Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!decwrl!claris!outpost.UUCP!peirce
From: peirce@outpost.UUCP (Michael Peirce)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: software testing
Message-ID: <0B010004.xxnisc@outpost.UUCP>
Date: 4 Apr 91 16:20:21 GMT
Reply-To: peirce@outpost.UUCP
Organization: Peirce Software
Lines: 40
X-Mailer: uAccess - Mac Release: 1.0.3


In article <12911@goofy.Apple.COM>, jyen@Apple.COM (John Yen) writes:
> 
> Rick Allard writes:
> > >To achieve this, the engineer has to...
> > >(3)
> > >test the program with real users, being as open as humanly possible to
> > >complaints and suggestions, and (4) revise and test in a seemingly
> > >endless cycle until the interface and functionality are "right."
> > In my  day-to-day use, especially of Microsoft stuff -- only
> > partially accounting for scale, I cannot believe houses do nearly
> > enough of this.  Yes, software is complicated, but it doesn't
> > vary statistically like an auto nor is it difficult to test.
> 
> '- nor is it difficult to test'?!  Have you ever tested non-trivial commercial
> software?  Think about all the equivalence classes of input and output,
> matrixed with possible hardware configurations, matrixed with interactions
> with other software, matrixed with different uses and users of the software.
> That's just off the top of my head.

Software testers are the unsung heros of the software industry.  They
are very important to the production of top quality software and don't 
get the credit they deserve - nor the pay.

Software testing is also VERY EXPENSIVE.  Where I've worked, the test
teams were bigger than the development teams.  Think about the variety
of testing they have to do: how many models of Mac are there?  Different
versions of the system? Memory and monitor and INITs and ... (And don't
even think about what goes into testing good network software [shudder]).
They also need to "test" or QA the manuals, help stacks, tutorials, etc.

Anyway, you just can't have enough GOOD testers...

-- michael

P.S.  OK, I'll admit it, I'm married to a software tester...

--  Michael Peirce         --   outpost!peirce@claris.com
--  Peirce Software        --   Suite 301, 719 Hibiscus Place
--  Macintosh Programming  --   San Jose, California 95117
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