Testing Fairy Tales - DEWT meeting 10 march 2017
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Transcript of Testing Fairy Tales - DEWT meeting 10 march 2017
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9-03-17
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Joris Meerts - Testing Fairy TalesDEWT, 10 March 2017
Testing Fairy Tales
Joris MeertsDEWT, 10 March 2017
Contents
Introduction
Problem statement
Seven manifestations
Definitions
Remedies
Introduction
A relatively large number of publications on software testing willingly ignore the reality of the craft.
The accounts can only refer to fantasy world, such as Aladdins magic garden.
So why is this a problem?
No progress in the field of software testing, no research, no willingness to evaluate practice
No attention to education, learning and skills, craftsmanship
Reducing possibilities to discuss real testing
Charlatans have their way
Anyone can claim to be a tester
Devaluation of the craft
Seven manifestations
Generalization
Dehumanization
Hype
Selling out
No rhyme or reason
Ignorance first
Anything goes
Generalization
Abstract concepts without clarification
(Normative) theory without practice (ISO 29119)
Description of process without implementation (TMap)
Dehumanization
People are cogs in a process
People are classified by their roles
People are automatons, are thought to have machine-like qualities
Hype
Usage of buzzwords (cloud, big data, analytics) without clarification of those concepts
Focus on trends in IT, not on testing
Using popular sources (e.g. Gartner) as evidence without verification
Selling out
Commercial considerations outweigh integrity
Promoting and improving status of the speaker / author
Visionary for the sake of being visionary
Glorification of celebrity and authority
No rhyme or reason
Hardly any use of arguments or reasoning
Unverifiable claims
Many logical fallacies
No interaction, not open for questions
Ignorance first
References are not presented
Facts are not checked
Act as if history never happened
Wikipedia as the single source of truth
Anything goes...
Whatever it is, it can be applied to testing
Frequent use of metaphor
Grab a book from Umberto Eco's Antilibrary
Frequent use of insights from popular science
Some definitions
Fairy tale: a story (as for children) involving fantastic forces and beings
Fantasy: a creation of the imaginative faculty whether expressed or merely conceived
Myth: a popular belief or tradition that has grown up around something or someone
Folklore: an often unsupported notion, story, or saying that is widely circulate
Quackery: an ignorant, misinformed, or dishonest practitioner of medicine
Fraud: an act of deceiving or misrepresenting
Considerations
Is this really (such a big) problem?
Is this about more than just looking at reality from a different angle?
Is there a cure?
How does one argue about fantasy?
Remedies
Start white hat (ethical) hacking magazines
Start a satirical testing advice engine
Publish a wall of shame on the internet
Start a fact-checking committee
Offer to help magazines with reviewing
Reduce presentation formats that facilitate quacks
Hand out buzzword bingo cards at conferences
Teach people about logical fallacies at conferences
Reward critical thinking