Testing Computer Software, 2nd Edition
by Cem Kaner, Jack Falk, Hung Q. Nguyen

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Book Reviews of Testing Computer Software, 2nd Edition

Book Review: A computer classic - still valuable
Summary: 5 Stars

Software testing and quality can be SUCH dry subjects, but the authors do a wonderful job of bringing them to life. This is a very practical book in the sense that testing processes are described from the point of view of someone who has tried almost everything and knows which approaches are great in theory vs those which actually work. Unlike many others, the book doesn't skirt around human resources issues (such as internal politics, motivation and staff retention) but tackles them head on in the last chapter (it really is worth reading cover-to-cover!).

It is not really a step-by-step instruction manual, more a series of ideas and tips bound together by a coherent story. Us readers really need to think about the topic and work out for ourselves which aspects to apply. That said, some parts are more like a cookbook - there's a good description of a bug tracking process, for example, with some example bug reporting forms and, as always, some excellent advice about cooking your own.

Testing Computer Software has been a great help to me in my role as a computer auditor dealing with numerous application development groups. Project teams rarely have the skills to plan and manage testing properly, and never (in my experience) get the resources to do everything that "needs" to be done before the product ships (just how many groups never really get around to completing the documentation they promised so many months before?). Testing comes at the most time-critical point in the project lifecycle, when everyone is under intense pressure to deliver, fast. This book helps the team plan ahead, preparing the testing organisation and processes to make the inevitable nightmare period pass as smoothly as possible. That includes the audit team, by the way!

The appendix lists 400 types of bugs with their descriptions. As I write this note, I'm using the list to think about tests planned by the project teams I'm currently auditing, looking for holes in their test coverage (no, not 'tick and bash' - I'm trying to help!).

The bottom line: a must read for anyone involved in releasing software.

Summary of Testing Computer Software, 2nd Edition

The best thing about Testing Computer Software is its practical point-by-point guide to everyday software testing, from creating a test plan, to writing effective bug reports, to working with programming staff and management to fix bugs.

That said, this book's early frame of reference shows how far we've come. (The book relies heavily on MS-DOS examples and features some truly embarrassing anachronisms, including the mention of testing dot-matrix printers and even EGA/VGA video modes.) The bibliography stops at sources from 1992 and features many references from the 1980s. Nowadays, automated software testing tools are the staple of any testing strategy. This book even advocates a wait-and-see approach to the "new" Microsoft Test.

These limitations aside, there is still a good deal to mine here. Much of the approach to testing is still very valid for any aspiring or working test engineer. Clearly, readers of the first edition will have little reason to upgrade to this second edition, but for anyone who appreciates a "classic" (and indeed a pioneering) text in the field of software testing, it's good to have Testing Computer Software in print again. --Richard Dragan

Topics covered: test case design, test planning, project lifecycle overview, software errors, boundary conditions, bug reports, regression testing, black box testing, software quality and reliability, managing test teams, printer testing, internationalization, and managing legal risk.

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