Željko Filipin's Blog on Software and Testing

I created this reminder the last time I reinstalled Windows XP but it never got out of drafts. Since Windows XP Service Pack 3 will be out soon, I will need this again.

• Download the latest service pack.
• Backup data.
• Make list of applications you use. Wakoopa and del.icio.us can help. Do not forget application (mainly Firefox) add ons.
• Install operating system.
• Install service pack.
• Fix Internet connection (Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller):
  Insert hp restore plus! CD > start > My Computer > right click > Manage > Device Manager > Other Devices > Ethernet Controller > right click > Update Driver…
• Activate operating system.
• Install other updates.
• Install antivirus.
• Install Firefox and Adobe Flash Player plugin.
• Keyboard:
  start > Control Panel > Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options > Add other languages > Languages – Text services and input languages > Details… > Settings:
  • Installed services > Add.. > Input language > Croatian > OK
  • Default input language > Croatian > Croatian > OK > OK
• Sound (SoundMAX Integrated Digital Audio):
  Insert hp restore plus! CD > start > My Computer > right click > Manage > Device Manager > Other devices > Multimedia Audio Controller > right click > update driver
• TV:
  Insert WinFast Drivers (CX2388x) CD > start > My Computer > right click > Manage > Device Manager > Other devices > Multimedia Controller > right click > Update Driver…
  • Multimedia Controller – WinFast TV2000 XP Global/TV Global
  • Multimedia Video Controller – WinFast TV2000 XP Global/TV Global WDM Video Capture
  • Unknown device – WinFast TV2000 XP Global/TV Global WDM Crossbar
  • Unknown device – WinFast TV2000 XP Global/TV Global WDM TVTuner.(Xceive XC2028)
• Monitor (Intel(R) 82845G/GL/GE/PE/GV Graphics Controller):
  Insert hp restore plus! CD > Start > My Computer > right click > Manage > Device Manager > Other devices > Video Controller (VGA Compatible) > right click > Update Driver…
• Desktop:
  right click > Properties > Settings > select monitor labeled 1 > check check box Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor. > OK
• Time:
  start > Control Panel > Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options > Change the date and time > Time Zone > GMT+01:00 Sarajevo, Skopje, Warsaw, Zagreb
• Regional and Language Options:
  start > Control Panel > Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options > Regional and Language Options > Regional Options > Standards and formats > Croatian > Location > Croatia > OK
• Windows Explorer:
  • View > Details
  • Tools > Folder Options… > View
    • Folder views > Apply to All Folders > Yes
    • Advanced settings: > Hide extensions for known file types > uncheck > OK
• Remove Internet Explorer clicking sound:
  Control Panel > Sounds, Speech and Audio devices > Sounds and Audio Devices > Sounds > Program events > Windows Explorer > Start Navigation > Sounds > (None) > OK

Let me tell you about a recent chat with my boss. It went something like this:

Boss: “I do not mean to say that I think you are not organized, but are you interested in improvement?”
Me: “Sure. I am always looking for ways to improve.”
Boss: “I have read Getting Things Done (GTD) by David Allen. Have you heard about it?”
Me: “Yes. Here and there somebody mentions it.”
Boss: “I really like it. I will send you the book, if you would like to read it.”
Me: “Deal.”
Me (thinking): “But I doubt a buzzword will help me.”

Time passed and I have forgot about it. (My boss lives in another country.) One day, the book arrived. I said to myself: “Well, since he has sent it to me, the least I can do is read it. 250 pages is not so much”.

I was skeptical about GTD. Really, really skeptical. But hey, I am a tester. I should be skeptical. Until I see something working, I do not trust it to work.

I always thought of myself as organized person. But, to be honest, for some time I was not happy with the way I organized my work. Like something was missing. I knew I had to change something, but I had so much to do (at work and after it), so I did not have the time to sit down and think where I could improve.

Another thing worth mentioning is that I have bad memory. Really bad memory. What is not written down is forgotten. At the beginning of the book, the author said that everything should be written down. I said to myself: “I already like it.”

I will not get into detail about GTD. You can find a lot about it using your favorite search engine. I just wanted to say that I implemented it in my life and it looks like it is working.

I guess I will have to say more about it in a year or two.

Yesterday I saw Webscale Computing presentation held by Mike Culver from amazon.com. I forgot to take my camera, so there are no photos.

I saw something that I could not get out of my head since. Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). In short, rent Linux machines $.10/hour (hour is the smallest time unit).

I could use this for testing. I could really use this.

At the moment I test with one machine that has enough CPU and RAM to open one VMware image with application I test running inside. I have six independent test suites for the application, and it takes about an hour to run them all sequentially inside the image.

I could speed it up. I could rent 6 machines and run all tests in about 10 minutes. Since I must pay for the whole hour, it would cost me about $.60. I am not in such a hurry every day, but there are days where such speed in executing tests would make a difference.

The only problem is that my application and my tests run on Windows. But since it is VMware image, I can run it on Linux.

Now, let me day dream for just a minute.

Amazon starts to bill by the minute (or second). While I am dreaming, they also lower the prices. I fragment my test suites, so every takes about a minute (or less). I could rent as many machines I need and be done with testing in an minute. Of course, it is all done automatically. Every time a developer commits new code, a machine is automatically rented, set up for testing, multiplied (so I do not have to spend time powering up, getting new application code, building it, getting new test code…).

I will really have to check this out in detail.