Better Software Magazine

Better Software Magazine Articles

Is There Light at the End of the Tunnel?

Losing your job is never easy, but the way you handle the experience has a direct impact on the results that you'll be able to achieve. Being laid off can make you question your abilities, but you have to roll with the punches, and enjoy your time off while you're looking for the next opportunity.
Stefan P. Jaskiel
July 30, 2002
A Look at a Test Data Generator

When Pat McGee couldn't find the right tool for the job, he and his team wrote one in Visual Basic for Applications for Microsoft Excel. They used Excel for all the data entry and calculations. Several groups in the project ended up using the tool–including testers, developers, and database administrators. Read how they did it.
Pat McGee
July 30, 2002
Hidden Risks in Web Code

A look at the HTML source code behind Web sites can often reveal security issues that would never be uncovered by those blissfully ignorant of the code. This bug report will examine two common methods of maintaining state and passing data in Web-based systems–hidden form fields and the HTTP GET method–and demonstrate some of the associated security risks through an examination of HTML code.
Rich Brauchle
July 30, 2002
Ken Schwaber on Agile Processes

Agile processes are founded on an empirical model of process control theory, and they deliver value iteratively and incrementally. Customers and development teams collaborate to wrest the greatest value from advanced technologies and emerging requirements, which practitioners call "value-driven" software development. Here, the developer of the agile process Scrum gives his recommendations for sources on agile processes.
Ken Schwaber
July 30, 2002
Tinkerable Software

In what ways should software be like a house? In a recent issue of STQE magazine, Technical Editor Brian Marick’s musings about the concept of “tinkerable software” generated some interesting discussion about the very nature of software design. This week’s column runs a portion of that piece so that our Sticky-minded readers can sink their thoughts into the concept.
Brian Marick
July 30, 2002
Telling It Like It Is: Test Status Reports as Tools for Change

Producing regular test status reports makes your progress—and problems—visible to those outside your group. Here's how spending a couple of hours a week on gathering and reporting results can be crucial to your software development team's success.
Pete TerMaat
July 30, 2002
Use Cases, Ten Years Later

Use cases have experienced a long and sometimes rocky history. Look back on the evolution of use cases to better understand how to use them today.
Alistair Cockburn's picture Alistair Cockburn
July 30, 2002
Release Criteria: Is This Software Done?

For any project, the big question is: "Is this software ready to release yet?" Explore how to answer that question with confidence, by learning how to define success and how to gain consensus on release criteria.
Johanna Rothman's picture Johanna Rothman
July 30, 2002
Karl Wiegers on Humanizing Peer Reviews

How serious are you about the quality of your work? Learn how to set aside egos and start benefiting from the experience and perspective of your colleagues.
 
Karl E. Wiegers
July 30, 2002
A Lesson in Scripting: Improve Your Testing with Programming Skills

You can write simple programs to help with your daily testing tasks using Perl or other scripting languages. Here's a primer on scripting languages and programming skills for testers.
Danny R. Faught's picture Danny R. Faught
July 30, 2002

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