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Testing Computer Software
This book will teach you how to test computer software under real-world conditions. The authors have all been test managers and software development managers at well-known Silicon Valley software companies. Successful consumer software companies have learned how to produce high-quality products under tight time and budget constraints. The book explains the testing side of that success.
Who this book is for:
* Testers and Test Managers
* Project Managers-Understand the timeline, depth of investigation, and quality of communication to hold testers accountable for.
* Programmers-Gain insight into the sources of errors in your code, understand what tests your work will have to pass, and why testers do the things they do.
* Students-Train for an entry-level position in software development.
What you will learn:
* How to find important bugs quickly
* How to describe software errors clearly
* How to create a testing plan with a minimum of paperwork
* How to design and use a bug-tracking system
* Where testing fits in the product development process
* How to test products that will be translated into other languages
* How to test for compatibility with devices, such as printers
* What laws apply to software quality
Who this book is for:
* Testers and Test Managers
* Project Managers-Understand the timeline, depth of investigation, and quality of communication to hold testers accountable for.
* Programmers-Gain insight into the sources of errors in your code, understand what tests your work will have to pass, and why testers do the things they do.
* Students-Train for an entry-level position in software development.
What you will learn:
* How to find important bugs quickly
* How to describe software errors clearly
* How to create a testing plan with a minimum of paperwork
* How to design and use a bug-tracking system
* Where testing fits in the product development process
* How to test products that will be translated into other languages
* How to test for compatibility with devices, such as printers
* What laws apply to software quality
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
54 people are currently reading
847 people want to read
About the author
Cem Kaner
8books34followersCem Kaner is a Professor of Software Engineering at Florida Institute of Technology, and the Director of Florida Tech's Center for Software Testing Education & Research (CSTER) since 2004. He is perhaps best known outside academia as an advocate of software usability and software testing.
Prior to his professorship, Kaner worked in the software industry beginning in 1983 in Silicon Valley "as a tester, programmer, tech writer, software development manager, product development director, and independent software development consultant." In 1988, he and his co-authors Jack Falk and Hung Quoc Nguyen published what became, at the time, "the best selling book on software testing," Testing Computer Software. He has also worked as a user interface designer.
In 2004 he cofounded the non-profit Association for Software Testing.
Prior to his professorship, Kaner worked in the software industry beginning in 1983 in Silicon Valley "as a tester, programmer, tech writer, software development manager, product development director, and independent software development consultant." In 1988, he and his co-authors Jack Falk and Hung Quoc Nguyen published what became, at the time, "the best selling book on software testing," Testing Computer Software. He has also worked as a user interface designer.
In 2004 he cofounded the non-profit Association for Software Testing.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 13, 2012
I didn't read this cover-to-cover. It's a rather good book, but aspects of it are now a little dated, and I found other resources more useful overall. Most especially, I found Cem Kaner's free online testing class much more informative and useful. Mostly, I felt like there was a large part of this book that didn't feel terribly applicable to my testing problems, even if it is useful to help examine different ways of looking at tests and test ideas. It's just that better work has been done since.
Should a serious tester buy this book and be familiar with it? Yes, eventually. Is it the most useful book out there? No. Should it be the first book a tester reads? No.
Should a serious tester buy this book and be familiar with it? Yes, eventually. Is it the most useful book out there? No. Should it be the first book a tester reads? No.
April 10, 2011
While the examples are out of date, testing methodology doesn't really change if you're testing dot matrix printers or iPhone apps. This is a standard QA reference book for a reason.
October 9, 2013
I'll start off with a little honesty: I didn't read the last three and a half chapters of this book. In part, this was because the library wanted the book back. More than that, it's because those chapters are really, really long.
The information in this book is extremely useful for anyone in the software testing business. There are basic principles which pervade eras and technology, and this book addresses those effectively and thoroughly.
Unfortunately, there is also the minor issue of technological advancement. Most of this book is geared toward testing in a DOS environment. There is wide discussion of issues that have largely been codified and simplified in recent decades, such as operating system interactions and printers. Sure, there are still many potential hiccups in those areas, but not so many as this book suggests--if only because of the drastic changes in the atmosphere of software that inevitably take place over the years.
Having said that, if you're old enough to remember that DOS used to be a thing, even those parts of this book won't be a dull read for (aspiring) testers. Pay special attention to discussion of designing test plans and cases, because that comes in handy regardless of what you're testing. Laugh a little at the heavily outdated software mentions (like having Windows or another GUI/OS as a relatively new thing).
Typographical errors in this book are relatively few and far between, and they're minor enough that you have to laud the copy-editors (who likely have no background and even less enjoyment in software testing) for doing as well as they did.
The information in this book is extremely useful for anyone in the software testing business. There are basic principles which pervade eras and technology, and this book addresses those effectively and thoroughly.
Unfortunately, there is also the minor issue of technological advancement. Most of this book is geared toward testing in a DOS environment. There is wide discussion of issues that have largely been codified and simplified in recent decades, such as operating system interactions and printers. Sure, there are still many potential hiccups in those areas, but not so many as this book suggests--if only because of the drastic changes in the atmosphere of software that inevitably take place over the years.
Having said that, if you're old enough to remember that DOS used to be a thing, even those parts of this book won't be a dull read for (aspiring) testers. Pay special attention to discussion of designing test plans and cases, because that comes in handy regardless of what you're testing. Laugh a little at the heavily outdated software mentions (like having Windows or another GUI/OS as a relatively new thing).
Typographical errors in this book are relatively few and far between, and they're minor enough that you have to laud the copy-editors (who likely have no background and even less enjoyment in software testing) for doing as well as they did.
December 10, 2020
Только как история и оч давняя теория
October 31, 2022
Three sentence summary
This book is about doing testing when your coworkers don’t, won’t and don’t have to follow the rules (p. vii). Realistic test planning is dominated by the need to select a few test cases from a huge set of possibilities (p. 17). Testing is best conceived as a group that provides technical services and information. (p. 343)
Book Club
This is the fifth book that my team at work is reading for our book club. We were reading this book from August to September 2022. We had a meeting every month to discuss the book. I like talking with people about good books as much as I like reading them.
Random thoughts
I’ve already started reading this book many years ago, and gave up. I remember thinking it was very hard to read. I didn’t find it so hard to read now.
This is one of the rare books that I’m reading from a paper copy. I usually read e-books. This one is pretty old. It has the very familiar smell of an old book. The smell takes me back to my childhood when I was reading a lot of comics that smelled exactly like that.
I was planning to read the book while traveling the Croatian seaside this summer. So, the book visited three islands with me, Brač, Hvar and Čiovo. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any time to read the book there.
I wrote more on my blog:
This book is about doing testing when your coworkers don’t, won’t and don’t have to follow the rules (p. vii). Realistic test planning is dominated by the need to select a few test cases from a huge set of possibilities (p. 17). Testing is best conceived as a group that provides technical services and information. (p. 343)
Book Club
This is the fifth book that my team at work is reading for our book club. We were reading this book from August to September 2022. We had a meeting every month to discuss the book. I like talking with people about good books as much as I like reading them.
Random thoughts
I’ve already started reading this book many years ago, and gave up. I remember thinking it was very hard to read. I didn’t find it so hard to read now.
This is one of the rare books that I’m reading from a paper copy. I usually read e-books. This one is pretty old. It has the very familiar smell of an old book. The smell takes me back to my childhood when I was reading a lot of comics that smelled exactly like that.
I was planning to read the book while traveling the Croatian seaside this summer. So, the book visited three islands with me, Brač, Hvar and Čiovo. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any time to read the book there.
I wrote more on my blog:
January 13, 2019
I read this book because it came highly recommended by many other testers in the industry. I thought it would not be relevant for Web and mobile testing, but the principles are timeless. I really liked the humor and the matter-of-fact tone in the book. It kept me engaged.
September 21, 2017
good but outdated now
October 26, 2018
Книга о том, как организовывать процесс тестирования при разработке ПО каскадным методом. Несколько устарела, но кое-что почерпнуть можно.
April 18, 2019
One of the great software testing books. Lots of relevant approaches and ideas
February 27, 2017
Хороший обзор деятельности тестировщиков разных уровней с конкретными приемами работы. Некоторые главы можно пропустить (тестирование печати и т.п.)
February 27, 2008
This is the seminal work for the practicing software quality assurance engineer. At least it was back when I was testing COTS software. It seemed a little less useful for testing web applications when I tried to get the test team to read it.
February 22, 2013
This book is great giving you a rundown on what to expect in the testing process and how to go about thinking of test cases. However, I was really hoping this book would actually have shown more code, both in the sense of the testing code, and the code that's being tested.
June 2, 2013
I will recommend this book for fresher. This book organized in such a way so that fresher or newbie testers can learn about testing theory , philosophy and can also get practical experience on Software Testing.
May 23, 2014
Excellent book on the methods, advantages and hazards of software testing. I have seen objections that this book is dated, but it certainly covers the basics. If someone tries to sell you a silver bullet, for better or worse, you are likely to find a lot of relevance here.
February 24, 2009
What I learned? Um...everything I know about computer testing that didn't just spontaneously generate in my head.
August 24, 2009
Solid information, but very dated examples.
December 23, 2012
Actually has some good stuff in it!
February 25, 2013
It's fundamentional book of testing software.
April 6, 2013
Great introduction to the field. Thorough explanation of motivation, challenges, and terminology. Probably a bit outdated, but I think the principles are still applicable.
Want to read
October 13, 2013good
February 27, 2016
recommend for QA
July 18, 2016
զոռավ պրծե (
Read
March 26, 2018It cracks me up that a software book from 1999 can still be relevant and useful.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
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