I keep forgetting...
Lee Copeland was in town for CAST last week, so I took the opportunity to beg him to give a talk at Microsoft. He gave his talk on The Nine Forgettings (powerpass required for the stickyminds download - video and slides are available internally to employees). I like Lee, and I think his book is something all new testers should read. As expected, his talk was popular, and people didn't walk away disappointed.
The premise of the talk was that Lee feels that there are several things many testers forget - things they shouldn't forget if they would like continued success. One of those "forgettings" was about where we came from. Who were some of the first thought leaders in testing? Who were the pioneers in the field who defined much of the basis for what we do today?
Lee showed a slide with faces of six early pioneers in testing related areas and asked how many we could identify. Although as it turns out, I knew who all six were, I only recognized two faces (not that face recognition is one of the forgettings). The point is that most testers had only heard of one or two of these folks at most. These six aren't the definitive list, but it's a good list, and reflects a wide variety of approaches to testing and (true) quality assurance.
I won't list the names yet...but feel free to share your thoughts on anyone you think defined the beginnings of software testing.
Comments
- Anonymous
July 19, 2007
>>Lee showed a slide with faces of six early pioneers in testing related areas and asked how many we could identify.Yes, I also noticed six early poineers ....I am surprised that Cem Kaner and James Bach did not find a place in 6 early pioneers in software testing ...Cem's work on Exploratory Testing andJames Bach's Definition of Testing as "Questioning product in order to evaluate it" - are real Gems ... and trend settersIn my opinion, Cem and James are really pioneers ...Not sure why Lee choose to include Boris Beizer and leave James and CemShrini - Anonymous
July 19, 2007
I can't speak for Lee, but IMO, the contributions of people like Beizer, Fagan, and Myers are a far more significant contribution to the roots of software testing than anything that Bach or Kaner have done.I'm not slamming Bach or Kaner by any means, but I don't see them as innovators or trend setters in the field. They are important figures in the evolution of testing, but not on the level of the folks that Lee mentions.That's just my opinion - you're welcome to your own. Thanks for commenting Shrini. - Anonymous
August 20, 2007
Adam asked me to elaborate a bit on the test talk series that I host and coordinate for Microsoft. There's - Anonymous
August 20, 2007
Adam asked me to elaborate a bit on the test talk series that I host and coordinate for Microsoft. There's