Let a thousand flowers bloom: On the uses of diversity in software testing

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Software testing is hard, and a testing problem is composed of many sub-problems with different, often conflicting, solutions. Like many real-world problems, it admits no single optimal solution, but requires dexterity, and the opportunistic combination of many partial solutions. Exploration and experiment, even by practitioners, are important in real-world critical testing efforts. An important set of research results in the field endorse and codify the value of diversity in test generation. However, our current approaches to evaluating research results arguably cut against this fundamental reality: while effective testing may need true diversity, combining many partial answers, the iron logic of the research results section often imposes a totalizing vision where authors must at least pretend to present a monolithic, unitary solution, a new "king of the hill."

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationOnward! 2021 - Proceedings of the 2021 ACM SIGPLAN International Symposium on New Ideas, New Paradigms, and Reflections on Programming and Software, co-located with SPLASH 2021
EditorsWolfgang De Meuter, Elisa Baniassad
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
Pages136-144
Number of pages9
ISBN (Electronic)9781450391108
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 20 2021
Event2021 ACM SIGPLAN International Symposium on New Ideas, New Paradigms, and Reflections on Programming and Software, Onward! 2021, co-located with SPLASH 2021 - Virtual, Online, United States
Duration: Oct 20 2021Oct 22 2021

Publication series

NameOnward! 2021 - Proceedings of the 2021 ACM SIGPLAN International Symposium on New Ideas, New Paradigms, and Reflections on Programming and Software, co-located with SPLASH 2021

Conference

Conference2021 ACM SIGPLAN International Symposium on New Ideas, New Paradigms, and Reflections on Programming and Software, Onward! 2021, co-located with SPLASH 2021
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityVirtual, Online
Period10/20/2110/22/21

Keywords

  • ensemble methods
  • research evaluation methods
  • software testing
  • swarm testing
  • test diversity
  • test length

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Computer Science Applications
  • Software

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