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| Software Testing Zone |
| Dedicated to thoughts about software testing, QA, and other software quality related practices. Articles on software quality assurance, testing and test automation. |
| Language: English |
| RSS Feeds for this Blog |
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Statistics |
| Unique Visitors: 42 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 233160 |
| Visitors Out: 3164 |
| Total Visitors Out: 6260 |
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| Programming Skills and Testers! |
| 2008-04-03 22:47:00 |
Am I a Tester or a Programmer? Who am I?
Abhijit Navindgikar: “I am having one question regarding software testing. Currently I am working as a software tester. I am having 3 years of experience in manual testing and having the basic knowledge of C/C++. Is it necessary for me to learn new technologies like C# .NET for future prospects in testing? Is it necessary for the tester to have the ...
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| Confusing Terminologies in Sofware Testing - A Case Study! |
| 2008-02-20 09:05:00 |
Couple of days before, I received an email from a blog reader (Lakshmi NSMV) asking me the following query:
“What is Build Verification Test (BVT)? What are the things that are taken into consideration while performing BVT? Is it the tester’s responsibility to perform BVT?â€
At first glance, it did look like yet another testing question that is often asked in software testing interviews (as if ...
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| Tester Untested! - Who will Test when you Rest? |
| 2008-02-06 07:06:00 |
During a not-so-long-ago discussion with a tester friend she pointed out with a self-satisfying grin on her face: “testers have the power to scrutinize other’s work and this power makes testing so much of fun”. Though she might have been true to some extent in her statement, it made me to revisit my year old decision to choose software testing as a life long career. I wondered if it was this ...
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| Software Defects Vs. Software Quality! |
| 2008-01-14 08:39:00 |
“If the software product has some defects, can it still be called a quality product?”
This is a question I was asked during a recent conversation with one of my blog readers (who is also a software tester). It appeared that the tester friend was asked this question in some testing interview and the interviewer had expected a simple YES/NO type answer! Unfortunately the tester, who was unsure ...
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| Software Testing and Cricket - an Analogy! Howzat! |
| 2008-01-04 08:48:00 |
Yesterday I was reading this news (4 obvious errors show inadequate concentration), when the idea of this post struck my mind. To be honest, the mention of the words “errors” and “concentration” in the news headline caught my attention and when I finished reading the news item, I realized that it was not related with any software errors as I had anticipated before starting reading it. However, on...
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| Security Testers! Are you ready for the Top 10 Security Threats for 2008? |
| 2007-12-28 06:57:00 |
Security Testers, Security Analysts, Penetration Testers, Vulnerability Assessors pay attention! Security Company McAfee has released a list of top 10 predicted security threats for year 2008. If you are a tester who gives importance to the security aspect of the product you are testing and who likes to do a security analysis based on the potential risks associated with the components of the AUT ...
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| Regression Testing Revisited - Thanks to this Interesting Question! |
| 2007-12-21 07:50:00 |
“I am a regular reader of your blog and I find it very very useful. My name is Pankaj Shinde and I am working as a Software Tester in a well-known company. I have a doubt regarding Regression Testing. Generally we say that Regression Testing means to test whether any added functionality is affecting other functionalities or not. When functionality is added we write separate test cases for that ...
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| 10 Tips to Avoid Writing a Bad Software Defect Report! |
| 2007-12-13 23:25:00 |
“Software” and “defects” are like two sides of a coin. If you start developing software, chances are very high that you will (although unintentionally) end up leaving some defects in it. Defects in software are almost unavoidable. Software defects are like Christmas Combo offers where you get something for free with the purchase of some Product! In case of a Christmas Bonanza offer you might ...
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| Website Testing - Did you miss anything while Testing? |
| 2007-12-03 07:43:00 |
A lot has been written and discussed about Website Testing till date. But still, website testing is probably one of the most commonly confused topic among testers! Need evidence? Spend a little time searching and you can see tons of queries flooding the Internet (Online Forums, Usenet Groups, Orkut Communities, Tech Corners etc) regarding website testing, how a website should be tested, what ...
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| A Tester’s Dream - 5 steps to revive a Rejected Bug! |
| 2007-11-20 23:18:00 |
“Testing by itself does not improve software quality. Test results are an indicator of quality, but in and of themselves, they don't improve it. Trying to improve software quality by increasing the amount of testing is like trying to lose weight by weighing yourself more often. What you eat before you step onto the scale determines how much you will weigh, and the software development techniques ...
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| Role of Emotion in Software Testing! |
| 2007-11-14 08:17:00 |
"Software Testing is a skill. While this may come as a surprise to some people it is a simple fact." - (Fewster, Graham: "Software Test Automation")
Recently I was talking with a fellow software tester and he queried – “Debasis, what is the role of human (can be a software programmer, a tester, etc) emotions in software defects? Do you feel that, to become a good tester we should leave aside ...
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| Best Practices in Context-Driven Testing/Thinking! |
| 2007-11-03 04:55:00 |
Rita asks, “My test manager has asked me to test a FMCG retailing website to test. I have never tested such a website before. Can you guide me how to start testing this website? Can you point me to some best practices that can be followed while testing this website? Please help.”
Ritika asks, “I am doing my project work in component based integration testing and I am new to this field. So I need...
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| Testing Lessons Learned from Sherlock Holmes! |
| 2007-10-26 06:49:00 |
My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere. I can dispense them with artificial stimulants. But I abhor the dull routine of existence. I crave for mental exaltation. – Sherlock Holmes
I have been reading the book “Sherlock Holmes - The Complete Novels and Stories by Sir ...
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| How to Test a coffee/espresso maker? |
| 2007-10-19 00:57:00 |
Welcome back to the 5th post of my “How To Test” series. I am sorry for the long delay between my 4th “How To Test” post and this one. Anyway, the Testing Mission will continue to remain the same as I have mentioned in the very first post of this series. I would recommend you to take a look at the testing mission first before proceeding to read this post. Here I am going to generate and list out ...
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| Should this be the end of 'Software Testing Zone'? |
| 2007-10-08 06:59:00 |
They say there is a woman behind every successful man. I am not sure if that is true but let me tell you, “There are lots of untold tales of pains, agonies and failures behind *most* of those successful persons”! Does the same also apply to a successful blog on testing? Who knows!
For a long time, I was wondering if “Software Testing Zone” is a successful blog! I was doubting if I was wasting my...
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| Database Testing - Watch your “Back” while on a “Bug Hunt”! |
| 2007-10-01 11:05:00 |
I tend to compare Software Testing with that of a War! In a war, usually there are two (can be more) opponents, always in search of a chance to expose/harm/defeat the other. Similarly, testing is a process when the testers have to watch out for bugs/defects and hunt them down before it is too late! Bugs/Defects possess the power to seal the destiny of a Project/Product under development, if not ...
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| Multiplication Bug in Microsoft Excel 2007! |
| 2007-09-25 07:43:00 |
Update: Please refer to the "Comments" section of this post for more interesting facts/analysis on this bug!
I came across this interesting error while surfing through Google groups! On 23rd Sept 2007, this error was first reported by one of the group members.
Bug Characteristics:
1. When you try to multiply 850 by 77.1 excel displays the result to be 100,000 instead of the correct answer, i.e....
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| Testing Lessons – Top 5 Secrets to Bug Hunting Success! |
| 2007-09-17 08:12:00 |
Testers should catch bugs in the software that they are testing. They should try to catch as many important bugs as soon as possible. Catching an important bug earlier on the Product Life Cycle can save the Project from financial losses and mitigate risks as compared to catching the same at a later stage in SDLC!
Testers are the voice of the customers/clients. They should work as the ...
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| Smoke Testing Vs. Sanity Testing – Testing Stories from an Indian Tester! |
| 2007-09-10 08:00:00 |
James asks: “What is the main difference between Smoke Testing and Sanity Testing? Are they part of Blackbox or Whitebox testing approach?”
Gokul asks: “What is Build Verification Testing? When is it done? Is it the responsibility of the developer or the tester?”
Ridhima asks: “I am too confused about Smoke and Sanity Testing. Are they same? Or is there any difference between them? If yes, what...
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| Blogger NEW + Firefox 2 = ‘Exceptional’ Error! |
| 2007-09-01 03:51:00 |
I was reading through some of my latest blog entries and realized that it has been long since I had posted a bug! So, I thought it was time to test something. This time I selected Blogger to test it’s compatibility with Firefox 2. I chose them because, both Blogger and Firefox are known to be very reliable and robust in their own areas. And still, few days back I had noticed an unusual Blogspot ...
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| Heisenbug - A Tester’s Nightmare! |
| 2007-08-29 08:03:00 |
How do you react when your developer says, “Well, I can’t see any crash! It runs just fine in my system”, in response to a bug-report, you had submitted recently? Worst still, he goes on to send back your bug-report with a resolution something similar as “Can’t Reproduce”! As far as I am concerned, I have seen such replies quite a number of times in my testing career. And trust me, this can be ...
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| Testing Lessons from Kitchen! |
| 2007-08-21 08:16:00 |
John asks: "What is the difference between static testing and dynamic testing?"
Rama asks: "What is the difference between verification and validation and how are they related with software testing?"
Vikash asks: "In Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), what is V&V (Verification and Validation)? Are they same? If not, how do they differ?"
These are few testing FAQs that came to my mind ...
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| "Stress Test" now or get "Stressed" later! |
| 2007-08-15 16:12:03 |
Yesterday I was watching NDTV news and I came across this story! "Nokia has announced that 46 million batteries used in its phones could overheat and result in explosion. Nokia has said it would replace them free to consumers while negotiating with battery maker Matsushita who would bear the costs. And this announcement came after approximately 100 incidents of over heating explosions reported...
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| "Stress Test" now or get "Stressed" later! |
| 2007-08-15 00:42:00 |
Yesterday I was watching NDTV news and I came across this story! "Nokia has announced that 46 million batteries used in its phones could overheat and result in explosion. Nokia has said it would replace them free to consumers while negotiating with battery maker Matsushita who would bear the costs. And this announcement came after approximately 100 incidents of over heating explosions reported ...
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| Beware Software Testers! Is your profession taking over your personal life? |
| 2007-08-07 18:42:15 |
I am a Software Tester and unlike many other testers, it was my own decision to start my career as a tester. By saying this, I want to clarify that:
1. I was not a programmer, who had to start a career in testing due to poor programming skills OR conflicts with a project leader/manager!
2. I was not a sub-standard student, who was too much afraid to step into programming. So the dream of a...
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| Beware Software Testers! Is your profession taking over your personal life? |
| 2007-08-07 10:02:00 |
I am a Software Tester and unlike many other testers, it was my own decision to start my career as a tester. By saying this, I want to clarify that:
1. I was not a programmer, who had to start a career in testing due to poor programming skills OR conflicts with a project leader/manager!
2. I was not a sub-standard student, who was too much afraid to step into programming. So the dream of a ...
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| Blog Usability Testing - Test and Win a Fabulous Testing Book! |
| 2007-08-02 07:49:18 |
During a recent conversation with a tester friend (who also happens to be a mentor and critic of me and my blog), I was informed that Michael Bolton came across my blog and was impressed by some of my posts. That was really a great news for me. But the joy was short-lived, when I was informed that Michael Bolton actually did NOT like the layout of my blog! This was quite disturbing and...
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| Blog Usability Testing - Test and Win a Fabulous Testing Book! |
| 2007-08-02 01:22:00 |
During a recent conversation with a tester friend (who also happens to be a mentor and critic of me and my blog), I was informed that Michael Bolton came across my blog and was impressed by some of my posts. That was really a great news for me. But the joy was short-lived, when I was informed that Michael Bolton actually did NOT like the layout of my blog! This was quite disturbing and ...
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| Risk-Based Testing - Meet Mr. Hacker Tester! |
| 2007-07-24 18:04:03 |
While “Functional Testing” ensures that a piece of software does what it is supposed to do under normal circumstances, “Risk-Based Testing” on the other hand, considers what a bad guy (could be a hacker, a malicious user, somebody from a competitor etc) might do based on risks identified by a security analysis. Risk-based testing is a fundamentally creative form of testing and is as strong as the...
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| Risk-Based Testing - Meet Mr. Hacker Tester! |
| 2007-07-24 10:00:00 |
While “Functional Testing” ensures that a piece of software does what it is supposed to do under normal circumstances, “Risk-Based Testing” on the other hand, considers what a bad guy (could be a hacker, a malicious user, somebody from a competitor etc) might do based on risks identified by a security analysis. Risk-based testing is a fundamentally creative form of testing and is as strong as the...
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| How to Test a microwave oven? |
| 2007-07-20 05:41:26 |
Welcome back to my 4th post of the “How To Test” series. The Testing Mission will continue to remain the same as I have mentioned in the very first post of this series. You might want to take a look at the testing mission before proceeding to read this post. Here I am going to generate and list out some test ideas (Not test cases) on how to test a Microwave oven [A microwave oven, is a kitchen...
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| How to Test a microwave oven? |
| 2007-07-17 00:33:00 |
Welcome back to my 4th post of the “How To Test” series. The Testing Mission will continue to remain the same as I have mentioned in the very first post of this series. You might want to take a look at the testing mission before proceeding to read this post. Here I am going to generate and list out some test ideas (Not test cases) on how to test a Microwave oven [A microwave oven, is a kitchen ...
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| Are you a Tester? Expect the Unexpected! |
| 2007-07-10 07:29:20 |
What do you expect while testing? Many testers believe that while testing, we should expect some output and compare the actual output with the expected one! If they match then the test case passes else it fails. Quite simple and straightforward, isn’t it? I would say No! I wish testing was so simple!
What characterizes a formal, written test case is that there is a known input and an expected...
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| Are you a Tester? Expect the Unexpected! |
| 2007-07-09 12:58:00 |
What do you expect while testing? Many testers believe that while testing, we should expect some output and compare the actual output with the expected one! If they match then the test case passes else it fails. Quite simple and straightforward, isn’t it? I would say No! I wish testing was so simple!
What characterizes a formal, written test case is that there is a known input and an expected ...
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| Software Testing - What is your definition? |
| 2007-07-02 15:18:46 |
Being a Software Tester, I test software almost on a daily basis [if you count the testing activities that I perform when at home!]. But the different definitions for the term “Testing” or “Software Testing” that I have heard/read till now in my short 2 years career as a Software Tester, keep fascinating me! Whenever I ask someone to define “Software Testing”, most of the times I use to get a yet...
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| Software Testing - What is your definition? |
| 2007-07-02 07:45:00 |
Being a Software Tester, I test software almost on a daily basis [if you count the testing activities that I perform when at home!]. But the different definitions for the term “Testing” or “Software Testing” that I have heard/read till now in my short 2 years career as a Software Tester, keep fascinating me! Whenever I ask someone to define “Software Testing”, most of the times I use to get a yet...
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| How to Test a water bottle? |
| 2007-07-01 19:03:35 |
This is the second post of my “How to Test” series! In my earlier “How to Test” post, I had received a comment from Pradeep asking me for a testing mission for my readers (Thanks Pradeep for pointing that out). And I had to oblige by updating the post with a detailed testing mission. My testing mission for this post (and all future posts of “How to Test” series) will remain the same. You may want...
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| How to Test a Pen? |
| 2007-07-01 18:53:32 |
Welcome back to my third post of the “How to Test” series. I have already written on how to test a mosquito repellent and water bottle. My testing mission for this post will remain the same as I have mentioned in the first post of the series. You might want to take a look at the testing mission. Here I am going to generate and write down few test ideas (NOT test cases) on how to test a pen [An...
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| How to Test a mosquito repellent? |
| 2007-07-01 18:49:06 |
I am going to write a series of “How to Test” posts, where I shall try to deal with how to test some objects/equipments of day-to-day usage, which don’t use any software application! I will write these posts over next few weeks. So stay tuned for some really interesting “How to Test” posts.
I selected a mosquito repellent as my first post of the series, because I could remember being asked this...
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| Software Testers – Do we (As)sure Quality? |
| 2007-06-26 14:10:28 |
I am a Software Tester. But do/can I assure quality of the s/w that I test? For that matter, is it practically possible for a tester to assure quality of a product? Before going into much detail, I would like to quote some widely accepted definitions of Testing, Quality and Quality Assurance for the better understanding of these terms:
“Testing is questioning a Product in order to evaluate it” –...
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