Testing Computer Software by Cem Kaner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’ll start off with a little honesty: I didn’t read the last three and a half chapters of this book. In part, this was because the library wanted the book back. More than that, it’s because those chapters are really, really long.
The information in this book is extremely useful for anyone in the software testing business. There are basic principles which pervade eras and technology, and this book addresses those effectively and thoroughly.
Unfortunately, there is also the minor issue of technological advancement. Most of this book is geared toward testing in a DOS environment. There is wide discussion of issues that have largely been codified and simplified in recent decades, such as operating system interactions and printers. Sure, there are still many potential hiccups in those areas, but not so many as this book suggests–if only because of the drastic changes in the atmosphere of software that inevitably take place over the years.
Having said that, if you’re old enough to remember that DOS used to be a thing, even those parts of this book won’t be a dull read for (aspiring) testers. Pay special attention to discussion of designing test plans and cases, because that comes in handy regardless of what you’re testing. Laugh a little at the heavily outdated software mentions (like having Windows or another GUI/OS as a relatively new thing).
Typographical errors in this book are relatively few and far between, and they’re minor enough that you have to laud the copy-editors (who likely have no background and even less enjoyment in software testing) for doing as well as they did.