Re: A simple unit test framework
Ian Collins wrote:
Pete Becker wrote:
Ian Collins wrote:
I don't deny that. Always let testers write the black box product
acceptance tests. That way you get the interpretation of two differing
groups on the product requirements.
Good testers do far more than write black box tests (boring) and run
test suites (even more boring, and mechanical). Good testers know how to
write tests that finds bugs, and once the code has been fixed so that it
passes all the tests, they start over again.
I never underestimate the ingenuity of good testers. My testers had
complete freedom to test the product how they wanted. They ended up
producing an extremely sophisticated test environment, which being fully
automated, they didn't have to run!
When I was a QA manager I'd bristle whenever any developer said they'd
"let testers" do something. That's simply wrong. Testing is not an
adjunct to development. Testing is a profession, with technical
challenges that differ from, and often exceed in complexity, those posed
by development. The skills required to do it well are vastly different,
but no less sophisticated, than those needed to write the product
itself. Most developers think they can write good tests, but in reality,
they simply don't have the right skills, and test suites written by
developers are usually naive. A development manager who gives testers
"complete freedom" is missing the point: that's not something the
manager can give or take, it's an essential part of effective testing.
--
-- Pete
Roundhouse Consulting, Ltd. (www.versatilecoding.com)
Author of "The Standard C++ Library Extensions: a Tutorial and
Reference." (www.petebecker.com/tr1book)