software design paradigm "convention over configuration" applied in software testing

Convention over configuration - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I created a testing framework for one of my projects, and for quite a while I maintained the test cases in a "configuration data structure" (luckily) with rather strict conventions. Let me call that a CDS!
I listed every single test case with all its necessary details there. That was rather cumbersome and did not make me eager to introduce new test cases.
Looking at the fact, that it cost me less than 20 hours to "cast the conventions into code", makes it look rather unclear, why I had hesitated for a couple of months to do so.
Now I am able to drop any "productional data case" into my repository of test cases, and start from there with test driver. That is quiet a relief.

The difference between a raw test case taken from a production system and a (complete) test case executed by my testing framework is "reference data". My testing framework is in a way supportive resp. smart enough by helping in creating "reference data" from the corresponding test data. Certainly a human being must consider the crucial difference between test data and reference data and has to adapt the reference data accordingly.

To be continued.

openSUSE-12.3 : upgrading again …

• https://www.suse.com/releasenotes/x86_64/openSUSE/12.3/

The least risky approach to upgrading a system should be by cloning it as a virtual machine, and upgrade the clone. That's what I did this time, and it worked, and I am rather happy.

Of course upgrades always come with unexpected effort.

• I downloaded the "Network / 64 Bit PC" ISO image,
• moved it to my folder with DVD/CD ISO images,
• and included it in the virtual machine's "Storage / Controller / IDE Controller" section.
• I let VirtualBox create a new MAC address in the "Network / Adapter 1" section. (You will have to drop the old network interface later within YaST, and create and set up a new one then, once you have a running system.)
• Then I started the VM,
• it booted from this ISO image,
• and I went the update installation path.
• A couple of hours later (next morning!), I found the installation hanging on the Packman repository. I simply ignored that for the time being.

For quite some time I used /etc/init.d/boot.crypto as a way to mount encrypted file systems on the command line.

$ /etc/init.d/boot.crypto start  MOUNTPOINT
$ /etc/init.d/boot.crypto status MOUNTPOINT
$ /etc/init.d/boot.crypto stop   MOUNTPOINT

 (Yes, of course, there is also a GUI way to do this). Apparently that facility got dropped. The file simply disappeared. /etc/crypttab still exists, but within /etc/init.d/ I could not find any file dealing with it. I found this SDB article on "Encrypted filesystems" then, which had a slightly outdated section on systemd support [Link], that deals with this topic. I updated that wiki article to reflect the change coming with 12.3. I am rather excited to see, whether somebody else will notice that, maybe discuss the matter with me, and maybe also even further update the article. This is how to mount your encrypted file system now:

$ systemctl start  MOUNTPOINT

$ systemctl status MOUNTPOINT

$ systemctl stop   MOUNTPOINT

This looks pretty simple too me. I like it.

Update 2013-05-29:

• I found this article [Link] titled "Managing encrypted partitions with systemd?" on forums.opensuse.org/english/get-technical-help-here/install-boot-login/
• I wrote an article [Link] titled "systemd, /etc/crypttab, SDB:Encrypted_filesystems, ..." on forums.opensuse.org/english/get-technical-help-here/install-boot-login/

Ubuntu Documentation on Grub2

Grub2 - Community Ubuntu Documentation

O'Reilly Media book: Learning GNU Emacs, 3rd Edition

Learning GNU Emacs, 3rd Edition - O'Reilly Media

Chapter 7: Simple Text Formatting and Specialized Editing

• Using Tabs
• Indenting Text
• Centering Text
• Using Outline Mode
• Rectangle Editing
• Making Simple Drawings (M-x edit-picture -> picture mode)

For creating a vertical line switch to picture mode and change the default direction. Sometimes I need this for creating a table from a list of lines.

my openSUSE VirtualBox VM and its /var/log/messages

For quite a while I had messages like these in /var/log/messages on that VM:

• collectd[…]: rrdtool plugin: …
• dbus[…]: [system] … 'org.kde.powerdevil.backlighthelper' …

Today I got rid of both of them. It wasn't really difficult or exhausting to find those issues "on the Net". I should have done that long ago. But other issues always seemed more important.

I /etc/collectd.conf I "commented out" the rrdtool entry.

In KDE System Settings / … / Startup and Shutdown / Service Manager I de-activated Power Management. I found no straight way dealing with the backlighthelper itself.

/var/log/messages does not get swamped with these messages any more. I really do enjoy the "silence" there right now, to be honest.

Google's chat client drops Jabber compatibility - The H Open: News and Features

Google's chat client drops Jabber compatibility - The H Open: News and Features

a very nice Perl propaganda poster by Mark Keating

Propaganda « MDK

a few remarks Google Reader and its competitors

Google will shut down Google Reader on 2013-07-01.

I like(d) Firefox Sage a lot, but it does not synchronise between my various devices, so I really only consider web-based feed readers.

Competing web-based feed readers:

• InoReader.com – looks best to me (I selected InoReader as my GR replacement); InoReader.com/forum
• feedly.com – at least one organisational level; comes for free w/o any restrictions
• NewsBlur.com – at least one organisational level; looks rather nice as well
• theoldreader – no organisational level at all
• netvibes.com – at least one organisational level; looks really great; free version has noticeable restrictions

www.google.com/reader/about : alternativeto.net/software/google-reader

But none of them is yet as nice as Google Reader:

• you can send articles from the "overview" to a blog (InoReader can do that as well), …
• …

Rakudo on JVM progress update, and some questions answered | 6guts

Rakudo on JVM progress update, and some questions answered | 6guts

RIP Google Reader: Google's RSS Reader Will Shut Down On 2013-07-01

RIP Google Reader: Google's RSS Reader Will Shut Down On July 1st

the "-P Convention" (quoting "The Jargon File")

www.catb.org/jargon/html/p-convention.html

really enjoyed Avishai Cohen's concert at Hamburg's Laeiszhalle last night

• the Hamburg event (2013-05-13 20:00)
• he is currently on tour with his "String Project" [link]
• so far you can't purchase/download the pieces they played

O'Reilly Media book: RT Essentials (RT AKA "Request Tracker")

• http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596006686.do
• en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Request_tracker
• http://wiki.bestpractical.com

Roles:

• http://requesttracker.wikia.com/wiki/Requestor (also spelt Requester in the context of this software) : The "Requester" of a Ticket is the person (or persons) that are waiting for the resolution of the issue. Not receiving Comments.
• http://requesttracker.wikia.com/wiki/CC : is like the Requestor in that they receive Correspondence but not Comments; might be a person outside the company.
• http://requesttracker.wikia.com/wiki/AdminCC : could be used for a manager, receives both Comment and Correspondence.
• http://requesttracker.wikia.com/wiki/Watcher : superset term for Requestors, Ccs and AdminCcs.
• http://requesttracker.wikia.com/wiki/Owner : responsible for making sure the issue addressed in the ticket is resolved

Correspondence vs. Comments:

• you can (if you may …) Reply to a ticket
• you can (if you may …) Comment on a ticket – see above, which roles do not get notified!

…

• A ticket gets requested (by the Requestor (surprise, surprise!!)),
• somebody takes it or steals it or gets it assigned to, so he is the Owner from then on. He can still "unown" the ticket by assigning it to "Nobody".

English Writing: Spelling Rules - -ible or -able | EnglishClub.com

English Writing: Spelling Rules - -ible or -able | EnglishClub.com

English Writing: Spelling Rules – un- or in- – used with certain words to reverse their meaning

• un-
• in-

"BeyondPod Podcast Manager" - my 1st podcast downloader on my smartphone

BeyondPod Podcast Manager - Android Apps on Google Play

After quite a couple of years with smartphones in my pockets today I downloaded the 1st podcast downloader+player to my Android phone. I am keen to listen again to a specific radio broadcast, and I got aware, that it's listed on one of the broadcaster's podcast RSS feeds; and then it was only a quick step …

rewarded my appreciated "Samsung Galaxy S II" with a new rechargeable battery

Samsung Galaxy S II - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The last battery recently fainted in the middle of the day after several SMSs or after a few pictures taken on the camera.

I still very much like that phone.

Strange enough I broke the cover a while ago. Strange – because I have a protective case around its back / cover.