation. One man's advice is another man's virtue. There we go. Another pithy saying for an anthology.

Hope you found these interesting. Please keep the interesting questions coming.

Marvin
Software Testing

Interesting testing questions answered interestingly (p 2)

2004-12-04T13:56:00.000Z

I've received quite a bit of feedback on the last Interesting testing questions bit. Mainly complaints that the answers weren't interesting enough. So for this batch of interesting questions I've made an extra effort to make the answers longer and even more interesting.

Is it possible to get pirated copies of free defect management tools like Bugzilla or Tracker ?

That question came from former Brotherhood of Man singer, Sandra.

Well Sandra, if you follow the links you will find out how to get copies of these tools. There are loads of free defect management tools but I can't remember what they are all called. Perhaps informed readers could send me a list. I have not seen any pirated copies though. Maybe you could mention it to pirates next time you meet some. There is a definite gap in the market there.

Did you know that Johnny Kidd and the Pirates were claiming to be pirates long before software piracy became popular! They were probably "Shakin' all over" because they'd heard that FAST (Federation Against Software Theft) was going to be created a mere 23 years after they released this song and would probably catch them and kick their butts.

Is the number of testers in the UK a perfect number?

Another question from Oliver Letwin.

What is it with you and numbers Oliver? You may think this is an odd question but you'd be wrong. Nobody has ever found an odd perfect number. As all software testers know, a perfect number is one that is equal to the sum of its divisors. 6 is the first perfect number. Its divisors are 1,2 and 3 and 1+2+3 is 6. Perfect? Well Pythagoras thought so. There are loads of them but nobody has found one that is an odd number. In theory there is no reason why there isn't an odd perfect number so if you have a few spare moments and are good at adding and dividing you might want to see if you can find one. This will make you famous. To be exact you will be more famous than the bloke who solved Fermat's last theorem (Andrew Wiles) but not quiet as famous as Bernard Yoeuns (who pretended to be Stan Ogden in a documentary series about life in England). Anyway back to the question - the answer is no.

I saw a programme on TV last night called "Software Testers from Hell". They were talking about a software tester who was really, really, really pedantic and who's motto was "They shall not pass". Imagine my horror when a picture of me came on the screen and two project managers threw pies at it. I will be writing to the so called "makers" of that programme to complain. For a start that is not my motto. My motto is "Ils ne passeront pas". My question is do you know the address to send a letter of complaint to?

That one was from Philippe Pétain.

Well, Philippe, if the programme was on Channel 4, they have advice on how to complain . What delicious irony to use this advice in constructing a complaint to them. If it wasn't on Channel 4 you could send your complaint to top comedian Eddie Izzard who could use it as an aside in one of his monologues. Light on irony but I bet he would say something funny.

Hope you found those answers more interesting. Please keep the interesting questions coming.

Marvin
Software Testing

Interesting testing questions answered interestingly

2004-12-02T17:38:00.000Z

Now here is a real challenge. Do these questions exist? Do these answers exist? We won't know until we've tried. So here goes the first question:

Is testing interesting?

That was sent in by an infrastructure manager in the public sector. Not sure if he is from the DWP.

Anyway, the answer is YES. Especially testing patches. Onto the next question.

Is the number of people testing in the UK a prime number?

That was sent in by Oliver Letwin.

Now, the answer isn't so straight forward here. Do you mean the number of people testing systems and processes or does it include other people involved in testing? (e.g. school children or means tested pensioners). We can't commit to a definite answer at this stage, Oliver - probably not is a better bet than probably. In fact, you could change probably to definitely if you want to use this information to support an argument.

Final question this week is:

Did the Romans invent software testing?

That one is from Roman Abramovich.

Interesting question, Roman. Not sure why you think this. The answer is no.

Please keep the questions coming and I'll ferret out the answers for you

Marvin
Software Testing

Software Testing Stuff

2004-11-24T22:37:00.000Z

Software Testing Stuff

This is a great site. If you're looking for information on software testing then look here. Lots and lots of great links to software testing articles or references. There's also a real rarity in the links on humour in software testing. Do you know many testers it takes to change a light bulb? No? Me neither.

All the same check out Software Testing Stuff

Marvin
Software Testing

First blog

2004-11-23T13:45:00.000Z

You have to start somewhere and for me and blogger this is it. Hello.

I've set this blog up to record my thoughts on software testing (which is the area I work in) and provide a place for links to interesting articles or sites that cover software testing. There's a mountain of stuff out there on the web so it should keep me busy.

Marvin
Software Testing