Top Ten Rules for Software Testing

This was a serious post at the Software Testing Club. Instead of piling on the discussion, I decided to vent here instead:

1. There are only 10 types of testers, those that know binary and …
   
2. Never marry a tester for their money.
   
3. Never work for a company that hires you for your test case writing skill (akin to “Never get involved in a land war in Asia.”).
   
4. All developers know where the lines are.
   
5. Always test outside the lines.
   
6. There are no lines.
   
7. All of the real rules are written in pencil in a plain black notebook in a corner shelf in a back room of your company. On the door is a sign that says “Beware of the Leopard”.
   
8. Never trust a tester who follows those rules.
   
9. Water pistols are not just useful for training cats, but are also effective on people who utter terms such as defect-free, always, never, complete, 100%, and “testing end date”.
   
   And of course …
   
   
   
10. Never ask a tester what they would do in any general case, because it always depends on the context and they end up not taking it seriously.