sss ssss rrrrrrrrrrr
ssss ss rrrr rrrr
sssss s rrrr rrrr
ssssss rrrr rrrr
ssssssss rrrr rrrr
ssssss rrrrrrrrr
s ssssss rrrr rrrr
ss sssss rrrr rrrr
sss sssss rrrr rrrr
s sssssss rrrrr rrrrr
+===================================================+
+======= Quality Techniques Newsletter =======+
+======= November 2001 =======+
+===================================================+
QUALITY TECHNIQUES NEWSLETTER (QTN) is E-mailed monthly to Subscribers
worldwide to support the Software Research, Inc. (SR), TestWorks,
QualityLabs, and eValid user communities and other interested parties to
provide information of general use to the worldwide internet and
software quality and testing community.
Permission to copy and/or re-distribute is granted, and secondary
circulation is encouraged by recipients of QTN provided that the entire
document/file is kept intact and this complete copyright notice appears
with it in all copies. Information on how to subscribe or unsubscribe
is at the end of this issue. (c) Copyright 2003 by Software Research,
Inc.
========================================================================
Contents of This Issue
o QWE2002 (March 2002) Program Details
o Unit Testing, by Michael Reidy
o Stevens Award Goes To Peter Chen
o eValid Ver. 3.1 Early Release Available
o Annals of Software Engineering Special Volume
o New Book: Probability and Statistics with Reliability, Queuing and
Computer Science Applications (Blue Book)
o FMOODS 2002 Student Workshop (Netherlands)
o UC/Irving Distinguised Speaker: Leon Osterweil
o Automated Software Engineering (September 2002)
o QTN Article Submittal, Subscription Information
========================================================================
5th Annual International Software & Internet Quality Week Europe (QWE2002)
Conference Theme: Internet NOW!
11-15 March 2002
Brussels, Belgium EU
<http://www.qualityweek.com>
* * * QWE2002 Conference Brochure Available * * *
The program brochure is now available from the Quality Week web site.
Download your own copy of the full-color brochure in *pdf format from:
<http://www.soft.com/QualWeek/QWE2002/brochure.phtml>
For an overview of the entire program, and for detailed
descriptions of the multiple tracks, visit the web site at:
<http://www.soft.com/QualWeek/QWE2002/program.phtml>
The QWE2002 International Advisory Board selected speakers who are truly
knowledgeable and passionate about their subject. Each speaker has
her/his own sub-page with a photo and descriptions of their professional
background on the web. Discover the state-of-the-art in software and
internet QA and testing from around the world. Just look at their
topics listed in the daily program. If you click on the paper title, you
will find detailed descriptions, short abstracts and key points on the
authors sub-webpage.
* * * Program Highlights * * *
* Pressing questions and issues discussed by a distinguished lineup of
six Industrial and Academic Keynote Speakers including such well known
speakers as:
> Ms. Elfriede Dustin (BNA Software, USA) "The Challenges of Creating
Quality Web Systems"
> Dr. Koenraad Debackere (KUL Leuven, Belgium ) "Organizing for High
Tech Innovation"
* Over two intensive, hard-working days, we offer 18 pre-conference
Tutorials conducted by the foremost experts in their fields.
* Parallel Tracks that cover the broad field of software quality with
the latest developments:
+ Internet: E-commerce experience, Internet Time and Site Performance
+ Technology: From browser-based website testing to UML methods
+ Applications: Hear solutions from researchers and practitioners
+ Management: Managing Testing, Quality Improvement, Process
Innovations
+ Tools and Solutions: the latest solutions and newest tools from the
Exhibitors
* * * Industry Exhibitors * * *
* Industry Exhibitors will showcase their services and latest products
at the Two-Day Trade Show (Expo: 11-15 March 2002). Exhibitors
including: CEDITI, CMG, Computer Associates, eValid, Gitek, I2B,
Pearson Education, ps_testware, Rational, RelQ, SIM Group, Software
Research, Veritest, and more.
* You will take home a CD-ROM with all the paper topics presented at the
conference and with all the contact information for the exhibitors.
This will enable you to pass on the information to your colleagues and
use it as a ready training tool.
* * * Special Events * * *
* Special Events: Business can be enjoyable as during lunch, the breaks
and the special networking events, you will have ample opportunity to
network, exchange information and find valuable business partners.
* Welcome reception at the Cantillon Brewery, where the third
generation of family brewers is producing the famous Gueuze, using
the age-old artisan methods.
* Cocktail Party with the Exhibitors
* Conference Dinner at a Famous Art Nouveau Cafe, where stock
brokers and journalists have met since 1903.
* Visit a family chocolate Factory, or
* Tour the beautiful new Musical Instruments Museum, listening to
performances with infra-red headphones.
All the details on the Special Events at:
<http://www.soft.com/QualWeek/QWE2002/specialevents.phtml>
Mark your calendars *NOW* for QWE2002: 11-15 March 2002. Join us in the
newly refurbished, beautiful downtown Brussels, Belgium, the Capital of
Europe.
Register early on-line and receive Early Bird Special Pricing at:
<http://www.soft.com/QualWeek/QWE2002/register.phtml>
We look forward to seeing you in Brussels!
Rita Bral,
Conference Director
========================================================================
Unit Testing
by
Michael Reidy (MREIDY@aol.com)
Unit testing of new software is an initial step in the testing cycle.
It is conducted by the coder, to determine if newly created software
adequately meets stated requirements. A few limited transactions are
input to exercise the code.
Upon satisfactory completion, the code is handed off for additional,
more rigorous testing by the Quality professionals (regression testing,
systems testing, integration testing, etc). As a first link in the
chain, it is essential.
But even more importantly, it is the cornerstone for subsequent system
development. As the subsequent testing occurs, so too does additional
coding.
A thorough Unit Test identifies deficiencies, providing smooth testing
and coding processes.
WHAT HAPPENS TODAY
The approach described above is orderly, neat and clean. So what can go
wrong? Plenty !!!!
It really is quite common to suffer from poor Unit Test practices.
The following are some likely scenarios.
(1) NEVER DONE
Unit testing is not technically required as part of code development.
Coding can simply stop with a clean compile. The staff moves on to the
next assignment.
Traditionally, a lengthy period had been allocated for coding and
testing. But with today's emphasis on Rapid Application Development, a
more hurried approach is common. For some applications, the timeframe
to final implementation may be reduced to a matter of hours.
Sorry to say, this commonly extends across all platforms -- web,
client/server and mainframe.
Such a "hurry up" attitude can lead to cutting corners.
(2) NOT DONE WELL
Less common is the instance of a Unit Test that was not executed
properly. The limited number of simulated transactions just didn't
really test the code. Or a software error was mistakenly overlooked.
This leads into another reason for inadequate Unit Testing:
(3) POOR/NONEXISTANT REQUIREMENTS DOCUMENT
For whatever reason the coders were not furnished adequate functional
requirements. Consequently, any Unit Testing will be flawed.
Even more unhappily, this misunderstanding does not surface until well
into subsequent testing and implementation. The code inadequacy may not
be identified until the User Acceptance test.
(4) POOR/NONEXISTANT PROOF OF UNIT TEST
A thorough Unit Test may have been executed but not properly documented.
A listing of the tested transactions and results just doesnt exist
(little, or no, documentation was ever prepared; or the documentation
may have been lost).
All four scenarios are characterized by two recurring causes: Design and
Documentation.
Design
Prior to execution of the Unit Test, an overall strategy and plan should
be developed. It doesn't need to be lengthy but should address specific
functionality to be tested.
A detailed script listing test transactions with expected and actual
results should also be prepared.
It should also be widely available, for viewing by others (testers,
business analysts, users). Unfortunately, this rarely happens.
Documentation
Test data is rarely available for subsequent retrieval and review.
To address this need, some installations are mandating completion of
templates to document a structured Unit Test. Typical data includes:
(1) Coder Name
(2) Program/Module ID
(3) Date of test
(4) Description of transaction
(5) Expected results
(6) Actual results
(7) Analysis of results
Unfortunately, it has been my experience that templates are often
available but not completed. Documentation of Unit Tests is just not
done.
SUGGESTIONS
I want to make it very clear that I believe Unit Test deficiencies are
common and widespread. However, I want to make it equally clear that I
do not hold coding staff responsible.
By and large, they are hardworking and sincerely interested in a final
product that fully meets system user needs.
Rather, I think we, the Quality professionals need to be more attentive,
diligent and proactive. We need to be more attentive to existing
policies and processes. We need to work with the coding staff,
identifying and implementing improvements.
I am not alone in my concern. Everyone (Executives, Project Managers,
Developers, QC and QC staff) invariably voice concern about existing
Unit test practices and and the negative impact commonly seen.
Furthermore, consider the literature, seminars and public forums on
Quality. They rarely pay attention to Unit Testing.
We really need to address this issue.
There are numerous horror stories about mammoth projects that failed as
a result of faulty initial code (For want of a nail, a horseshoe was
lost. For want of a horseshoe, a horse was lost. For want of a horse,
the battle was lost!!).
RECOMMENDATIONS
Let me offer some recommendations:
(1) Familiarize yourself with existing procedures and templates. There
may well be existing templates at the customer site. If not, design
your own. Be sure to include:
- Test scenario
- Description of error
- Date found
- Reference (tie in with bug tracking mechanism)
- Status
- Person responsible (if not captured on separate bug tracking mechanism).
Remember, you want to keep this as concise and easy to complete, as
possible
One last note, as part of this research, be sure to look at the
original Statement of Work. You might see mention of a customer's
unique requirements that impact Unit Testing.
(2) Elicit comments from coding staff. There may well be a sound reason
why formal procedures aren't being followed.
Additionally, the coders may offer some good suggestions on
conducting and documenting the Unit Test.
Getting their input also gets them "on your side".
(3) Identify any improvement needs and design the template and procedure
you need. Completion should require the least time possible. (As
an aside, excessive time is the probable reason for not following
sound procedures).
Try to eliminate as much data entry as possible. Boiler plate
required input. Rely on soft copy where possible.
Remember, you need to design the procedure that minimizes effort but
maximizes effectiveness.
Along this line, you should also consider providing data beyond the
Quality staff. Email, posting to a corporate intranet, regularly
scheduled reviews should all be considered.
(4) Consider a policy of requiring dual signatures (the coder and
manager, both). This will ensure added thoroughness and accuracy.
(5) Discuss the importance of Unit Testing with coding staff management.
Make them aware of your concerns.
Offer to conduct brief tutorials/training sessions for their staff.
You need to sell them on your procedure and how it will benefit them
(reduce staff effort and rework).
(6) Once established, maintain a strict policy of requiring thorough
Unit testing. Don't accept software without the needed
signoff/documentation. The first time you allow an exception, the
rule is lost.
CONCLUSION
The key to Unit testing is establishing and maintaining a smooth hand-
off from the coder to QA.
Remember, you and your customer will benefit as testing becomes more
timely, more thorough and more accurate.
========================================================================
Stevens Award Goes To Peter Chen
Peter Chen has been named the seventh recipient of the international
Stevens Award for advancing software development methods. The award
will be presented on Thursday, November 8, 2001, at the 2001
International Conference on Software Maintenance in Florence, Italy.
The prestigious Stevens Award recognizes outstanding contributions to
the literature or practice of methods for software and systems
development. The prior recipients are:
-- Gerald Weinberg (2000), expert on the interaction of technical and
human issues in computer programming and systems development
(USA);
-- Tom DeMarco (1999), principal of Atlantic Systems Guild and noted
analyst and authority on software project management, methods, and
people processes (USA);
-- Tom McCabe (1998), software metrics expert and creator of
cyclomatic complexity analysis (USA);
-- Michael Jackson (1997), creator of the Jackson Software
Development methods (United Kingdom);
-- David Harel (1996), professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science
(Israel) and founder of i-Logix and the Statemate toolset; and,
-- Tony Wasserman (1995), founder and chairman of Interactive
Development Environments (USA) and the Software Through Pictures
toolset.
The 2001 recipient, Peter Chen, is Foster Distinguished Chair Professor
of Computer Science at Louisiana State University. Dr. Chen popularized
and promoted the use of Entity-Relationship ("E-R") modeling of data and
processes since the late 1970s and had a key role in the growth of
computer-aided software engineering (CASE) techniques and tools.
Conceptual modeling, founded in Peter Chen's work, directly utilizes key
business concepts in expressing requirements and designing information
technology (IT) solutions. E-R diagrams can be used to express data
requirements in business terms and can be used to document and analyze
business rules. The same kind of diagrams can be used by IT
professionals and systems analysts to understand and document systems
data requirements technical implementation designs. The Unified
Modeling Language notation (UML), popular in 2001 for systems modeling
and object-oriented development, has Chen's E-R modeling as one of its
key roots.
According to Prof. Peter Aiken, director of the Institute for Data
Research at Virginia Commonwealth University, "Peter Chen's work on E-R
modeling made two very important contributions to information
technology. His formalization of E-R concepts as a graphical
specification - the proverbial "picture is worth a thousand words" - has
been a key foundation of data modeling over the last 25 years. And,
because the communication medium of E-R diagramming was straightforward
and simple for business professionals and managers to understand, the
approach enhanced the ability for IT to produce relevant results and
communicate with the business users. Both of these have fostered two-way
communication that we rely on to build the robust systems needed by
business today."
Chris Verhoef, professor of computer science at Vrije Universiteit in
Amsterdam, Netherlands, points out that "much in software engineering
has been built on Peter Chen's basis. Entity-relationship modeling has
become so natural a part of the field that some people no longer realize
that someone had to introduce it."
The Stevens Award is named in memory of Wayne Stevens (1944-1993), a
highly-respected consultant, author, pioneer, and advocate of the
practical application of software methods and tools. His 1974 IBM
Systems Journal article "Structured Design" was the first published on
the topic and has been widely reprinted. Stevens was the author of the
books: "Software Design: Concepts and Methods" (Prentice-Hall Intl,
1991) and "Using Structured Design" (Wiley, 1981). His last article
"Data Flow Analysis and Design" appears in the Encyclopedia of Software
Engineering (Wiley, 1994). Stevens was the chief architect of
application development methodology for IBM's consulting group.
The Stevens Award is presented by IWCASE, an international association
of users, researchers, and developers of software tools, methods, and
technology. Stevens was a member of the IWCASE board of directors.
The 2001 award presentation will be held on November 8 at the ICSM 2001
conference (Florence, Italy, 6-10 November 2001), the major
international meeting in the field of software and systems maintenance,
evolution, and management.
Reference web sites:
<http://iwcase.org/stevens/ - Stevens Award background>
<http://www.dsi.unifi.it/icsm2001 - ICSM 2001 conference>
========================================================================
eValid Ver. 3.1 Adds Powerful New Features
We're excited about the changes and additions to eValid in Ver. 3.1.
Complete details on this new eValid release are at:
<http://www.soft.com/eValid/Products/Documentation.30/release.3.1.html>
We invite you to try out Ver. 3.1 of eValid before the formal
product release. We'll send you a Ver. 3.1 key along with complete
download instructions. Just reply to with your
request. Please include your CID number if you know it. We'll do
the rest!
o o o o o o
Here is a quick summary of the many new features in eValid:
* eVlite. This is a playback only, thin eValid client that reads
eValid scripts and plays back their navigation events. It can run
up to 1000 threads per copy, and you can easily get 10 copies
running at one time -- for up to 10,000 simulated users -- on one
eValid driver machine.
Check out:
<http://www.soft.com/eValid/Products/Documentation.30/LoadTest/evlite.html>
for details on eVlite.
Also, this new feature permits -- for the first time -- true
variable fidelity LoadTest scripts:
<http://www.soft.com/eValid/Products/Documentation.30/LoadTest/fidelity.html>
* Enhanced Record/Play Modes. We've added record/play modes to help
overcome problems on even the most difficult-to-test WebSites:
> Sub-Window Record/Play. eValid now supports true parent/child
single-script recording.
> Desktop Window Recording. eValid scripts can now record
actions you take on any application that is launched from the
eValid browser but runs on the desktop.
> Application Mode Record/Play. Now _ANY_ subwindow has
Application Mode recording available to it, and these
recordings are made in the parent script.
> Multiple-window Multiple Playback in LoadTest. Tests that use
multiple subwindows now play back from multiple instances of
eValid in LoadTest mode (but Lock/Unlock is needed to prevent
focus stealing).
* eVinteractive Demo. This is a new demo that illustrates eValid
interactive mode with a simple GUI on the desktop. Type in a
command and the dependent eValid will execute it interactively.
* Log Dialog Prompts. The latest release provides a prompt at the
end of a test playback. You are asked to select which reports you
want to see. This helps prevent you from missing important data.
* Improved Memory Usage and Performance. We have made a number of
changes and improvements to the way eValid uses RAM and virtual
memory, particularly during multi-browser playback.
* Improved LoadTest Reporting. In addition to adjustments to
provide for eVlite playbacks in a LoadTest scenario we have
improved the on-screen reporting of LoadTest runs.
* Improved SiteMap Reporting. We have simplified some of the
reports and added a new report that is just a list of the URLs
encountered during a Site Analysis Run.
* XP Operation. We have confirmed that eValid runs just find on the
new MicroSoft Windows XP operating system. Also, we have
previously confirmed eValid operation with IE 6.0. No problems
were encountered in either case.
eValid runs the way a website test engine should. Inside the
browser, the way clients see the website. The easy, all-natural
way!
Complete information on eValid is at:
<http://www.e-valid.com> or <http://www.soft.com/eValid>.
========================================================================
Annals of Software Engineering:
Special Volume on "Computational Intelligence In Software Engineering"
The Annals of Software Engineering journal seeks articles for a
special volume on "Computational Intelligence In Software
Engineering".
The constantly evolving technological infrastructure of the modern
world presents a great challenge of developing software systems with
increasing size and complexity. Software engineers and researchers
are striving to meet these and other continuously growing challenges
by developing and implementing useful software engineering
methodologies. However, despite the introduction of some important
and useful paradigms in the software engineering discipline, their
technological transfers on a larger scale has been extremely gradual
and limited.
The recent emergence of the field of Computational Intelligence (CI)
in Software Engineering provides a software development team with an
opportunity by taking advantage of the currently developed,
documented, and mature CI technologies such as fuzzy logic,
artificial neural networks, genetic and artificial intelligence
based computational systems, expert knowledge based systems, and
case based reasoning. These and other computational intelligence
technologies have been used to resolve issues arising from the
ever-increasing complexity and size of software systems.
The aim and scope of this special issue is focused on the current
research trends of introducing and implementing CI techniques to
address the various software engineering needs arising during
different phases of software development and analysis. This special
issue is intended to serve as a comprehensive collection of some of
the current state-of-the-art CI in software engineering
technologies.
Topics of Interest
Topics of particular interest on "Computational Intelligence In
Software Engineering" include but are not limited to:
* Neural Networks
* Fuzzy Logic
* Genetic Algorithms & Programming
* Case Based Reasoning
* Data Mining Techniques
* Adaptive Computing Systems
* Knowledge Based Systems
* Software Cost Estimation
* Software Reliability Modeling
* Formal Verification Methods
* Software Testing & Software Validation
* Expert Software Systems
* Software Requirements & Specifications Engineering
* Machine Learning Techniques
* Hybrid Intelligent Systems
Editor: Professor Taghi M. Khoshgoftaar
Department of Computer Science & Engineering
Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, Florida 33433, U.S.A.
Tel: +1-561-297-3994
Fax: +1-561-297-2800
Email: taghi@cse.fau.edu
========================================================================
Probability and Statistics with Reliability, Queuing,
and Computer Science Applications (The Blue Book)
by
Author: Kishor S. Trivedi
The revised 2nd edition is available now. It is published by John
Wiley & Sons. ISBN number 0-471-33341-7.
In the second edition, all the chapters have been thoroughly
revised. Many examples and problems are updated, and many new
examples and problems have been added. There is a considerable
addition of examples on system availability modeling, wireless
system performance and availability modeling, software reliability
modeling, and system performability modeling. New material on fault
trees and stochastic Petri nets, and numerical solution techniques
for Markov chains have been added. Detection of software aging is
included as well as statistical estimation of availability is
added.
A section on the computation of response time distribution for
Markovian queuing networks has also been added. Chapter 8, on
continuous-time Markov chains, has undergone the most change.
Research experience and the application of these methods for last 25
years have been distilled in these chapters as much as possible.
The book will be of use as a classroom textbook as well as of use
for practicing engineers. Researchers will also find valuable
material here.
========================================================================
FMOODS 2002 - Student Workshop
20 - 22 March 2002: University of Twente, The Netherlands.
The workshop is intended for students within the area of Formal
Methods for Object-oriented and Component-based Systems. All
relevant topics are considered, including but not restricted to:
(1) Formal models for distributed systems; (2) Object-
oriented, component-oriented or aspect-oriented systems; (3)
Testing, validation and verification; (4) Semantics of object,
component or aspect based programming languages; (5) Formal
support for software development; (6) Formal models for
security; (7) Analysis of interactions between objects,
components and aspects; (8) Novel and innovative uses of
formal methods;
The workshop offers an opportunity for students to meet and share
their research experiences, to discover commonalities in research
and studentship, and to foster a collaborative environment for joint
problem solving. PhD students from both industry and academia are
encouraged to attend in order to ensure a broad, unconfined
discussion.
This workshop extends the FMOODS 2002 conference:
<http://trese.cs.utwente.nl/conferences/fmoods2002/>
The PhD Student workshop will be run in collaboration with the
FMOODS 2002 and all participants will have full access to both the
workshop and the conference. This workshop is being run for
students by students. A reduced conference/workshop fee will be
negotiated for all workshop participants, on evidence of student
status.
Workshop Organizers
Trevor Jones, Chair
Computing Department, Lancaster University, UK
t.jones@lancaster.ac.uk
Arend Rensink, FMOODS Liaison
Department of Computer Science, University of Twente, Netherlands
rensink@cs.utwente.nl
Lynne Blair, FMOODS Liaison
Computing Department, Lancaster University, UK
lb@comp.lancs.ac.uk
Programme Committee
Dino Distefano ddino@cs.utwente.nl
Rik Eshuis eshuis@cs.utwente.nl
Sebastian Gutierrez-Nolasco seguti@ics.uci.edu
Aidan Harding a.t.harding@cs.bham.ac.uk
David Jansen djansen@cs.utwente.nl
Ralph Miarka rm17@ukc.ac.uk
Jianxiong Pang j.pang@lancaster.ac.uk
Antonino Virgillito virgi@dis.uniroma1.it
Matthias Zenger matthias.zenger@epfl.ch
========================================================================
University of California, Irvine
Institute for Software Research
http://www.isr.uci.edu/
Distinguished Speaker Series 2001-2002:
Prof. Leon Osterweil
Dean, College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Reasoning About Precise Process Definitions
Contact: Rick Martin, for reprints information.
Faculty Host: Richard N. Taylor, ISR Director, taylor@uci.edu
Abstract: This talk discusses the challenges in developing process
definitions that are sufficiently precise to support powerful
reasoning. The focus of the talk is on issues in defining languages
capable of being effective vehicles for such definitions. The talk
first addresses various motivations for being precise about
processes. It then proceeds to address a set of desiderata that a
language must satisfy if it is to be successful in supporting
process definitions that can respond to these motivating factors.
The centerpiece of the talk is the introduction of Little-JIL, a
specific process definition language that addresses these
desiderata. In addition to being sufficiently precise, Little-JIL
is also sufficiently broad to support definition of diverse
processes, is sufficiently clear to be readily accessible to humans,
and is also executable. The features of this language will be
presented. Having presented the features, the talk will then focus
on the integration of the features into carefully designed
abstractions. These abstractions have proven useful in supporting
effective reasoning about processes, actual execution of processes,
and expedited understandings of processes. A specific example of
successful reasoning about a specific auction process is presented
to illustrate some key points of the presentation.
About the Speaker: Leon Osterweil is currently Dean of the College
of Natural Sciences and Mathematics at the University of
Massachusetts, Amherst, where he is also a professor in the
Department of Computer Science, co-director of the Laboratory for
Advanced Software Engineering Research (LASER), and founding co-
director of the Electronic Enterprise Institute. Previously he had
been a Professor in, and Chair of, Computer Science Departments at
both the University of California, Irvine, and the University of
Colorado, Boulder. He was the founding director of the Irvine
Research Unit in Software (IRUS) and the Southern California SPIN.
He has been the Program Committee Chair for such conferences as The
16th International Conference on Software Engineering, The Second
International Symposium on Software Testing, Analysis and
Validation, the Fourth International Software Process Workshop, the
Second Symposium on Software Development Environments, and both the
Second and Fifth International Conferences on the Software Process.
He was also the General Chair of the Sixth ACM Sigsoft Conference on
the Foundations of Software Engineering. He has been a member of
the editorial boards of the ACM Transactions on Software Engineering
Methods, IEEE Software, and Software Process Improvement and
Practice. He has presented keynote talks at such meetings as CASE
92 in Montreal, Quality Week 2000 in San Francisco, the Inaugural
Symposium of JAIST (the Japan Advanced Institute for Software
Technology) in Kanazawa, Japan, and ICSE 9 (the Ninth International
Conference on Software Engineering) where he introduced the concept
of Process Programming. His ICSE 9 paper has been awarded a prize
as the most influential paper of ICSE 9, awarded as a 10-year
retrospective. He has consulted for such organizations as IBM, Bell
Laboratories, SAIC, MCC, and TRW, and SEI's Process Program Advisory
Board. Osterweil is a Fellow of the Association for Computing
Machinery.
========================================================================
CALL FOR PAPERS: ASE 2002
17th IEEE International Conference on
Automated Software Engineering 2002
September 23-27, 2002
Edinburgh, U.K.
<http://ase.cs.ucl.ac.uk/>
The IEEE International Conference on Automated Software Engineering
brings together researchers and practitioners to share ideas on the
foundations, techniques, tools, and applications of automated
software engineering technology. Both automatic systems and systems
that support and cooperate with people are within the scope of the
conference, as are models of software and software engineering
activities.
Formerly known as the Knowledge-Based Software Engineering
Conference (KBSE), it was renamed to encourage the broadened
participation of scientific communities concerned with formal
methods, partial evaluation, process support, human-computer
interface support, requirements engineering, reverse engineering,
testing, and verification & validation. However, ASE 2002 encourages
reports on applications of active AI and knowledge base research to
software engineering. Current machines are at least 1000 times
faster with 1000 times more memory than those in use when KBSE
began; at the time heavily AI-based prototypes were demonstrated to
be feasible, if not practical. Could those systems be used today to
improve software development processes? To what extent have current
software engineering tools and environments actually incorporated
that research?
Solicited topics include theoretical foundations and tools for the
automation of:
* Reasoning techniques * Software specification * Software
design and synthesis * Category & Graph-theoretic approaches *
Computer-supported cooperative work * Domain modeling and
meta-modeling * Human computer interaction * Knowledge
acquisition * Maintenance and evolution * Modelling language
semantics * Ontologies and methodologies * Program
understanding * Re-engineering * Reflection- and Metadata
approaches * Requirements engineering * Reuse * Software
architectures * Testing * Tutoring, help, documentation
systems * Verification and validation
Papers must explicitly convey their potential relevance to automated
software engineering to be considered to be within the conference
scope. The ASE on-line Bibliography serves as a reference for
potential contributors: http://www.cs.vassar.edu/faculty/welty/ase/
IEEE Computer Society Press will publish accepted papers in the
conference proceedings. In addition, authors of a selection of
papers from the conference will be invited to revise and re-submit
extended versions of their papers for consideration for a special
issue of the Journal of Automated Software Engineering (Kluwer). ASE
2002 will also include invited talks, tutorials, panel discussions
and a doctoral symposium for which separate calls for participation
will be issued.
Papers must not exceed 10 pages in the conference format. Papers
exceeding the length restriction will not be reviewed. Papers will
be reviewed by at least three program committee members. All papers,
especially application papers and experience reports, should clearly
identify their novel contributions. Abstracts and Papers should be
submitted electronically following the guidelines provided at
<http://ase.cs.ucl.ac.uk>.
General Chair:
Julian Richardson Dept of Computing and Electrical Engineering
Heriot-Watt University Tel: +44 131 451 8159 julianr@cee.hw.ac.uk
Programme Co-Chairs:
Wolfgang Emmerich Dept. of Computer Science University College
London Gower Street London WC1E 6BT, U.K. Tel: +44 20 7679 4413
W.Emmerich@cs.ucl.ac.uk
David Wile Teknowledge Corp. Suite 231 4640 Admiralty Way Marina
del Rey, CA 90292 Tel: +1 310 578-5350 x202 dwile@teknowledge.com
Contact:
Dr. Cecilia Mascolo Lecturer, Dept. of Computer Science, University
College London <http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/C.Mascolo> Phone: +44
20 7679 1390 -- Fax: +44 20 7387 1397
========================================================================
------------>>> QTN ARTICLE SUBMITTAL POLICY <<<------------
========================================================================
QTN is E-mailed around the middle of each month to over 9000
subscribers worldwide. To have your event listed in an upcoming
issue E-mail a complete description and full details of your Call
for Papers or Call for Participation to .
QTN's submittal policy is:
o Submission deadlines indicated in "Calls for Papers" should
provide at least a 1-month lead time from the QTN issue date. For
example, submission deadlines for "Calls for Papers" in the March
issue of QTN On-Line should be for April and beyond.
o Length of submitted non-calendar items should not exceed 350 lines
(about four pages). Longer articles are OK but may be serialized.
o Length of submitted calendar items should not exceed 60 lines.
o Publication of submitted items is determined by Software Research,
Inc., and may be edited for style and content as necessary.
DISCLAIMER: Articles and items appearing in QTN represent the
opinions of their authors or submitters; QTN disclaims any
responsibility for their content.
TRADEMARKS: eValid, STW, TestWorks, CAPBAK, SMARTS, EXDIFF,
STW/Regression, STW/Coverage, STW/Advisor, TCAT, and the SR logo are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Software Research, Inc. All
other systems are either trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective companies.
========================================================================
-------->>> QTN SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION <<<--------
========================================================================
To SUBSCRIBE to QTN, to UNSUBSCRIBE a current subscription, to
CHANGE an address (an UNSUBSCRIBE and a SUBSCRIBE combined) please
use the convenient Subscribe/Unsubscribe facility at:
<http://www.soft.com/News/QTN-Online/subscribe.html>.
As a backup you may send Email direct to as follows:
TO SUBSCRIBE: Include this phrase in the body of your message:
subscribe
TO UNSUBSCRIBE: Include this phrase in the body of your message:
unsubscribe
Please, when using either method to subscribe or unsubscribe, type
the exactly and completely. Requests to unsubscribe
that do not match an email address on the subscriber list are
ignored.
QUALITY TECHNIQUES NEWSLETTER
Software Research, Inc.
1663 Mission Street, Suite 400
San Francisco, CA 94103 USA
Phone: +1 (415) 861-2800
Toll Free: +1 (800) 942-SOFT (USA Only)
Fax: +1 (415) 861-9801
Email: qtn@sr-corp.com
Web: <http://www.soft.com/News/QTN-Online>