How to Test Software Packages

Computers are highly precise machines that operate in two modes: perfection and chaos. If everything is done in exactly the manner specified by the vendor, the computer works and produces results faster than you can believe. On the other hand, forgetting to spell a word correctly, leaving out a comma or period, using an o instead of a 0, or a million and one other minor mistakes can cause a computer to spew out an entire box of paper containing meaningless data, go into an unending loop, or just plain stop. The premise of this book is that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you give this book a few hours or a day, and follow its principles, the author guarantees that life with a computer will be much easier. It is far cheaper to spend a few moments ensuring that your programs work than trying to correct the mess that occurs when you don't validate processing.