Trends in Software Testing

Software testing is an important phase in the software-development cycle. Well-tested software that is free of bugs is the goal of the software developer and the expectation of the user. Today’s world has “gone digital” and offers services to people for their ease and comfort. Many essential services are also being delivered online over the Internet. Thus, our life style is becoming increasingly dependent on gadgets and even more on the software that controls the gadgets. The malfunctioning of services offered online by way of these gadgets is what users least expect. For the purpose, well-tested services are the first requirement before software products appear on the market for consumer use. Software testing broadly aims to certify not only the accuracy of the logic embedded in code but also adherence to functional requirements. Traditional testing strives for verification of these two aspects. Academia as well as industry have been working on software testing in their own ways and have contributed to the body of research on testing algorithms and practices. As a result, tools exist to automate software-testing efforts so that testing can be accomplished in a faster and less-expensive manner. However, as new computing paradigms and platforms emerge, so does the need to re-examine software testing. Now both academia and industry are searching for solutions to the problems currently faced by software development. Some of these current challenges are addressed in this book. The challenges software testing faces now require an integrative solution; this means that new solutions must run alongside all traditional solutions. However, well-developed and well-practiced concepts should not be abandoned in search of the new. New issues are arising as changes in technology and varied applications are identified and dealt with zeal by both academia and industry professionals. For that reason, this book includes the views and findings of both academia and industry. The challenges they address include test debt, agile testing, security testing, uncertainty in testing, separation, softwaresystem evolution, and testing as a service. In order to motivate readers, we will brief them on these issues and invite interested readers to explore chapters of their interest.