Customer Reviews

Software Testing: Fundamental Principles and Essential Knowledge

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I couldn't disagree more with the reviewer who said this book's geared towards a particular product. On the contrary, it touches on a large number of principles relevant to software testing in a very general sense. As for his second quip regarding human resources and black-box white-box testing, let me explain what the author meant: white box or black box are indeed useful to put on a job description, as a thorough test effort is likely to require skills in both of these (white box=someone who has access to and therefore an understanding of the code).

Now, about the book: what the author has achieved here is vital. I walked into the library (in Wellington, New Zealand) the other day and this book's catchy cover jumped out at me. Thank God this was the first book I found and not some heavy tome filled with jargon or I might have been put off the topic instead of reeled right in!

Dr McCaffrey does an amazing job at breaking down the various topics relevant to testers, explaining each one in a few comprehensive paragraphs. The upshot is that I now have a good idea of what software testing is all about, and feel motivated to learn more. It has set me on the right course, and I've even gone and ordered an exam guide for a testing certification called the ISTQB.

This concise little introduction to software testing is ideal for those who know little if anything about the topic and are curious to learn more. The author has that rare ability to make technical topics easy to understand. An example is the chapter on fundamental mathematical techniques, a topic I cringed at at first, but left me satisfied that I'd learnt something.

Highly recommended.

This book gives an excellent overview of important software testing vocabulary and techniques. It is short and to-the-point and would make a nice review guide before a job interview, as well as an introduction to more specialized books on testing. Pros: short, clear, and right to-the-point. Cons: Does not go into deep detail on any one particular topic.

I purchased this book as part of a certification program offered by Volt Information Sciences, Inc. If you are not a contractor through Volt or that company's certification program is not of interest to you, then this book holds little value.

Consider this actual answer to a review question about Black Box and White Box testing;

"In general, use of the term white box or black box may be somewhat useful on a software testing job description to help a human resources department categorize the extent to which the job position requires project management skills."

Would someone please explain to me what a company's human resource policy has to do with the subject of Black/White Box testing? This is just one example where resume concerns permeate (and in this case predominates) the on-topic content. In other sections, Dr. McCaffery glosses over a variety of topics but offers little insight into any of them. The author approaches the subject of software testing from an academic perspective instead of that of an actual software tester and it shows in the way the topics are covered and in the information provided.

As I stated at the beginning of this review, this book is designed to facilitate a specific certification program offered by a specific company. In that aspect, it does the job well. However, if you are interested in learning about the fundamentals of software testing in a way that might actually be meaningful to your career, I suggest a more comprehensive text such as Cem Kaner's Testing Computer Software, 2nd Edition. Although published in 1993, the fundamentals described don't change and that book suits both new and experienced testers far better than Dr. McCaffery's work.

This book does a great job of arming you with the terms and general direction you will use in the software testing world. I have been a tester for over 7 years now and really wish this book was put in my hands back during my beginnings. Reading this book it helps you to better understand any deep dive study or articles you come across on software testing. This is the best way to get the core concepts under your belt without techno overdosing.

I recently got this book and it's exactly as advertised: short and gets right to the point without adding any fluff. What's nice about this book is that is summarizes a good part (but certainly not all) of software testing in a condensed form. The downside is that there are some topics not covered. For experienced testers, it's a nice refresher with some interesting topics added. For new testers, it's good overview of the field, and makes a nice foundation for more advanced books.

First a disclaimer: I am the author of this book. The number of books about software testing has increased dramatically over the past year or so -- why yet another book? There are several good books (and a lot of really bad ones) which describe software testing from a high level. And there are books which describe specific low-level testing techniques. This book attempts to fit in between by providing an inexpensive (under $15), short (just over 100 pages) overview of 42 of the most important (according to a survey of over 500 test managers) software testing topics. These include basic subjects such as equivalence partition classes, intermediate subjects such as code coverage, and a few advanced subjects such as crypto-hashing. If you want a quick overview of exactly what software testing is all about, then consider this book.

I had a chance to get an early copy of this book. If you are looking for a quick, authoritative summary of important software testing principles, then you should consider this book. I like the fact that each of the 40 or so topics are explained quickly and clearly. This book does not provide great depth but it does provide great breadth. There are several good overview-type books on software testing available and this is one of them.

I used this book as part of a training class and I thought it is very good because I think it was the main reason I landed a testing job. Before the book I would always get stuck on interview questions but after the book I had a lot more confidence and I did a lot better because I knew how all the different kinds of software testing related to each other. Just like the instructor said, the book is aimed only at testing with Microsoft technologies and is an overview kind of book -- just what I needed.