Datasheet

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Chapter 1: Preliminary Concerns
WCAT. First included in the IIS 4 resource kit in 1998, the Web Capacity Analysis Tool (WCAT)
is a freely distributed command-line tool that allows a server to be configured with agents to
perform load/stress testing on websites.
Web Application Stress Tool.  In 1999, Microsoft released a free tool to create GUI browser
stress tests. This tool recorded a browser session and scripted the actions into a Visual Basic 6
script that could be modified. Because the tool generated scripts that could be modified, many
web developers used the tool not only for stress testing but modified the scripts for user inter-
face functional testing.
Microsoft Application Center Test. Included in Visual Studio 2001 Enterprise Edition,
Microsoft ACT improved upon the Web Application Stress tool. Microsoft ACT provided a
schema in which the tests could be distributed among agents for large-scale load testing.
Framework for Integrated Test (FIT). Created by Ward Cunningham in 2002, FIT is a tool for
automated customer tests. Examples of how the software should perform are provided by the
customer, and automated Test fixtures are created by the developer. The goal of FIT is to help
integrate the work of developers, customers, tests, and analysts.
Fitnesse. Ported to .NET in 2006 by David Chelimsky and Mike Stockdale, Fitnesse combines a
web server, Wiki, and the FIT software acceptance testing framework together. This provides an
acceptance testing framework which allows users to define input that can be interpreted by a
Test fixture allowing for non-technical users to write tests.
Watir. In May 2002, the Web Application Testing in Ruby Watir (pronounced “Water”), a
library to automate browser acceptance tests in Ruby, is released.
Selenium. Selenium provides a suite of tools for automated user interface testing of web appli-
cations. In 2004, Jason Huggins of Thoughtworks created the core “JavaScriptTestRunner”
mode for automation testing of a time and expense system.
WatiN. In May 2006, Watir, the popular browser acceptance testing framework, is ported to
.NET as the WatiN (pronounced “Watt in”) project.
Visual Studio 2005 Test Edition. In 2005, Microsoft released a version of Visual Studio that
included a new unit testing framework created by Microsoft called MS Test. Along with this
new unit testing framework, what was known previously as Microsoft Application Center Test
(Microsoft ACT) was integrated into this version as Web Unit Tests and Web Load Tests.
Visual Studio 2008 Professional. In 2008, the professional version of Visual Studio 2008
included MSTest.
Testing Terminology
As with many different aspects in programming, testing disciplines have their own unique vocabulary.
However, because of the number of terms, the barrier to entry is high and can scare new developers. This
section is intended to get the reader up to speed on some common terms that will be used throughout
the remainder of this book. The terms shown next are only intended to be a brief explanation. Each term
will be discussed thoroughly in their respective chapters.
Test.  A test is a systematic procedure to ensure that a particular unit of an application is
working correctly.
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