STARWEST 2007 - Software Testing Conference

An oracle is a heuristic principle or mechanism by which we may recognize a problem. Traditionally, discussion within testing about oracles has focused two references: (1) requirements specifications that provide us with the "correct" answer and (2) algorithms we execute to check our answers. Testing textbooks talk about identifying a bug by noting the differences between the actual results against those references. Yet high-quality software is not created by merely analyzing conformance to specifications or matching some algorithm.

Due to the increased emphasis on computer security, great advances have been made in static analyzer tools that can detect many code errors that often elude programmers, compilers, test suites, and visual reviews. Traditional tools such as "lint" detectors are plagued with high false positive rates. Gregory Pope discusses the steps his organization used to evaluate and select a static analyzer tool and pilot its implementation. He describes how they rolled out the tool to developers and how it is being used today.

Although some experts say that testers are not needed in an agile development environment, Lisa Crispin knows differently. Testers want to make sure customers get what they need; they look at the "big picture" and work to ensure the best experience for the user. Unfortunately, even in the agile development world, business needs and the users’ experience often are disconnected from the delivered software. Professional testers can help agile developers deliver what stakeholders want-the first time.

Lightning Talks are nine five-minute talks in one conference session. Lightning Talks represent a much smaller investment of time than track speaking and offer the chance to try conference speaking without the heavy commitment. Lightning Talks are an opportunity to present your single biggest bang-for-the-buck idea quickly. Use this as an opportunity to give a first time talk or to present a new topic for the first time.