AJ'S SQA Space

Browser Compatibility Testing

I'm Voting For SQAForums

Memorable Summer Jobs

Strange New Planet Discovered

And now my son has moved

http://strazzere.blogspot.com/

We Have Moved!

I've moved to a new location, and migrated over all the posts I wanted to keep.

The new home for All Things Quality is:

http://strazzere.blogspot.com/

I'm hoping this will give me better control over layout, formatting, comment moderation, etc.  Check it out, and let me know what you think!

WinTask - CreateFile()

'
' CreateFile - Create a file of arbitrary length
'
' Author: Joe Strazzere
'

Function CreateFile(location$, Length)
 Local MyStr$, Target, Main1000, Main100, Remain, Index

 MyStr$=""

Target = Length
Main1000 = Target / 1000
Main100 = (Target mod 1000) / 100
Remain = Target mod 100

Index = 0
While Index < Main1000
  MyStr$ = MyStr$ + "JSS.................................................................................................JSS.................................................................................................JSS.................................................................................................JSS.................................................................................................JSS.................................................................................................JSS.................................................................................................JSS.................................................................................................JSS.................................................................................................JSS.................................................................................................JSS................................................................................................."
  Index = Index + 1
Wend

Index = 0
While Index < Main100
  MyStr$ = MyStr$ + "JSS................................................................................................."
  Index = Index + 1
Wend

Index = 0
While Index < Remain
  MyStr$ = MyStr$ + "."
  Index = Index + 1
Wend

'MsgBox(Len(MyStr$))
Write(Location$,MyStr$)

EndFunction

CreateFile("c:joetest.txt",123456)

10 Years at SQAForums.com

This week marks the 10-year anniversary of my joining SQAForums "The online community for software testing & quality assurance professionals".  The site is completely free, can be found at http://www.sqaforums.com and is owned and administered by A.J. Alhait.

From the SQAForums site:

The most popular Software Testing and Quality Assurance discussions site, with over 50 forums that cover almost every area in software testing, quality assurance and quality engineering.

 

If you are looking for place to get help or support on any software testing tool, you've found the only place! Simply ask our 180,000+ Members for almost anything, and you'll be surprised at the amount of help you can get here which you cannot get anywhere else.

 

SQA Forums - "The online knowledge bank for Software Test professionals... Will you be withdrawing or making a deposit today?"

Over the years, I've posted almost 10,000 times, read many, many thousands of thoughtful and helpful posts, and learned quite a lot from some very smart and experienced professionals.

At SQAForums, I currently moderate:

• The Automated Testing forum
• The WinTask forum
• The Software Testing Interview Questions forum
• The Oracle e-Test forum
• The Oracle e-Load forum
• The Knights of the QA Republic Round Table forum (for Moderators only)

In case you are interested, my first post was a reply to a question about how to do automated testing if there is a UI change:  http://www.sqaforums.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB34&Number=275059
 
And my first question was a WinRunner question, asking how to set up some exception handling:  http://www.sqaforums.com/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=UBB4&Number=53017

If I've helped anyone along the way as well, then I'm very pleased to have done so, although I know that I have received far more than I have given.

Thank you, A.J.!  I've gotten a lot out of the past 10 years, and I hope to continue here for many more.  You've given the QA community an extremely valuable resource!

If you aren't already a member - what are you waiting for?

All Things Quality is One of the Top 100 Software Testing Blogs!

Reading a post from my friend The Director over at his QA Hates You blog (http://qahatesyou.com/wordpress/2010/04/qahy-gets-recognized/), I noticed that All Things Quality is ranked there as well.

Q: What do Larry Bird and All Things Quality have in common?
A: Both are #33.

At least that's where Steven Machtelinckx places us in his TestingMinded blog post "Top 100 Software Testing Blogs".
http://www.testingminded.com/2010/04/top-100-software-testing-blogs.html

Thanks, Steven!
Thanks, The Director!

Any comments on this article?
Email Me

Perhaps They Should Have Tested More - McAfee

Due to a faulty virus definition update, machines running Windows XP Service Pack 3 using the faulty definitions will delete svchost.exe, causing many key Windows services to fail to start. This Windows file is being mistakenly detected as W32/wecorl.a. Failure to start svchost.exe causes Windows to automatically reboot.

• National software glitch
• Hundreds of thousands of computers disabled
• A huge disruption
• Strangely similar to a widespread virus outbreak
• Software update caused the anti-virus program to misidentify a harmless file (svchost.exe) as infected
• A chain of uncontrolled restarts and loss of networking functionality
• Shut down the State of Vermont's computer network
• Many hospitals postpone elective surgeries
• Organizations who had to shut down for business until this is fixed.
• According to Ars Technica it "Would be trivially detected with even basic QA, which makes the regularity of such problems perplexing"
• According to Amrit Williams (a former director of engineering with McAfee) it shows "a complete failure in their quality control process"

McAfee says:

We are investigating how the incorrect detection made it into our DAT files and will take measures to prevent this from reoccurring.

 

http://siblog.mcafee.com/support/mcafee-response-on-current-false-positive-issue/

And:

Mistakes happen. No excuses. The nearly 7,000 employees of McAfee are focused right now on two things, in this order. First, help our customers who have been affected by this issue get back to business as usual. And second, once that is done, make sure we put the processes in place so this never happens again.

http://siblog.mcafee.com/support/a-long-day-at-mcafee/

This is not the first time for McAfee.  Back in 2006, they similarly flagged system files as infected:

http://www.sqablogs.com/jstrazzere/125/Perhaps+They+Should+Have+Tested+More+-+McAfee.html

Perhaps they should have learned their lesson in 2006.  Perhaps they should have tested more.

See also:

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/194752/few_answers_after_mcafee_antivirus_update_hits_intel_others.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-20003074-83.html
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20100422/NEWS03/4220303/McAfee-software-glitch-disrupts-Vt.-state-business
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/university_hospital_plagued_by.html
http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/21/mcafee-update--shutting-down-xp-machines/
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/04/21/business/AP-US-TEC-McAfee-Antivirus-Flaw.html
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/04/21/mcafee_false_positive/
http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2010/04/broken-mcafee-dat-update-cripples-windows-workstations.ars
http://www.kpth.com/Global/story.asp?S=12353561
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8636985.stm

Updated, April 23, 2010

From Barry McPherson on McAfee's blog:

Of course many of you are asking how the faulty DAT made it past our quality assurance checks. The problem arose during the testing process for this DAT file. We recently made a change to our QA environment that resulted in a faulty DAT making its way out of our test environment and onto customer systems.

 

To prevent this from happening again, we are implementing additional QA protocols for any releases that directly impact critical system files. In addition, we plan to add capabilities to our cloud-based Artemis system that will provide an additional level of protection against false positives by leveraging an expansive whitelist of critical system files. 

http://siblog.mcafee.com/support/an-update-on-false-positive-remediation/

https://kc.mcafee.com/corporate/index?page=content&id=KB68787

And in his blog, technology writer Ed Bott tells us that he received a document from an anonymous source that appears to be a pre-scrubbed (and perhaps more telling) version of what appears on the McAfee blog.

Among the interesting nuggets:

"Specifically, XP SP3 with VSE 8.7 was not included in the test configuration at the time of release."

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=2031

They left Windows XP SP3 out of their test matrix?  Wow!

Any comments on this article?
Email Me

Vacation in Florida 2010

For our Spring vacation this year, my wife and I decided to go back to Florida.

This time we went to Longboat Key, a beautiful barrier island on the west coast of Florida, surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Sarasota Bay.

The weather was perfect, the beaches were wonderful.

• We stayed at a really nice Inn
• Each morning we took long walks
• Each day we spent time in the sun, in the ocean, in the pool
• Each evening we watched the sun set over the Gulf of Mexico
• We took in a Grapefruit League baseball game - the Red Sox crushed the Orioles in Sarasota (go Sox!)
• We spent some time shopping and eating at St. Armands Circle
• We went to Siesta Key Beach - home of "The Best Sand in the World"
• We went to some really nice restaurants

One thing I experimented with this year - no reading! 

Usually, I bring at least 3 books for vacation reading.  But this year I wanted to try something different.  Rather than bringing the usual reading material, I loaded up my iPod with podcasts.  Not bad!  Some really interesting lectures and discussions about science, politics, sports.  I think next vacation, I will go back to bringing books, but will also continue with the podcasts.  Oh, and I need a different set of earbuds.  The ones that come with the iPod get uncomfortable (at least for me) after a while.

A truly wonderful vacation.  One of the most relaxing vacations I can remember.

Our Product is Insight

Our Product is Insight

In http://www.softwaretestingclub.com/forum/topics/our-product-is Anne-Marie Charrett spoke about a great website she read with the tagline "our product is explanation".

Then, for the Testing and QA community, she posed these thought-proving questions:

So, would it be possible to simplify the concept of software testing into one word?
If you had the same tagline to fill, what word would you use that encapsulates what software testing brings to its customers?

I answered:

Our Product is ... Insight

To me, the insight we provide may lead to warmfuzzies, or confidence, or peaceofmind, or assurance (some of the other possibilities suggested in the thread). But it may also lead to starkterror.

Either way, we show "what is", not "what makes people feel good".

We don't omit the bad news, in order to spare people's feelings, although we carefully choose our words to provide information and not blame.

We don't produce morale boosters or positive reinforcement, even though some (like Joel Spolsky, see: http://www.sqablogs.com/jstrazzere/2820/Testers+and+Developers+at+Fog+Creek+Software.html) seem to think that's a significant role for QAers.

We work to uncover what is, so that the business may make appropriate, informed decisions.

Happy Pi Day!

Happy

π

Day!

Any comments on this article?
Email Me

Podcasts I Like

Over the past year or so, I've been experimenting with my iPod.  I have found that, while I enjoy some music, I tend to enjoy talk and good discussion even more.  So I have loaded my iPod with podcasts.

Here are some podcast sources that I particularly like.

FORA.tv - Audio Program of the Week
http://fora.tv/media/rss/podcasts/featured_audio.xml

FORA.tv's Program of the Week podcast delivers full-length weekly downloads of some of our most popular programming, available in either video or audio-only format.

 

Sample episode: Mythbuster Adam Savage's Colossal Failures

The 4th annual Maker Faire Bay Area hosts MythBusters co-host Adam Savage. Savage talks about failure - unmitigated, colossal failures he's experienced during his career. This program was recorded on May 30, 2009.

 

Following on President Obama's call to "begin again the work of remaking America," Maker Faire 2009 was organized around the theme of Re-Make America. Held in the San Francisco Bay Area, Maker Faire celebrates what President Obama called "the risk takers, the doers, and the makers of things." - Maker Faire 2009

 

Adam Savage has spent his life gathering skills that allow him to take what's in his brain and make it real. He's built everything from ancient Buddhas to futuristic weapons, from spaceships to dancing vegetables, from fine art sculptures to animated chocolate and just about anything else you can think of.

 

Since 1993, Adam has concentrated on the special-effects industry, honing his skills through more than 100 television commercials and a dozen feature films, including Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace and Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Galaxy Quest, Terminator 3, A.I. and the Matrix sequels. He's also designed props and sets for Coca-Cola, Hershey's, Lexus and a host of New York and San Francisco theater companies. Not only has he worked and consulted in the research and development division for toy companies and made several short films, but Adam has also acted in several films and commercials -- including a Charmin ad, in which he played Mr. Whipple's stock boy, and a Billy Joel music video, "Second Wind," in which he drowns.

 

Today, in addition to co-hosting Discovery Channel's MythBusters, Adam teaches advanced model making, most recently in the industrial design department at the San Francisco Academy of Art. Somehow he also finds time to devote to his own art. His sculptures have been showcased in over 40 shows in San Francisco, New York and Charleston, W.Va.

FRONTLINE: Audiocast | PBS
http://feeds.feedburner.com/FrontlineAudiocastPbs

You asked; we listened. FRONTLINE presents audio versions of select full-length episodes for listening on the go. Want more full-length FRONTLINE Audiocasts?

 

Please leave a review and let us know what you think. (For behind-the-scenes interviews with FRONTLINE producers, please see the FRONTLINE Extras podcast with host Arun Rath.)

 

Sample episode: Digital Nation - Audiocast

FRONTLINE Audiocast. "Digital Nation": How is technology changing us, and what are the implications of living in a world consumed by technology? (Orig. PBS airdate: Feb. 2, 2010)

Los Angeles Public Library Podcasts: ALOUD @ Central Library
http://events.lapl.org/podcasts/rss/itunes/aloudrss.aspx

The following podcasts were recorded live in the Los Angeles Central Library's Mark Taper Auditorium as part of the award-winning ALOUD at Central Library speaker series presented by the Library Foundation of Los Angeles. ALOUD podcasts are updated on a monthly basis. Initial funding for ALOUD podcasts was made possible by Arent Fox LLP.

 

Sample episode: The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right BY Atul Gawande

Gawande, a bestselling author and surgeon, takes us on an intellectual adventure in which lives are lost and saved and one simple idea makes a tremendous difference.

New England Patriots Podcasts
http://www.patriots.com/rss/public/index.cfm?ac=podcast

Browse, download, and subscribe to official podcasts produced by and about the New England Patriots.  Patriots podcasts include all the interviews, feature segments, and shows that keep you in touch with the team. For more information about Patriots official podcasts, visit Patriots.com.

 

Sample episode: PFW in Progress

Listen to this edition of PFW in Progress as we discuss a wide variety of offseason topics. Send in your questions for next show to webradio@patriots.com

NOVA scienceNOW
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/rss/nsn-podcast-pb.xml

Our podcast offers irreverent stories and introduces intriguing personalities from the world of science. For more content from the producers of NOVA scienceNOW -- and to watch our broadcast series online -- visit us at http://www.pbs.org/nova/sciencenow

 

Sample episode: The Littlest Planet

In 2006, the International Astronomical Union decided on new definition of a planet--and Pluto didn’t make the grade. It was bumped down to “dwarf planet” status.  But it’s not alone. It’s now one of five known dwarf planets in the solar system. One of them, called Ceres, may hold clues to how life formed on Earth. In this podcast, we talked to planetary scientist Mark Sykes about this tiny world.

 

Podcast produced by David Levin. Original interview by Susan K. Lewis. NOVA is produced by WGBH in Boston. Funding for NOVA is provided by ExxonMobil, David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers.

 

To learn more, go to pbs.org/nova/pluto

NPR: Science Friday Podcast
http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510221

Science Friday, as heard on NPR, is a weekly discussion of the latest news in science, technology, health, and the environment hosted by Ira Flatow.  Ira interviews scientists, authors, and policymakers, and listeners can call in and ask questions as well. Hear it each week on NPR stations nationwide -- or online here!

 

Sample episode: Harnessing Thoughts To Control A Computer

Researchers decoded electrical brain signals without implanting electrodes, according to a new study. Instead, Jose L. Contreras-Vidal and colleagues monitored brain activity with EEG sensors placed on the scalp, using those signals to reconstruct hand movement and drive a robot.

Point of Inquiry
http://pointofinquiry.libsyn.com/rss

Point of Inquiry is the premiere radio show and podcast of the Center for Inquiry, drawing on CFI's relationship with the leading minds of the day including Nobel Prize-winning scientists, public intellectuals, social critics and thinkers, and renowned entertainers. Each episode combines incisive interviews, features and commentary focusing on the intersection of science and belief: religion, human values and the limits of knowledge. Point of Inquiry generally explores three research areas:

1. Pseudoscience and the paranormal (Bigfoot, UFOs, psychics, communication with the dead, cryptozoology, etc.)
2. Alternative medicine (faith healing, homeopathy, belief in "healing touch," the efficacy of prayer, etc.)
3. Religion and secularism (church-state separation, the effects and proper role of religion in society, the future of secularism and nonbelief, etc.)

Point of Inquiry is hosted by D.J. Grothe and produced by the Center for Inquiry in Amherst, NY. The Center for Inquiry is a think-tank collaborating with the State University of New York on the Science and the Public Masters Program, and is devoted to promoting science, reason, and secular values in public affairs and at the grassroots. CFI maintains additional branches in Manhattan, Tampa, Hollywood, Washington D.C., Toronto, Indianapolis, Grand Rapids, and in fifteen other cities around the world.

 

Sample episode: Chris Mooney - Unscientific America

Chris Mooney is a 2009-2010 Knight Science Journalism Fellow at MIT and author of three books, including the New York Times bestselling The Republican War on Science, Storm World, and Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future, co-authored by Sheril Kirshenbaum.

 

In this conversation with D.J. Grothe, Chris Mooney talks about the growing divide between science and society. He contrasts the issues addressed in The Republican War on Science with the current problems facing society as outlined in Unscientific America. He argues for the unique public policy significance of science for society, and why scientific literacy matters more than other kinds of cultural or historical literacy. He discusses the policy relevance of scientific illiteracy in terms of global warming and biotechnology. He talks about the need for scientists to become better communicators to the public. He shares his criticisms of the New Atheists and explains why their attacks against religious moderates works counter to the goal of scientific literacy. He recounts his experiences as an atheist activist while in college, and how his views have changed about campus forethought activism since that time. He explores other underlying causes of scientific illiteracy, including our educational system, the media's dysfunctional treatment of science, and growing anti-science movements such as the climate deniers and vaccine skeptics. And he details concrete actions that science advocates can take in order to increase scientific literacy.

Science Times
http://www.nytimes.com/services/xml/rss/nyt/podcasts/scienceupdate.xml

David Corcoran, a science editor, explores the topics addressed in this week's Science Times.

 

Sample episode: NYT: Science Times for 03/02/2010

This Week: How the Internet is like an elephant, tapping the body for electricity, and trying to lose weight one cookie at a time.

Scientific American Podcast
http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/sciam_podcast_i.xml

The Scientific American Podcast is a weekly science audio show covering the latest in the world of science and technology. Join Steve Mirsky each week as he explores cutting-edge breakthroughs and controversial issues with leading scientists and journalists. He is also an articles editor and columnist at Scientific American magazine and his column, "Antigravity", is one of science writing's rate venues for humor. Check our the new daily podcast from Scientific American: "60-Second Science." To view all of our archived podcasts please go to www.scientificamerican.com/podcast

 

Sample episode: Ice, Ice, Baby: The Physics of Curling

Mark Shegelski of the University of Northern British Columbia talks with podcast host Steve Mirsky about the physics of curling, currently taking its turn on the world stage at the Vancouver Olympics. (Shegelski is also the author of the new sci-fi collection "Remembering the Future.") Plus, we test your knowledge of some recent science in the news

The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
http://www.theskepticsguide.org/feed/rss.aspx?feed=sgu

The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe is a weekly Podcast talkshow discussing the latest news and topics from the world of the paranormal, fringe science, and controversial claims from a scientific point of view. -The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe: Your escape to reality -Produced by the New England Skeptical Society in association with the James Randi Educational Foundation(JREF) : http://www.theness.com

 

Sample episode: Skeptics Guide #241 - Feb 24 2010

Interview with Daniel Wilson; News Items: Homeopathy Smackdown in UK, What Darwin Got Wrong, The Bloom Box, Geller Aids Cops; Who's That Noisy; Science or Fiction

Star Talk
http://rss.sonibyte.com/rssfeed/56.xml

StarTalk bridges the intersection between pop culture and pop science, covering subjects like space travel, extra-terrestrial life, the Big Bang, the future of our Earth and the environment, and other breaking news from the universe. The podcast is hosted by Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedienne Lynne Koplitz, and it airs as a radio show in select markets. For more info, visit: http://startalkradio.net/

 

Sample episode: StarTalk: Time Travel

Time marches on - except in astrophysics. Einstein taught us that time is a coordinate in space, and it's all relative. Learn about the weird physics of our universe that could make time travel possible. Standing in for Lynne Koplitz this week is J. Richard Gott, author of "Time Travel in Einstein's Universe".

Testers are like Fighter Pilots

If you think about it our "mission" is to go out and find the enemy (defects) and shoot them down (or at least be the air tactical guys who guide the fighter pilots to them).  We do this by various means and record our victories with symbols (defect reports) on our planes fuselage.

Now I don't know about you, but my plane is starting to look like a pile of flying post it notes.  How about you, how many "kills" do you have?  How many times over are you an Ace?

I'm In A New Magazine!

My popular Blog article "Optimistic Developers, Pessimistic Testers" was included in the inaugural edition of The Software Testing Club Magazine.

http://wiki.softwaretestingclub.com/The+Software+Testing+Club+Magazine+-+No+1

Check it out, and let me know what you think:

• Do you like the style and tone of the magazine?
• Do you like the graphics?
• Do you like "magazines" that are online, PDF-only, rather than print?
• Should I contribute to upcoming issues?

STC Magazine is a new venture from the folks who produce the online Software Testing Club site.  From their website:

The Software Testing Club was founded in 2007 by Rosie Sherry after a clear need for a community for software testers with a *quality approach*.

 

It started out as an experiment without high expectations. It is now a leading and thriving community for software testers.

The founders are into "social" websites as much as QA and Testing.  In addition to the main STC website, they also have blogs, forums, newsletters, a StacExchange-based forum, lots of cutesy graphics, and now an online "magazine".

You can find them at http://www.softwaretestingclub.com/

Postcard from Namibia

For years, I've been using StatCounter on this blog.  (see: http://www.sqablogs.com/jstrazzere/832/A+New+Tool+for+Your+Website+or+Blog+-+StatCounter.html)

Over time, I had seen hits from many, many different countries.  In the past year or so, I had not gotten a hit from a new country.  I thought perhaps the list was complete, and there would be no more.

Until yesterday. 

Yesterday, I got my first hit from Windhoek, Namibia.

I knew Namibia was in Africa, but I knew little else.  So I did a bit of research:

• It is officially known as The Republic of Namibia
• It's in Southern Africa, bordered by the country of South Africa to the south and east
• It gained independence from South Africa in 1990
• The official language is English
• Windhoek is the capital, and largest city
• It has a population of about 2.1 million people

And, apparently one person from Namibia wanted to read something about "formal testing".

Welcome, new friend from Namibia!  I hope you were able to find the information you were seeking.

Shorten All Month Names to 3 Letters

One thing that I believe strongly is that QAers should strive to avoid bugs whenever they can, rather than just finding them later on.  Every bug that can be avoided saves time all around.

Now, lots of people make mistakes when typing out month names.  So I have a solution!

All month names should be shortened to just three letters to save time, assist in txting, and avoid spelling mistakes.

• January becomes Jan
• February becomes Feb
• March becomes Mar
• and so on

Except for May.  May should be lengthened to Maytober.  May has had it good for too long now, and consequently must pay.

(inspired by JakeBrake's discussion at SQAForums.com http://www.sqaforums.com/showflat.php?Number=612098 )

Testers and Developers at Fog Creek Software

Joel Spolsky is hiring a Tester.  See: http://www.fogcreek.com/Jobs/QA.html 

As he often does, he expounds a bit on his ideas behind the role on his terrific "Joel on Software" site (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2010/01/26.html), before he leads the reader to the ad for that particular job.

Joel seems to believe that one part of a tester's role is to boost the morale of developers.  He says "Believe it or not, one of the most valuable features of a tester is providing positive reinforcement."  I have to say that I've never heard that expressed before, and I can't say that I agree.  While I do want my testers to be professional, and enthusiastic about the company and their job, I really don't want my testers concerned with programmer morale.  What if programmer morale starts to dip?  Should we blame the testers?

Joel also seems to see some sort of connection between liking puzzles and testing.  I hear this from lots of folks, mostly from those who aren't testers but also from some who are, and I remain skeptical.  I've never seen any real correlation between puzzle-playing affinity and testing.  I've seen great testers who dislike puzzles.  And I've seen fanatic puzzlers who make terrible testers.  I wonder if he asks Microsoft-style puzzles during interviews?

I also noticed that he is hiring a Software Developer as well.  See: http://www.fogcreek.com/Jobs/Dev.html

The two job ads make for an interesting contrast.

For the tester role

• no experience is necessary
• they require intelligence and curiosity
• they require a track record of success.  By that they mean "a bachelor's degree with top grades"
• they require a scientific approach and unusual attention to detail
• the applicant must love a good puzzle
• the applicant must like to think about things methodically
• the applicant must generally like working with software and computers

While for the developer role

• the applicant must be able to "master any technology, language, or development environment"
• they require incredible coding skills
• the applicant must be described by friends and coworkers as an "animal"
• the applicant must have a continuous string of successful projects

So testers don't need any experience, but they must love good puzzles?  And developers must have experience, but apparently don't need to love puzzles (good or bad)?  Seems odd to me.

Oh, and presumably Fog Creek Software wants to attract the kind of no-experience tester that likes to point out flaws in their corporate website.  The ad for the Tester is sprinkled with typos like

• no necessary, rather than not necessary
• you`ve
• and and
• moral, rather than morale
• ıt, instead of it
• va1uable
• etc.

Clearly this was intentional, since similar flaws are not present in the ad for the Developer.  While I suspect it would be rather off-putting for a professional QAer or Developer, perhaps this tactic is actually exciting to someone with no experience?
 
So, if you want to apply for this job - go solve some puzzles, proofread their website carefully, and study up on the best ways to improve someone else's morale.  I hear that a good backrub, a nice cup of hot tea and a pep talk can work wonders!  Experience is no necessary.

And if Fog Creek really wants to raise the morale of their programmers, perhaps they should just hire a consultant?

http://www.dilbert.com/fast/2010-02-01/

Traditional vs. Agile methods

Because I am a smartaleck... In tribute to George Carlin (think Football vs. Baseball)

Traditional vs. Agile

----------------------------

Stern Manly voice: In Traditional methods we drive to production.

Not so manly voice: In Agile methods we iterate until it's good enough. 

Stern Manly voice: In Traditional methods we push a system out the door.

Not so manly voice: In Agile methods we deliver a demonstrable piece.

Stern Manly voice: In traditional we have firm and well defined requirements in documents in a repository.

Not so manly voice: In Agile we have loosely written user stories on post cards on a wall.

Stern Manly voice: In traditional the Project Manager is the quaterback of the group and guides the team to the release date.

Not so manly voice: In Agile we are all equal on the team and run together through the sprint.

Stern Manly voice: In traditional we have specifically trained people who wear a specific hat.

Not so manly voice: In Agile we have cross-trained people who can wear multiple different colored hats.

Stern Manly voice: In traditional we meet on a predifined weekly schedule to discuss the progress of the work.

Not so manly voice: In Agile we meet every day for 15 minutes to talk about what's blocking us.

Stern Manly voice: In traditional the product is the most important deliverable in the project regardless of individual contribution.

Not so manly voice: In Agile the people are the most important thing because we want them to feel good about their product.