Q1. Hi Jerry, I'm intrigued by the title of your new book "Perfect Software and other illusions about testing", which will be published later this year. Are you saying that "perfect software" is impossible but a lot of people believe it is? Can you elaborate on this?
Perfect software is indeed impossible, and even if we had it, we'd have no way of knowing. The Laws of Thermodynamics tell us why it's impossible, but that doesn't prevent lots of people from believing it's possible--just like many people believe perpetual motion machines are possible.
The book elaborates on this and many other illusions about testing--why people continue to believe them, what kinds of trouble they cause, and what can be done to mitigate that trouble.
(BTW, the book will be available in July 2008, any day now.)
[Clarke: I'll post an entry here when it's out]
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