Customer Reviews

Testing Applications on the Web: Test Planning for Internet-Based Systems

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is good book. If you test web apps, you should buy it.

Hung Nguyen and I are co-authors of another book and good friends. I am not an unbiased reviewer. On the other hand, I wouldn't write this review if I didn't believe every word of it.

Hung's book breaks new ground. It will be useful today, and I believe it will have lasting value and influence.

Once you get beyond the superficial (not unimportant, but much less difficult) issues of usability testing that dominate so many discussions of web testing, you run into the really tough problems of web application testing. Hung Nguyen's book is about those harder problems.

The web-based application runs on a wider range of platforms than any other type of program in history. It doesn't even have control over its presentation layer (the user supplies the browser and the multimedia plugins, and these applications might change any time). What will the application look like on the changed browser? The application probably also relies on third party databases (which can change any time), third party network connections (which can change any time), third party security systems and other access control (which can change any time), etc., etc. Almost anything in this system can change any time. How do you deal with a system that has so many unknowns?

Hung's view is that web application testers must learn more about the technical details of the systems and understand how external variables can interact (and fail) with the application under test.

To help testers learn about the interaction (and testing) of applications with other system components, he wrote the field's first book on grey box testing.

This book has substantial value for what it teaches us about testing on the web. Beyond that, it teaches about thinking clearly and thoroughly when your application interacts in complex ways with other systems. I think his approach will have lasting value and lasting influence long after many of the detailed issues that he describes have been resolved and replaced with new ones.

Along with the original approach, Hung gives a powerful real-world example. He is the president of a company that publishes a web-based bug tracking system. To illustrate the types of tests that you can run and the types of bugs you can find, he opened his records and described real tests, real bugs, and real testing problems. It's a rare treat to see a discussion of testing experience by someone who knows testing, who also intimately knows the software under test, and who isn't constrained in what he can say by a nondisclosure contract.

I've been waiting for this book and I must say, where was this book a year ago? I have experienced most of what the author has described and yes, it answers questions that I have had. It gives principle practices to architect a strategy that will fit the needs of the fast paced start up environments as well as moderate environments that have graduated from the start-up mode. The other neat thing is all of the references to resources that this book points out are very helpful for web concepts and considerations.

The gray box testing emphasis and approach described throughout is very useful and points out the need for blending black box and white box testing to make the testing more effective. The chapters also contain helpful resources such as, books, links, and companies. This goes a long way in educating SQA folks eager to learn.

Overall, I would say that this book is an excellent read and will serve as one of few reference books on my desk. It does assume some knowledge of Quality Assurance but it is not so in depth that a newbie could not understand. Covering most of the basics needed for implementing methods that will be effective and efficient for Web related testing; I would say it was worth the wait.

Brian-

This book covers both Web Applications Testing and Software Testing. Although this is not a step by step book to web application, its thoroughness in coverage of the topic of web appplication testing gives me just what I need.

This book clearly explains through all the terms, methodologies of software and web application testing, to creating test plans, and formulating your test strategies. Nguyen has also done a great job of illustrating front end testing (UI) until backend end testing (DB and Networks). I personnaly like the part of the web testing considerations and tips towards the end of each test activities, as it really saves me a lot of time. It has also a section on all available tools on the net.

The only drawback is that the book has not given much examples of real world web testing cases. Nevertheless, if you are involved in web application testing in any sense, this book should be your indispensable companion on your bookshelf.

Grey box testing is based on a general understanding of a system's architecture and components. This understanding drives test strategy and identifies opportunities to test components in isolation.

The shade of grey can vary from white box testing (full review of source code) to black box testing (no review of source code). You choose what level of information to gather depending on your budget, capabilities and judgment.

This book provides the first detailed approach to grey box testing, focussing on web-based application architectures. These architectures are based on a heavy use of components: application servers, web servers, load balancers, databases and the like. This book describes these components, suggests how they can fail and what you can do to anticipate, trigger, or detect such failures.

This approach is supported by the author's extensive experience testing web-based (and other) applications as president of a software testing company. It is augmented by plenty of good advice on how to communicate test results clearly.

I have been in web testing for 3.5 years and this was the first book I found on the subject. My only complaint is that it took so long to come out, but I won't hold that against Nguyen or Wiley. It is a superb introduction to the complexities of web testing, which despite the protests of standalone application testers, is much more difficult and technical than traditional application testing. Not only does the tester need to know the basics of application testing, he or she has to know about the complex technology behind the site or application, and Nguyen's book is unbeatable. I've recommended that everyone on my team read it, since they are all new to the art of web testing. I read it cover to cover and it didn't really cover anything I had not learned in 3.5 years of experience, but had it been published when I started, I would have been able to ramp up so much faster. I also recommend that application developers read it in order to understand the role of a tester and to develop professional respect for a much-maligned profession.

When industry leaders such as Cem Kaner and Bret Pettichord extol the virtues of this book you can be assured that it is great - everything they and other reviewers have said is on target. Moreover, you'd be hard-pressed to walk into the testing area in any company and not see a copy of this book on someone's desk.

That said, instead of this book you should get the second edition, which is a major rewrite, and also expanded in scope to include testing mobile systems. This edition is titled, "Testing Applications on the Web: Test Planning for Mobile and Internet-Based Systems" ISBN 0471201006, and is everything others have said about this first edition - and more!

Even with a better second edition, this book deserves the five stars I gave it because of the influence it has had on the testing profession. Moreoever, this first edition is not out-of-date, and is still a great book if you don't need information about testing mobile web systems at this time (although it's a safe bet you will in the future).

This book is about web testing in general, not just performance testing, and is a must have for the professional testing engineer. Chapters 7 and 8, on performance and scalability give a very good introduction to the subject, and include a great sample performance testing plan.

Michael Czeiszperger
Web Performance, Inc. Stress Testing Software
http://www.webperformanceinc.com

Not only is this is the first testing book to cover Web testing--it is thorough and well done. No doubt it will become a classic!

This book is pretty good, it gives a very good overview of everything in software testing, i wish there was more on testing enterprise. very good for entry-mid level testers or performance engineers, worth it for the money

If you own Testing Computer Software, this is a must have add-on. It's actually not an add-on, but a companion. I actually recommend it more now since it's more updated for today's technologies.

I advise all my students, friends & QA wannabe(s) to buy it!

Stock Rating: TAOTW: Strong Buy! :)

AJ Alhait QA Manager, BetaSoft Inc.