[All Things Quality] Are You People?

Are you people?

Specifically, would you like to be added to the People in Testing page here at All Things Quality?

The only requirements are:
  • You are in fact people (sorry Watson)
  • You have a website or blog
  • Your site deals mostly with QA or Testing, or at least has a significant amount of QA/Testing content
  • Your site is relatively active
  • Your site isn't just commercial
  • Your site contains articles that QAers/Testers would find interesting
If so, Send me a note!

I'll add you to the list and you'll become famous!*


*   Your mileage may vary. No purchase required. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. For external use only. No animals were harmed in the production of this article. Contents may settle during shipment. Some assembly required. Other restrictions may apply.  Do not bend, fold, mutilate, or spindle. Reproduction without expressed written consent is prohibited.  At participating locations only.


This article originally appeared in my blog: All Things Quality
My name is Joe Strazzere and I'm currently a Director of Quality Assurance.
I like to lead, to test, and occasionally to write about leading and testing.
Find me at http://strazzere.blogspot.com/.

[All Things Quality] I'll Take Deep QA for $1000, Alex

Last week, after three years and over $100 million in research and development by IBM, we saw the 3-day advertisement/gameshow that was "Watson vs the best (human) Jeopardy players ever".

Predictably, Watson won.  And equally predictably, it did surprisingly well with some questions and surprisingly poorly with others.  I found it fascinating television.

I suspect it's difficult for folks who aren't in the software business to get any sense of how difficult it must have been to develop Watson.  This is software that can take the quasi-natural language surrounding the Jeopardy category names and clues, quickly search an internal database, come up with the top three responses, calculate a probability of correctness for each, then (if the top probability is high enough) press the buzzer and give the response.

I watched it with the same awe that I watch computer-animated graphics in games and movies.  Smart people, creating interesting systems.

If the goal was to attract attention to IBM, then certainly this was a success.  But I wonder why the audience (in the studio built at IBM facilities) was packed with suits, rather than younger folks?  Wouldn't IBM want to use this opportunity to attract (presumably younger) smart new talent to their company?  To me, seeing a room full of mostly VP-types clapping loses some of that "this would be a cool place to work" aura that could have happened.  Do you think the audience would have had a slightly different demographic had Google developed the Jeopardy champ instead of IBM?  I do.

Anyway, well done IBM.  Now that you've conquered chess and Jeopardy, what's next?  Obviously Wheel of Fortune is too simple, and there's too much chance involved.  Probably not Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader.  How about American Idol?  Maybe Celebrity Apprentice?  Perhaps Dancing with the Stars?

"There's no shame in losing to silicon,"
- Ken Jennings 
"What is Toronto????"
- Watson, in the Final Jeopardy category "US Cities" 
"The challenge is over.  Watson, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter concluded their final round of Jeopardy and the winner was... resoundingly, humanking."
- IBM 
"The opening line of the sales pitch is already written:  "This uses the same technology that beat Ken Jennings on Jeopardy!"  "
- Hellerman Baretz Communications 
"How would I test something like that?"
- me 
"It was Watson's "human attributes" that make him so compelling,"
- Joanna Weiss, The Boston Globe. 
"The big winner in this contest was science."
- St. Petersburg Times 
"I for one welcome our new computer overlords"
- Ken Jennings 


This article originally appeared in my blog: All Things Quality
My name is Joe Strazzere and I'm currently a Director of Quality Assurance.
I like to lead, to test, and occasionally to write about leading and testing.
Find me at http://strazzere.blogspot.com/.

[All Things Quality] I'll Take Deep QA for $1000, Alex

Last week, after three years over $100 million in research and development by IBM, we saw the 3-day advertisement/gameshow that was "Watson vs the best (human) Jeopardy players ever".

Predictably, Watson won.  And equally predictably, it did surprisingly well with some questions and surprisingly poorly with others.  I found it fascinating television.

I suspect it's difficult for folks who aren't in the software business to get any sense of how difficult it must have been to develop Watson.  This is software that can take the quasi-natural language surrounding the Jeopardy category names and clues, quickly search an internal database, come up with the top three responses, calculate a probability of correctness for each, then (if the top probability is high enough) press the buzzer and give the response.

I watched it with the same awe that I watch computer-animated graphics in games and movies.  Smart people, creating interesting systems.

If the goal was to attract attention to IBM, then certainly this was a success.  But I wonder why the audience (in the studio built at IBM facilities) was packed with suits, rather than younger folks?  Wouldn't IBM want to use this opportunity to attract (presumably younger) smart new talent to their company?  To me, seeing a room full of mostly VP-types clapping loses some of that "this would be a cool place to work" aura that could have happened.  Do you think the audience would have had a slightly different demographic had Google developed the Jeopardy champ instead of IBM?  I do.

Anyway, well done IBM.  Now that you've conquered chess and Jeopardy, what's next?  Obviously Wheel of Fortune is too simple, and there's too much chance involved.  Probably not Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader.  How about American Idol?  Maybe Celebrity Apprentice?  Perhaps Dancing with the Stars?

"There's no shame in losing to silicon,"
- Ken Jennings 
"What is Toronto????"
- Watson, in the Final Jeopardy category "US Cities" 
"The challenge is over.  Watson, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter concluded their final round of Jeopardy and the winner was... resoundingly, humanking."
- IBM 
"The opening line of the sales pitch is already written:  "This uses the same technology that beat Ken Jennings on Jeopardy!"  "
- Hellerman Baretz Communications 
"How would I test something like that?"
- me 
"It was Watson's "human attributes" that make him so compelling,"
- Joanna Weiss, The Boston Globe. 
"The big winner in this contest was science."
- St. Petersburg Times 
"I for one welcome our new computer overlords"
- Ken Jennings 


This article originally appeared in my blog: All Things Quality
My name is Joe Strazzere and I'm currently a Director of Quality Assurance.
I like to lead, to test, and occasionally to write about leading and testing.
Find me at http://strazzere.blogspot.com/.

[All Things Quality] Estimation, Guesstimation, and Testimation

How long will it take to test?  Sometimes when I hear that question, I cringe.


Does this scenario sound familiar?

Product Manager: Hi, Joe.  We're putting together estimates for building a Zerble feature for the Framis product.  How long do you think it would take to test?
Joe: Uhm, what's a Zerble?
Product Manager: Well it's sort of like a Whatsit, only different.  Frankie, the new guy in Development, thinks it will only take him 3 months to finish.
Joe: Are there any written Requirements I could read?
Product Manager:  No.
Joe: Has Frankie designed it yet?
Product Manager: No. 
Joe: When do you need an estimate?
Product Manager: Now. 
Joe: Hmm...

Ok, so I'm exaggerating a bit.

Usually, you get some vague idea about what might be required, with a promise by the Product Manager to be more specific somewhere down the road - you know, after they actually talk with the customer and find out what they need.  And if you are lucky, the Developer may have some concept of the design he will choose - likely something between a quick hack and a rewrite of the entire system - he'll tell you more right after he's finished deciding which technology to use, and after he's finished coding the thing.  And you usually don't have to provide your estimate immediately, end-of-day is usually good enough, and it's only 4:30 now.

What you'd like to do is estimate something like "Somewhere between 1 week and forever."  But, you are a serious professional, and folks expect a thoughtful, scientifically-derived answer from you.  So instead, you answer "If I have to guess right now, I'd say 2 months, but I can't have any confidence in that until I learn more.  I'll give you a more accurate estimate when I understand the Requirements, and have some idea of the Design."

And of course two things inevitably happen:

  1. A formal project plan is created showing 3 months of development effort followed by 1 month of testing.
  2. Someone higher up the food chain instructs the project team to "get creative" about doing better than 4 months total.  Because, after all, they promised the customer that it would be delivered by the end of this month.
I've been trying to think of a good analogy I could use to better explain to folks how inaccurate some of these Testimations must be, and what it feels like to be part of one.  

Imagine you are a professional proofreader.  Your boss asks you for an estimate.
Boss: I'd like you to proofread a book that Ted is writing.  How long do you think it will take?
The last book you proofread was a book of short stories for children.  It took you 4 months to proofread, so you might say "Four months".
Boss: Great!  I'll tell the printers that we'll have the book to them in five months - that should give us plenty of time.
You have a lot of other work to do over the next few months, and you won't be able to enlist any help.  So you mentally go through ways you can shuffle things around, and you agree. 
Boss (one day later): Oh, I forgot to mention, Ted says he's a bit delayed, but he promises to get the first draft of the book to you in five or six more weeks.  Since you estimated four months, and you are a really good proofreader, that won't be a problem, right?
Boss (two days later): Did I mention that the book is about the history of abstract painting in the 20th century?  Yeah, I know you don't know anything about painting, but it's still a book, right?
Boss (seven weeks later): I spoke with Theodopolous, and he's almost finished.  Should be just a few more days after he returns from his vacation in Greece next week.  By the way, he decided it would be a lot quicker if he just wrote it in Greek.  That's not a problem is it?
Boss (four weeks later): Theodopolous said he's running a bit behind, so he decided to get the book to you in two parts.  He'll have his part ready in no more than one month.  His partner,  Frank promised to have his part done at the same time.
Boss (three weeks later): Good news!  Theodopolous has his part - Chapter 1 - done ahead of time!  He'll send it to you tomorrow.  By the way, Francois has decided it will be quicker for him if he just writes Chapters 2 through 36 in French, since he doesn't write Greek or English.  Oh, and it's going to take him a bit longer than expected.  He's estimating four more weeks.
Boss (one month later): The printers said that they absolutely need that book in their shop by the end of this week, since the presses will be busy printing census forms for the following six months.  Ted says that shouldn't be a problem - he's already met his committment.  Let's be creative and get it to them in time, ok? 
Boss (later that day):  I'd like you to proofread a book that Alice is writing. How long do you think it will take? I promised to have it to the printers before they get busy with those census forms next week.
It's pretty clear that the accuracy of a test estimate depends on many factors - some of them out of our control.  With more information, we can be  more accurate.  With more history and practice performing the same task, we can be more accurate.  With more control of the situation, we can be more accurate.  With more flexibility, we can be more accurate.

But with little information, no history, no control, and no flexibility, our test estimate is nothing more than a guesstimate.

I can always give you my Testimation Guesstimation right now.  But if you want a real Testimation Estimation, you might have to wait a little while.


This article originally appeared in my blog: All Things Quality
My name is Joe Strazzere and I'm currently a Director of Quality Assurance.
I like to lead, to test, and occasionally to write about leading and testing.
Find me at http://strazzere.blogspot.com/.

[All Things Quality] Beta Tester Opportunities For Better Testers


A while back I posted about being a Beta Tester
http://strazzere.blogspot.com/2010/05/so-you-want-to-be-beta-tester.html

Beta testing can be a nice way to enhance your skills as a tester, and perhaps add to your resume.
Here are a few more opportunities.  As always, be careful out there in Beta land.


Launchpad
https://help.launchpad.net/GetInvolved/BetaTesting

The Launchpad team runs a continuous beta program, as well as special beta test campaigns.
You can get access to the beta program by joining the Launchpad beta testers team. There are close to 2,000 beta testers and we encourage enthusiastic users to join that team to get the very latest functionality in Launchpad.

StatCounter
http://statcounter.com/beta-testing.php

We recently announced the public launch of the new StatCounter site which is currently undergoing beta testing.

Zenph RED
http://www.zenph.com/technology/our-software.html

We're extending invitations to beta test RED (working name), Zenph’s innovative new music editing software. RED allows users to edit high-resolution MIDI files for Yamaha Disklavier Pro and Disklavier Pianos. You can read more about RED here. Beginning March 1, 2011, beta testers will be able to download RED through Zenph.com. All we ask in return is that you post your feedback to a forum.

Twitoaster
http://blog.twitoaster.com/twitter-threaded-timeline

Want to join the Beta Test? I’m looking for active Twitter users who would ideally have a blog to test both the Widget and their Twitoaster profile page. 


This article originally appeared in my blog: All Things Quality
My name is Joe Strazzere and I'm currently a Director of Quality Assurance.
I like to lead, to test, and occasionally to write about leading and testing.
Find me at http://strazzere.blogspot.com/.

[All Things Quality] Book: Glitch - The Hidden Impact of Faulty Software


I happened to be executing a search on Google, when I saw that the company Weblayers was giving away preview copies of a book titled "Glitch". I visited the website and it sounded intriguing, so I requested a copy. Last week, I received a package in the mail containing the book, along with a nice note from the Director of Marketing Communication at Weblayers. In it he said that since the book had already been released, he though he would send me the full book, rather than just the preview I had requested. Very nice! I'm always happy to be given a book. But if I review the book and write about it, I'll always be honest - good or bad.

Glitch was a quick read, but unfortunately, not really what I had expected. While it did contain some stories of faulty technology in the wild (Visa, Toyota, Varian Medical Systems, EDS), the actual underlying theme of the book is IT Governance.

Automated IT Governance happens to be the focus of Weblayers, Inc. where the author Jeff Papows is President and CEO. So perhaps it's not surprising that IT Governance is heavily emphasized as a major part of the solution to the problem of faulty software, and even cyber terrorism.

Curiously though, the author never actually defines the term "Glitch", nor "IT Governance".

Papows proposes something he calls "the IT Governance Manifesto", and says:
Making this vision a reality will require a cross-section of IT and business professionals, government agencies, and consumer advocacy groups that will join to accomplish the following:
  • Lobby for new legislation that requires more stringent reporting of software glitches in matters of life and death.
  • Impose fines on individuals and organizations responsible for software glitch cover-ups that put consumers' health and/or safety at risk.
  • Require a specified level of IT governance at organizations that produce products that can directly affect a consumer's quality of life.
The author has little to say about QA and testing. He does suggest that "time should be built into the product development and release schedule to include this critical [testing] step". But then he proposes that companies should "Give the developers incentives by offering rewards for those who have the highest percentage of clean code" and "Offer testing teams rewards for the highest percentage of discovered bugs". I've worked at companies who rewarded clean builds from developers or high bug counts from testers - it wasn't a pretty sight with lots of gaming the system, infighting, resentment, and so on!

Overall, I'm not sure to whom I'd recommend Glitch. The back cover says that it was "written for senior decision makers". I would hope that those senior decision makers who decide to read this book would at least talk with their hands-on IT folks - the developers and testers - before they decide to take a deep plunge into IT Governance. I suspect they could learn a lot from such a conversation that isn't covered in Glitch.


This article originally appeared in my blog: All Things Quality
My name is Joe Strazzere and I'm currently a Director of Quality Assurance.
I like to lead, to test, and occasionally to write about leading and testing.
Find me at http://strazzere.blogspot.com/.

[All Things Quality] A New Hobby - Snowshoes

  

In our continuing quest to get out of the house more, do more things, and try to stay more fit, my wife and I added a new hobby - we bought ourselves some snowshoes.

As with our kayaks, she went for a "girlie" color - powder blue, and of course I got the far more "manly" red.

This past weekend, we had plenty of snow on the ground, the weather was sunny, not too cold, and almost no wind, so we went outside to try them.

On Saturday, we trekked the suburban wilderness of our back yard and surrounding woods for a few hours.  Not bad, once we got used to them.  Our neighbors looked at us oddly as we walked on top of the 5-6 foot high mounds of new snow in front of the house, but it's not the first time they've gotten a chuckle from us.

On Sunday, we drove to nearby Lexington, and walked (snowshoed?) along part of the Lexington Minuteman Trail. A few others were there as well - either snowshoeing or cross-country skiing.  The trail has some nice scenery, and a few interesting markers along the way.  And we didn't have to break our own trail unless we wanted to; when we got tired, we could just follow the trail of others for an easier walk.

It was a lot of fun, and pretty good exercise, too.  Seems like a nice new weekend activity when the winter weather isn't too forbidding.


This article originally appeared in my blog: All Things Quality
My name is Joe Strazzere and I'm currently a Director of Quality Assurance.
I like to lead, to test, and occasionally to write about leading and testing.
Find me at http://strazzere.blogspot.com/.

[All Things Quality] Sophisticated New Android Trojan Found in Wild

DECEMBER 29, 2010

Security Alert: Geinimi, Sophisticated New Android Trojan Found in Wild



A new Trojan (“Geinimi”) affecting Android devices has recently emerged in China
  • can compromise a significant amount of personal data on a user’s phone and send it to remote servers
  • the first Android malware in the wild that displays botnet-like capabilities
  • being “grafted” onto repackaged versions of legitimate applications
  • it has the potential to receive commands from a remote server that allow the owner of that server to control the phone
  • the possibilities for intent range from a malicious ad-network to an attempt to create an Android botnet

So why am I writing about this malware, when I don't even own a smartphone?  Because the article was written by my son, Tim.

Back in July (http://strazzere.blogspot.com/2010/07/go-west-young-man.html) I wrote about how Tim moved to California, and became part of the Security Response Team at Lookout in San Francisco.

As part of his work there, Tim found and reverse-engineered this malware, helped develop Lookout's protection for it, and created this writeup.

As we say in New England, Tim is Wicked Smaht and works Wicked Hahd.

And his Mom and Dad are Wicked Proud!

see also:
http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/new-trojan-found-on-android-mobile-devices-0379/
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/google/android-malware-in-the-wild/2724
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-20026804-83.html
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2010/12/nasty-android-trojan-found-grafted-to-gaming-apps-/1
http://www.tgdaily.com/mobility-features/53287-trojan-can-take-over-android-phones
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mashable/20101230/tc_mashable/advanced_trojan_could_zombify_your_android_device
http://www.securitynewsdaily.com/new-trojan-found-on-android-mobile-devices-0379/
http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/10/12/29/new_android_malware_could_produce_chinese_botnet_harvest_personal_data.html
http://www.itespresso.es/un-nuevo-troyano-amenaza-a-los-terminales-android-48779.html
http://www.security.nl/artikel/35655/1/Eerste_Android_malware_met_botnet-eigenschappen.html
http://www.computerworld.ch/news/security/artikel/fieser-android-trojaner-im-anmarsch-55359/


This article originally appeared in my blog: All Things Quality
My name is Joe Strazzere and I'm currently a Director of Quality Assurance.
I like to lead, to test, and occasionally to write about leading and testing.
Find me at http://strazzere.blogspot.com/.

[All Things Quality] Perhaps They Should Have Tested More in 2010

2010 saw some "interesting" bugs show up in the news.  Perhaps these companies should have tested more.

Skype supernodes still aren't so super

Target confused about coupons for months

Apple apparently just learned about Daylight Saving Time

J.P. Morgan Chase chases some significant downtime

Apple didn't know how to display signal bars

Zappos/6pm.com undercharges customers $1.6 million, nobody gets fired

McAffee decides that Windows XP/SP3 is a virus

This article originally appeared in my blog: All Things Quality
My name is Joe Strazzere and I'm currently a Director of Quality Assurance.
I like to lead, to test, and occasionally to write about leading and testing.
Find me at http://strazzere.blogspot.com/.

[All Things Quality] Top Ten Blog Pages for 2010

Aside from my home page, these were the top ten content pages for 2010.  They received the most visits according to Google Analytics:

People in Testing
My page of links to other testing-related blogs of interest.
Please send me links for sites that you think should be added - your site, or sites that you read.

A Glossary of Testing Terms
A list of terms in QA and Testing.  I originally started this years ago so that I could copy and paste the definitions when people asked "What is...?"  I'm happy that you find it useful.

QA and Testing Interview Questions (And Some Answers)
Another list I created to help people asking similar questions.
It's hard to be prepared for an interview.  I'm happy if this list helps.

25 Things About Me
Hmm.  I'm guessing browsers were looking for something else here?

How To Reproduce Bugs
I thought this was funny when I posted it.  But it got a lot more hits than I expected.

There are ALWAYS Requirements
This is where I send people when they ask "But I don't have any written Requirements.  How can I test?"

Optimistic Developers, Pessimistic Testers
This is one of my favorite posts.  I'm please others like it, too.

My QA Bookshelf
A list of the QA and Testing books I own.  I need to update this list soon.

Things I Like to Have in my Test Automation Suites
A list of attributes that (for me) help to make a test automation suite useful.

Issue Tracking Template
An old sample template that can still be of use.


This article originally appeared in my blog: All Things Quality
My name is Joe Strazzere and I'm currently a Director of Quality Assurance.
I like to lead, to test, and occasionally to write about leading and testing.
Find me at http://strazzere.blogspot.com/.