notes and rants
My new blog is at https://www.angryweasel.com/blog
A shell only a geek could love
There’s a bunch of stuff not about testing that I wanted to share or comment on. This is the first...
Author: Alan Page Date: 08/10/2006
Catch up...catsup...ketchup...?
Not that there's anyone eagerly anticipating my next entry, but anytime I don't blog for a while,...
Author: Alan Page Date: 08/10/2006
Test case design using patterns
I’m still thinking about test case design, and I am liking the idea of test patterns more and more....
Author: Alan Page Date: 07/25/2006
Designing Tests
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about test case design. How can we, as professional testers, write...
Author: Alan Page Date: 07/24/2006
More on testing for testers
I meant to follow up right away on the last post…but life and work got in the way. I wanted to...
Author: Alan Page Date: 06/24/2006
Unit Testing and Testers
Don’t think for a second that I’m going to recommend that testers write unit tests for someone...
Author: Alan Page Date: 06/21/2006
“Big names” in software testing (ummm… I mean consulting)?
Recently, I was talking to one of Microsoft’s Technical Fellows about senior engineering roles. He...
Author: Alan Page Date: 06/19/2006
What do you use code coverage for?
I have noticed that the act of measuring code coverage is pretty much standard (even outside of MS...
Author: Alan Page Date: 06/13/2006
Yet another bookshelf post (part 1)
For “part 1” of this post, I’m not going to mention focus on great engineering books and leave books...
Author: Alan Page Date: 06/03/2006
Yet another bookshelf post (prequel)
I’ve been meaning to post a recommended book list for at least a year now, but it seems that every...
Author: Alan Page Date: 06/02/2006
Another metrics post
I’m in the middle of preparing a talk on effective use of metrics for an internal audience. I love...
Author: Alan Page Date: 05/18/2006
The post that will never happen
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I like being a "d-list" blogger. I know I don't post often, but I...
Author: Alan Page Date: 05/09/2006
PSQT
I'm on my way home from PSQT. McCarran airport in Vegas has free wireless, so I was able to find an...
Author: Alan Page Date: 05/02/2006
Pictures of jack girls in synthesis
Only a few will know what the title of this post is. It has nothing to do with this post, but it was...
Author: Alan Page Date: 04/28/2006
Back again
Once again, the beast called work has taken me away from blogging. The good news is that I thought...
Author: Alan Page Date: 04/12/2006
Measuring Quality
A former colleague of mine sent some email last week thanking me for a book suggestion I had given...
Author: Alan Page Date: 03/17/2006
Spaces after sentences
I "learned" to type about 25 years ago in high school. The truth is that I went to typing class, but...
Author: Alan Page Date: 03/14/2006
More on PSQT
I don't think I ever mentioned that I decided to go to PSQT as a standby presenter. Of course, this...
Author: Alan Page Date: 03/14/2006
QA vs. Testing - Part 4: Let's wrap this up.
If you've read the previous posts, you see where I stand on the topic. If you haven't read the...
Author: Alan Page Date: 03/08/2006
Interlude: Random bits
Ever have one of those periods of time where you work your butt off all day long and at the end of...
Author: Alan Page Date: 02/28/2006
QA vs. Testing - Part 3: What is the role of Quality Assurance?
Obviously, I have a silly peeve about mixing QA and Test. They're not the same thing. I'm certainly...
Author: Alan Page Date: 02/26/2006
Part 3 coming up...
I forgot when I posted part 1 & 2 that I was booked solid (literally 9-5 every day) teaching...
Author: Alan Page Date: 02/26/2006
QA vs. Testing - Part 2: What is the role of testing?
Answering this question may be where the core of the ambiguity lies. If I were to ask ten random...
Author: Alan Page Date: 02/17/2006
OK - here goes...my rant on QA vs. Testing - Part One: Who Cares?
I have started and stopped writing this post at least a dozen times. The mis-use of the QA term is a...
Author: Alan Page Date: 02/14/2006
PSQT Conference, here I come...or maybe not
I heard last week that my presentation was accepted for PSQT...kind of. I received a notice that my...
Author: Alan Page Date: 02/12/2006
This is not an excuse
I wanted to reflect a bit on why my posting has dropped off so much since I changed positions at...
Author: Alan Page Date: 02/06/2006
I feel guilty
...not very guilty, but definitely guilty. I've never worried much about the gaps in my posts over...
Author: Alan Page Date: 02/06/2006
Two months off
Two months away from blogging, and a two month old daughter at home. It doesn't take too much...
Author: Alan Page Date: 02/02/2006
Proposal Time
No, not that kind of proposal. It's the time of the year when proposals for several testing...
Author: Alan Page Date: 11/26/2005
Metrics that Matter
I'm on a plane returning from STAR West (testing conference - I'm offline and too lazy to look up...
Author: Alan Page Date: 11/18/2005
What is a tester?
It sounds like a silly question, but lately I've been in a lot of conversations where the topic of...
Author: Alan Page Date: 11/10/2005
Everything and Nothing
I have no more excuses on why I haven't posted - nor do I have any promises of returning to...
Author: Alan Page Date: 11/04/2005
Cruising around
One of the last things I ever thought I’d end up doing in life is going on a cruise. I like to...
Author: Alan Page Date: 09/18/2005
What do senior testers need to know?
I tried three or four variations of the word "senior" in the title (and leaving it out) before...
Author: Alan Page Date: 08/19/2005
Ack! What happened to my blog?
"Ack", of course, is a quote from my favorite fictional cat, Bill. The problem with my blog is the...
Author: Alan Page Date: 08/13/2005
Feeling Nostalgic - Life as a contractor (part 2)
I've established that I was hired as a "button pusher tester", but at least the work was...
Author: Alan Page Date: 07/13/2005
StarWest
I forgot to mention that I was accepted to speak at STAR (software testing analysis & review) in...
Author: Alan Page Date: 07/07/2005
Feeling Nostalgic - The Beginning
Before coming to MS, I worked for a small Redmond based software company (Unlike most employees, I’m...
Author: Alan Page Date: 07/05/2005
Feeling Nostalgic - Prelude
A few posts ago, I mentioned that I just hit my 10 year milestone at MS. In my current position, I...
Author: Alan Page Date: 07/05/2005
More on EE
As others have mentioned, many Microsoft engineers have spent the last three days attending talks...
Author: Alan Page Date: 06/24/2005
What's the deal with Ruby?
I read a lot of testing blogs. TestingReflections aggregates a lot of these. I've been seeing a lot...
Author: Alan Page Date: 06/16/2005