SE-Radio Episode 283: Alexander Tarlinder on Developer Testing

Spec Testing

Specification-based testing is a fundamental technique often overlooked by developers. Alexander Tarlinder explains that these techniques, such as equivalence partitioning and boundary value analysis, are derived from specifications like user stories or formal documents. Despite their importance, these methods haven't gained popularity in the developer community, remaining largely within the testing world 1.

Specification-based techniques are fundamental testing techniques for testers, derived from the specification.

--- Alexander Tarlinder

Felienne Hermans notes the lack of mainstream discussions on these techniques, highlighting their potential to enhance testing practices 2.

   

Design Contract

Design by contract involves formalizing responsibilities between program elements, a concept that Alexander Tarlinder finds valuable for generating test cases. He emphasizes that while the constructs supporting this approach aren't primary in popular languages, the mindset of formalized responsibility is crucial 3.

The essence is the mindset of formalized responsibility between program elements.

--- Alexander Tarlinder

Felienne Hermans and Alexander discuss how this mindset aids in determining the number of tests needed, though it's not about embedding formal responsibility in the code itself 1.