Java Testing Weekly 21 / 2016

There are many software development blogs out there, but many of them don't publish testing articles on a regular basis.

Also, I have noticed that some software developers don't read blogs written by software testers.

That is a shame because I think that we can learn a lot from them.

That is why I decided to create a newsletter that shares the best testing articles which I found during the last week.

Let's get started.

Technical Stuff

The Really Valuable Stuff

  • Chocolate and Prayer - An Anti Pattern for BDD is an interesting post which argues that our obsession with test automation tools has made us to forget one of the original principles of BDD: communication and collaboration. Even though I wouldn't want do it, I have to admit that I agree with the author. It seems that developers are interested in comparing different test automation tools, but only a few people are asking these questions: how should I use these tools? and: Should I use these tools in the first place? and: What should I test?
  • Dashboard or Automated Test explains how we can replace our automated tests (at least some of them) with a dashboard that visualizes the status of our system. This is an interesting idea and actually I have done it in the past. It was definitely helpful, especially if you write only unit tests, because unit tests don't tell us if our system is working correctly. In other words, if you don't already have a dashboard, you should create one as soon as possible.
  • Encouraging change when you are the only tester is an excellent blog post that describes how the author made a dent in the universe when she was the only person who realized the benefits of doing so (at least at the beginning). Well, I admit that I might be a bit too poetic, but I know that changing the way an organization works is really hard. That why I love this blog post because the author provides useful tips that helps you to do the same thing if you have to. Also, even though the article talks about creating a testing team, I think that the principles behind her actions are universal.
  • Lessons learned from delivering a test automation workshop is a very good blog post that describes what the author learned when he organized a test automation workshop. Strictly speaking, this has got nothing to do with testing, but I decided to add here anyway because I think that most of us will benefit from his advice.
  • TDD In Real Life, Part 1 describes how the author does TDD in a real life. He doesn't start by writing code. Instead he identifies the important stories, defines acceptance criteria, identifies the required components, and re-prioritizes the important stories. This is a really fascinating post because it emphasizes design and explains why should do it before you write any code. In other words, it busts the myth which claims that people who do TDD don't design anything.
  • Testing is Software Sin-Eating is a bit sad blog post that explains why testers forget their principles when they are pressured by stakeholders (the people with real power). I have got news for you: software developers do the same thing because they are pressured by stakeholders as well. I understand that the end product is only a tool that is used to either make money or save money, but I don't understand why these stakeholders want to release products that are pretty much hated by everyone who have to use them. This doesn't look like a winning strategy to me.

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