Review By: Laura M. Hagar
08/31/2008This book is written for the beginner or intermediate tester/developer who works on Internet-based applications and Web sites. The book is based on Steven Splaine’s classes in Web testing and is well laid out and illustrated by co-author Stefan Jaskiel.

The authors present the technical information required for testers and developers to test Web sites and Internet-based applications including issues on usability, compatibility, reliability, scalability, and performance. The book cites specific tests and strategies, test plans, and assorted checklists to provide the reader a jumpstart on testing. The book presents coherent examples throughout—something not often found in reference books—as well as many useful URLs referencing tools, sites that can aid yours, or just great reference sites.

Additionally, there is a companion Web site (bdonline.sqe.com) to allow the reader to actually run tests given in the book. For those working in wireless technologies, carefully read the chapter on emerging technologies—you’ll find it of keen interest. Also, if you don’t know when to automate your testing or when it’s best to outsource specific kinds of tests, you’ll need this book.

Every reader can capitalize on the authors’ experience in Web testing by purchasing this book and using it.

I saw one shortcoming of The Web Testing Handbook: testing through firewalls. Since I consider this an important aspect of testing Web sites/applications utilizing firewalls as part of their site security, I contacted Steven Splaine. He replied that the material was not ready in time for inclusion in this book, but that this aspect of security testing is covered in a new SQE training course (Web System Testing) which he has just finished authoring.

The technologies surrounding the Internet keep changing daily. Part of the job of a Web tester is to keep current on the technologies as well as how best to test those technologies without wasting their company’s time and money. As Alberto Savoia writes in the Foreword to The Web Testing Handbook, “Steven Splaine and Stefan P. Jaskiel have done a wonderful job of condensing the major areas of knowledge required for Web testing in a very effective format.” Ditto. This book belongs on every Web tester’s reference shelf. It is well written, laid out for ease of reading and referencing the information for later use.

Also, I cannot say enough about the importance and usefulness of the book’s examples. They are coherent and very useful. (Many books suffer from lack of examples.) Having the companion Web site to “test the tests” is a marvelous idea. I’d say this book—this project, was very well planned. Kudos!