software engineering

I found this book very informative and helpful as a beginning software tester. The authors were very pragmatic and concise in defining different methods and systems to use for testing, and because of this, it is an excellent testing handbook for those people who do not have formal training and need to know where to begin and how to procede in a logical manner. It is also a great reference manual for testing terms that are new to a beginner. Overall, I would highly recommmend this as an excellent textbook for software testing.

I first read this text back in the early '90's and believed it to be incredibly incisive and perceptive. It seemed to illuminate problems before they existed for me! I felt I had an 'inside edge' on the other guys. However, as time went on, I began to realize that the text espouses placing my proverbial fingers in the holes of our crackling dam. I now use the book as a starting place on designing logical test cases. However, that is where the book stops. See, in producing software for the government, there are these things known as REQUIREMENTS which must be verified and validated via inspections and a traceability matrix, respectively. I suppose this situation is also prevalent in corporations who wish to sell software to the burgeoning EU, Japan, and Australia. With standards such as ISO 9000.3 and the CMM becoming more and more important, I would like to see Mr. Kaner et. al. attempt to incorporate these standards (which are ensconced in Quality control) into their up coming revision. Who knows? Maybe it is possible to actually perform great testing in both the logical-based and requirements-based arenas?

When I first read this book over eight years ago I was less than enthusiastic. At the time I felt that the approach was not rigorous enough. Over time I came to appreciate the pragmatism and how the approach in this book reflects the realities of software testing instead of a rigid, purist view as an unattainable ideal.

Everything the new or intermediate test professional needs to know is covered. The practices and techniques provided will foster sound QA practices and will step you through developing test strategies, and from those, developing and executing test cases. These are the real essence of testing, and this book covers them exceptionally well.

I like the coverage of testing systems and artifacts that are not software - documentation, hardware, and localization testing advice shows that testing is not limited to software. As importantly, the chapter on legal consequences of software defects will show testing in a perspective that is often overlooked, even by seasoned test professionals.

If you are new to software testing, or have some experience, but no formal training, this book will provide you with the right way to approach software testing, and will give insights that would take years to learn on your own.