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+===================================================+
+======= Testing Techniques Newsletter (TTN) =======+
+======= ON-LINE EDITION =======+
+======= December 1994 =======+
+===================================================+
TESTING TECHNIQUES NEWSLETTER (TTN), On-Line Edition, is E-Mailed
monthly to support the Software Research, Inc. (SR) user community and
provide information of general use to the world software testing commun-
ity.
(c) Copyright 1994 by Software Research, Inc. Permission to copy and/or
re-distribute is granted to recipients of the TTN On-Line Edition pro-
vided that the entire document/file is kept intact and this copyright
notice appears with it.
TRADEMARKS: Software TestWorks, STW, STW/Regression, STW/Coverage,
STW/Advisor, X11 Virtual Display System, X11virtual and the SR logo are
trademarks of Software Research, Inc. All other systems are either
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
========================================================================
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
o ISSTA Call Correction
o Call for Papers: Eurovav'95
o Call for Papers: California Software Engineering Symposium (CSES)
o Call for Papers: CASE '95
o Call for Nominations: Stevens Lecture on Software Development Methods
o Monthly FAQs Available
o Article: Requirements: A Quick and Inexpensive Way to Improve Testing
o Software Research/IDE Integration Demonstrated
o Call for Papers: 8th INTERNATIONAL SOFTWARE QUALITY WEEK
o To contact SR...
o Calendar of Events
o TTN Submittal Policy
o Special Note: Hardware Crash Interrupts Some Mail
o TTN Subscription Information
========================================================================
************************************************************************
HOLIDAY WISHES TO ALL OF OUR SUBSCRIBERS!!
And best wishes for the New Year
from all of us at Software Research, Inc.
*
< >
< o >
< * i >
< o i o >
< i * i >
< o * o o >
< i i * >
^^^^^^|^|^^^^^^
========================================================================
ISSTA Update
In last month's issue, we printed a call for papers for ISSTA'95 (the
International Symposium on Software Testing and Analysis). Unfor-
tunately, this was an early draft of the call and not meant for public
release. The dates and location for ISSTA itself and for the submission
of papers have not yet been finalized. When they have, we will print the
corrected call for papers here.
========================================================================
Call for Participation
for a Workshop on
Formal Specification and Validation
of Knowledge Based Systems
in association with
EUROVAV'95
25 June 1995
St Badolph-Chambery, France
In the past decade, the separate fields of Validation and Verification
and Formal Specification Languages for KBS have independently reached a
degree of maturity where each can now learn from and contribute to the
other.
This workshop focuses on:
- briefing each of the two communities on the capabilities and concerns
of the other, and
- identifying and exploring opportunities for future collaboration.
Statements of interest should be sent before 31 March 1995 to:
Frank van Harmelen
(EUROVAV workshop)
SWI, University of Amsterdam
Roetersstraat 15, 1018WB Amsterdam
The Netherlands
email: frankh@swi.psy.uva.nl
========================================================================
Call for Papers
California Software Engineering Symposium (CSES)
(formerly the Irvine Software Symposium (ISS))
University of California, Irvine Thursday, March 9, 1995
The California Software Engineering Symposium (CSES) is the fifth in a
series of annual meetings on software engineering. CSES is the descen-
dant of the Irvine Research Unit in Software's (IRUS) Irvine Software
Symposium. This symposium is now co-sponsored by UCI's Irvine Research
Unit in Software (IRUS) and USC's Center for Software Engineering (CSE).
The purpose of these symposia is to bring together researchers and prac-
titioners to share ideas and experiences through paper presentations and
panel discussions. Potential topics include, but are not limited to,
environments, process, architectures, reuse, testing, computer-supported
cooperative work, metrics, human-computer interaction, requirements and
design, formal methods, and product and process management.
Abstracts for papers and panel proposals are invited on new approaches
and experiences. Emphasis will be on early dissemination of new ideas
and empirical evaluation and on experience with software techniques on
actual projects. Experience reports should report lessons that have
general applicability.
For more information about abstract/proposal submission, please contact:
Prof. Barry Boehm, CSES, University of Southern California, Center for
Software Engineering, Computer Science Department, Los Angeles, CA
90089-0781, Office: (213) 740-5703, FAX: (213) 740-4927, Internet:
boehm@usc.edu
To be held in conjunction with CSES:
IRUS is pleased to announce the First Annual
Software Engineering Tools and Technologies (SETT) Tools Fair
Friday, March 10
University of California, Irvine
Student Center
Come join us on Friday, following CSES, for a day
filled with tool demonstrations and presentations!
========================================================================
CALL FOR PAPERS
CASE '95
Seventh International Workshop On
Computer-Aided Software Engineering
Toronto Hilton Hotel
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
July 9-14, 1995
Sponsored by International Workshop on CASE, Inc., IEEE Computer
Society's Technical Council on Software Engineering, and The Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
Evolutionary Engineering of Systems and Software
Software and systems development, management, and evolution will
undergo dramatic change in the last half of the 1990s. The growing
reliance on client/server architectures, the growth of industrial-
strength object-oriented techniques, advances in systems engineering
automation, the emergence of powerful repository capabilities,
multimedia opportunities, and other factors are already having
profound impact on the way systems are designed and implemented. CASE
methods, techniques, tools, and environments are evolving to meet
these many new needs. Indeed, the CASE in 1995 is far different from
the CASE of the late 1980s. Now that CASE is past its initial
marketplace boom and bust cycle, attention is turning to the value of
CASE technology and the CASE approach for the long term in systems and
software engineering.
CASE '95 is the premier conference and working meeting of the CASE
field. It is the crossroads of practitioners and researchers from
industry, academia, and government. Workshops, refereed papers,
presentations, tutorials, and working meetings explore and report on
the most important practical, applied, experimental, and theoretical
work currently conducted in the CASE field for systems and software
evolution.
Major Topics include, but are not limited to:
(a) CASE for systems engineering and evolutionary development:
business process reengineering, system and software reengineering,
reverse engineering, design recovery, reengineering methodologies,
reusability, domain modeling, reengineering economics, program
analysis and understanding, impact analysis, legacy systems;
(b) Enabling technologies for CASE environments: architectures,
integration mechanisms, software buses, distribution, client/server
and distributed architectures, scripting languages, repositories, data
interchange standards, user interface technologies, multimedia,
groupware;
(c) CASE adoption and technology transfer including standards, impact
on productivity, quality, and reliability, success factors, management
and economic issues, trends and directions, case studies of successful
and unsuccessful usage of CASE tools;
(d) Lifecycle Coverage and Methodology Support: software process
improvement, object-oriented techniques and the evolution of
development methods, requirements engineering, metrics and measurement
technology, configuration and project management, formal methods,
quality control.
(e) Software Engineering Education: form and content of software
engineering laboratories, the role of CASE tools, needs of the
software industry, teaching software maintenance and evolution.
For more information on paper submissions or the conference itself, con-
tact:
General Chair
Jacob Slonim, Head of Research
Centre for Advanced Studies
IBM Canada Ltd.
21/894
844 Don Mills Road
North York, Ontario Canada
M3C 1V7
Voice: 416-448-2245
Fax: 416-448-2859
E-mail: jslonim@vnet.ibm.com
========================================================================
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
for the inaugural
+-----------------------------------+
| STEVENS LECTURE |
| ON SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT METHODS |
+-----------------------------------+
The purpose of the Stevens Lecture is to advance the state of software
development methods and enhance their continuing evolution. The award
recipient is recognized for outstanding contributions to the literature
or practice of methods for software development. The lecture presenta-
tion will focus on advancing or analyzing the state of software methods
and their direction for the future. The award includes a significant
honorarium and travel to the lecture site. This award lecture is named
in memory of Wayne Stevens (1944-1993), a highly-respected consultant,
author, pioneer, and advocate of the practical application of software
methods and tools. His 1974 article "Structured Design" was the first
published on the topic and remains the most widely reprinted article
from the IBM Systems Journal. He was the author of the books
Software Design: Concepts and Methods (Prentice-Hall Intl, 1991) and
-------------------------------------
Using Structured Design (Wiley, 1981).
-----------------------
His last article "Data Flow Analysis and Design" appears in the Encyclo-
pedia of Software Engineering (Wiley, 1994). Stevens was the chief
architect of IBM's application development methodology. The first
Stevens Lecture will be presented at CASE '95, the 7th International
Workshop on Computer-Aided Software Engineering, at Toronto, Ontario,
Canada in July 1995.
The Stevens Lecture is presented by IWCASE, the international sponsoring
association of the CASE workshop - the principal technical meeting of
the CASE field.
Nominations may be submitted by letter, fax, or electronic mail and must
include a description of the contribution of the nominee (up to 3
pages), citations of key contributions to the literature on software
methods, and contact information for both the nominee and the nominator.
Send nominations by January 16, 1995 to:
Stevens Lecture Committee fax 617-272-8464
IWCASE email iwcase@computer.org
P.O. Box 400
Burlington, MA 01803-0501 USA
Questions and requests for information should be directed to the chair
of the Stevens Lecture Committee: Elliot Chikofsky, DMR Group Inc.
phone 617-487-9026; fax 617-487-5752; email
e.chikofsky@computer.org
INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP ON CASE (IWCASE)
Executive Board
John Jenkins, City University London (United Kingdom)
Ron Norman, San Diego State University (USA)
Elliot Chikofsky, DMR Group & Northeastern Univ (USA)
Homa Taraji, Aerospace Corp. (USA)
Swee-Cheang Lim, National Univ of Singapore (Singapore)
Francois Coallier, Bell Canada (Canada)
Gene Forte, Forte Research (USA)
Karl Reed, La Trobe University (Australia)
Jacob Slonim, IBM Canada (Canada)
Hausi Muller, University of Victoria (Canada)
========================================================================
MONTHLY FAQs AVAILABLE
Each month in most user groups on InterNet, some enterprising souls take
the time to collect and publish answers to frequently asked questions
(FAQs). Last month in comp.software.testing, one of the summaries
regarded Standards from ISO and IEEE, as well as lists of recently pub-
lished books, journals, papers, and other written materials that would
be of use to the software testing industry.
Check the monthly FAQ on comp.std.internet for answers to many of your
favorite questions...
========================================================================
REQUIREMENTS: A QUICK AND INEXPENSIVE WAY TO IMPROVE TESTING
Bell Labs and IBM studies have determined that 80% of all defects are
inserted in the requirements phase. Improving the requirements defini-
tion process reduces the amount of testing and rework required. The
following six steps present a process to standardize software require-
ments development.
1. ADOPT A STANDARD FOR DEVELOPING SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS. Often,
software development organizations write standards that codify
inadequate practices. Consider adopting industry-accepted stan-
dards that meet your organization's needs and make it stretch.
2. USE A PERSON WITH ORGANIZATIONAL AND REQUIREMENTS-DOCUMENTATION
SKILLS TO FACILITATE REQUIREMENTS WORKING-GROUP SESSIONS. Use a
trained facilitator to lead the developments of a requirement
specifications template and subsequent requirements-gathering
efforts.
3. DEVELOP A SYSTEM-SPECIFIC GUIDE TO REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION
BASED ON THE SELECTED STANDARD. Using the adopted standard,
develop a system-specific template for requirements specification.
Follow the standard, but paraphrase each item in the standard's
checklist in terms understood by all team members. Do not omit
items in the standard. You do not have to complete each one, but
account for them all. If you do not account for each item, you
are out of compliance with the standard.
4. FOLLOW STANDARD QUALITY ASSURANCE PRACTICES FOR REVIEW, APPROVAL
AND SIGN-OFF OF THE REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATIONS.
5. REQUIRE THAT A REQUIREMENTS MATRIX BE A STANDARD DELIVERABLE WITH
EACH REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION, AND TRACE EACH REQUIREMENT
THROUGH TO IMPLEMENTATION. Develop a table that cross-references
each requirement to the design, the coded module and the test
case. Trace the progress of each requirement through to implemen-
tation.
6. TRACK THE RESULTS. Develop measurements for analyzing the
requirements development process.
References:
1. Software Management Guide, Software Technology Support Center.
Hill Air Force Base,
UT 84056---1-800-777-7703
2. Standard, Guidelines and Examples on System and Software
Requirements Engineering. IEEE Computer Society Press ---1-800-CS-
BOOKS
3. IEEE Standards Collection--Software Engineering 1994, Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineer, Inc.---1-800-678-IEEE
4. Making Software Measurement Work, Bill Hetzel, 1993. QED
Publishing Group
M. Sue White
2600 Camino Ramon 3N200P
San Ramon, CA 94583
510-823-2376
Edited by Elizabeth Tuck
========================================================================
SOFTWARE RESEARCH/IDE INTEGRATION DEMONSTRATED
In the past, Software Research announced an integration with Interactive
Development Environments (IDE) to deliver the first end-to-end automated
specification, development and software test solution. SR's Software
TestWorks (STW(tm)) had been integrated with IDE's Software Through Pic-
tures (StP(tm)) structure design tool and T(tm) products.
Now, in addition to those products, STW has also added an integration
with IDE's object-oriented design tool, StP/OMT.
At the time of the publication of this issue of the TTN/Online, techni-
cal representatives of Software Research, Inc. and IDE are in Hunts-
ville, Alabama, installing the STW products for New Technologies, Inc.
(NTI) and training users. The installation includes the SR/IDE integra-
tion.
========================================================================
INTERNATIONAL SOFTWARE QUALITY WEEK `95 (QW '95)
Conference Theme: The Client-Server Revolution
San Francisco, California 30 May - 2 June 1995
QW `95 is the eighth in a continuing series of Conferences focusing on
advances in software test technology, quality control, risk management,
software safety, and test automation. Software analysis methodologies,
supported by advanced automated software test methods, promise major
advances in system quality and reliability, assuming continued competi-
tiveness.
The QW `95 program consists of four days of mini-tutorials, panels,
technical papers and workshops that focus on software test automation
and new technology. QW `95 provides the software testing and QA/QC com-
munity with:
Quality Assurance and Test involvement in the development process.
Exchange of information among technologists.
State-of-the-art information on software test methods.
Analysis of effectiveness through case studies.
Vendor Technical Presentations
Two-Day Vendor Show
We are soliciting 45 and 90 minute presentations, half-day seminar pro-
posals, and participation in a panel discussion on any area of testing
and automation, including: New and Novel Test Methods, Automated Inspec-
tion, CASE/CAST Technology, Client-Server Computing, Cost / Schedule
Estimation, and many other topics (call Software Research for a more
complete list).
SUBMISSION INFORMATION: Abstracts should be 2 - 4 pages long, with
enough detail to give reviewers an understanding of the final paper,
including a rough outline of its contents. Indicate if the most likely
audience is technical, managerial or application-oriented.
In addition, please include:
+ A cover page with the paper title, complete mailing and e-mail
address(es), and telephone and FAX number(s) of each author.
+ A list of keywords describing the paper.
+ A brief biographical sketch of each author.
Deadline for submission: December 30, 1994
Send abstracts to: Ms. Rita Bral, Software Research Institute, 625 Third
Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 USA. For information on the confer-
ence, E-mail your request to qw@soft.com, phone SR/Institute at (415)
550-3020, or FAX SR/Institute at (415) 550-3030.
========================================================================
T o c o n t a c t S R . . .
SR's DISTRIBUTORS
Please contact the organizations below for information about SR products
in the countries indicated. They can provide you with complete details
on the entire Software TestWorks (STW) product line, including Regres-
sion, Advisor, and Coverage product bundles. If you are outside all of
these territories, please contact the nearest distributor, or contact SR
directly.
Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourgh): PVI Precision Software
B.V. Postbus 1059, 3900 BB Veenendall, NETHERLANDS. CONTACT: Mr. Her-
bert Weustenenk, Phone + [31] 8385-52588, FAX + [31] 8385-51506, e-Mail:
100334.315@compuserve.COM
Denmark: Computer Resources International, Bregnerodvej 144, P.O. Box
173, DK-3460 Birkerod DENMARK. CONTACT: Dr. Jan Holm, Phone + [45]
(45) 82 21 00, FAX + [45] (45) 82.17.66, E-Mail: sdesales@csd.cri.DK
France: Scientific Computers, Ltd. 11c Quai Conti, 78430 Louveciennes,
FRANCE. CONTACT: Mr. Pierre Renard, Phone + [33] 1-30-82-77-07, FAX +
[33] 1-30-82-72-78, e-Mail: info@scientific.FR
Germany, Austria: PVI Precision Software GmbH, Robert-Bosch Strasse 5,
Dreieich-Sprendlingen, D-63303 GERMANY. CONTACT: Dr. Klaus Garms,
Phone + [49] 6103-3794-0, FAX + [49] 6103-36955, E-Mail: garms@pre-
soft.DE
Italy: SLIGOS S.p.A., Via Vaninetti, 27, 10148 Torino, ITALY. CONTACT:
Mr. Michele Giordano, Phone + [39] 11 26851, FAX + [39] 11 220-2662, e-
Mail: mesarto!giordano@relay.iunet.IT
Italy: SIElab, s.r.l., Via A. Ponchielli 16, 55049 Viareggio (LU),
ITALY. CONTACT: Mr. Marco Vatteroni, CASE Product Sales, Phone + [39]
(584) 962-996, FAX + [39] (584) 48818, E-Mail: SIELAB@vm.cnuce.cnr.IT
Japan: Lifeboat, Inc., 3-6, Kanda-Nishikicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101
JAPAN. CONTACT: Mr. Jingang Deng, CASE Sales Specialist, Phone + [81]
(3) 3293-4738, FAX + [81] (3) 3293-4725, E-Mail: deng@lifeboat.co.JP
Korea: Daeboong Corporation, Kwansesa Koikwan B/D 4 Fl, 209-9 Nonhyun-
Dong, Kangnam-Ku, Seoul, KOREA. CONTACT: Mr. H. P. Kim, Phone + [82]
(2) 515 6671/6, FAX + [82] (2) 515 8209.
UK (England, Scotland, Ireland): Scientific Computers, Ltd. 3 Premiere
House, Betts Way, London Road, Crawley, West Sussex, ENGLAND RH10 2GB.
CONTACT: Mr. Simon Dawson, Phone + [44] (293) 403.636, FAX + [44] (293)
403.641, E-Mail: simon@scl.COM
========================================================================
---------------------->>> CALENDAR OF EVENTS <<<----------------------
========================================================================
The following is a partial list of upcoming events of interest. ("o"
indicates Software Research will participate in these events.)
+ December 20-22: 1st International Conference
on Software Testing, Reliability and Quality Assurance
(STRQA)
New Delhi, INDIA
Contact: Professor Aditya P. Mathur
Department of Computer Sciences
Purdue University
W. Lafayette, IN 47907-1398
tel: 317-494-7822
fax: 317-494-0739
e-mail: apm@cs.purdue.edu
+ 14-17 Feb: Client/Server
Conference & Exhibition
San Jose Convention Center
San Jose, CA
contact: Peter Brunold
tel: 800-808-3976
fax: 800-858-0412, 516-733-6753
email: MJEAVONS@CMP.COM (Attn: Peter Brunold)
o 14-16 Feb: Software Development '95
Moscone Convention Center
San Francisco, CA
tel: 800-441-8826
415-905-2784
fax: 415-905-2222
o February 22-25: Uniforum 1995
Dallas Convention Center
Dallas, TX
Contact: [+1] 800-545-EXPO
+ March 1-2: Software World USA
Chicago, IL
Contact: Loretta Taylor
tel: 508-470-3870
+ March 7-10: Achieving Quality Software
Sheraton Premiere
Tyson's Corner, VA
contact: Sherry Paquin
email: sap0215@sperry.mhs.compuserve.com
tel: 804-974-2078
fax: 804-974-2480
========================================================================
------------>>> TTN SUBMITTAL POLICY <<<------------
========================================================================
The TTN On-Line Edition is forwarded on the 15th of each month to sub-
scribers via InterNet. To have your event listed in an upcoming issue,
please e-mail a description of your event or Call for Papers or Partici-
pation to "ttn@soft.com".
The TTN On-Line submittal policy is as follows:
o Submission deadlines indicated in "Calls for Papers" should provide
at least a 1-month lead time from the TTN On-Line issue date. For
example, submission deadlines for "Calls for Papers" in the January
issue of TTN On-Line would be for February and beyond.
o Length of submitted items should not exceed 68 lines (one page).
o Publication of submitted items is determined by Software Research,
Inc., and may be edited as necessary.
========================================================================
SPECIAL NOTE: HARDWARE CRASH INTERRUPTS SOME MAIL
We had a hardware failure at SR over the weekend of 19-20 November, and
did not restore e-mail service until 22 November 1994. As a result of
that crash we lost several weeks of accumulated incoming e-mail, includ-
ing subscribe and unsubscribe requests for the TTN Online Edition.
Please, if you did not get a response, or if TTN comes and you don't
want it to, or it doesn't come and you want it to, just re-send your TTN
requests.
========================================================================
----------------->>> TTN SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION <<<-----------------
========================================================================
To request a FREE subscription or submit articles, please E-mail
"ttn@soft.com". For subscriptions, please use the keywords "Request-
TTN" or "subscribe" in the Subject line of your E-mail header. To have
your name added to the subscription list for the quarterly hard-copy
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monthly electronic version -- include your name, company, and postal
address.
To cancel your subscription, include the phrase "unsubscribe" or
"UNrequest-TTN" in the Subject line.
Note: To order back copies of the TTN On-Line (August 1993 onward),
please specify the month and year when E-mailing requests to
"ttn@soft.com".
TESTING TECHNIQUES NEWSLETTER
Software Research, Inc.
901 Minnesota Street
San Francisco, CA 94107 USA
Phone: (415) 550-3020
Toll Free: (800) 942-SOFT
FAX: (415) 550-3030
E-mail: ttn@soft.com
## End ##