Sponsored Events

Performance Testing Focus Group, Sponsored by RadView

What do you need from a performance testing tool?

RadView wants to build the performance testing tool that you will want to use.

At CAST, you will have the power to shape WebLOAD by participating in the Performance Testing Focus Group on Monday, July 9, at 12:00 PM. Give us your opinion on what should be improved, what direction WebLOAD should take, and what our priorities should be.

To make the most of this session:

The 2nd Annual CAST Tester Competition – Sponsored by Microsoft

Monday, July 9, 4:00 pm - 10:00 pm, rooms 404 and 405

Open to registered CAST attendees only. For this competition, the software chosen for testing is from SiriusSQA, and will be revealed the day of the competition. No entrance fees are required. If you would like to participate, bring your laptop on Tuesday and see Jon Bach, who will register you. You can work individually or in small teams, but prizes will only go to the team captain.

These teams may be fluid – anyone (even spectators) can help teams or be invited to join teams. Umpires will collect test artifacts for judging which include video bug reports, screenshots, and test notes. You may work alone or offsite from 4 – 7 pm, but must present your files in-person so that they can be for collected and judged by James Bach and David Gilbert before 10 pm in rooms 404 and 405 at the Meydenbauer Center. Prizes:

  1. Best Test Report – The team captain must be a CAST attendee, who will win a cash amount equal to their current conference fees and 3 nights of hotel stay at the Coast Bellevue (up to $1,500). They will also win bragging rights and a free conference-only member price admission to CAST 2008 (to be granted upon registration for next year’s conference.)
  2. Best Bug List – a new laptop computer with Windows Vista -- used to collect and score data from the competition (valued at $1,000).
  3. Honorable mention – a seat license to TestExplorer from SiriusSQA (a $1,000 value)

Experiences Testing the Load Testing Product, Sponsored by Microsoft

Tuesday, July 10, at 12:00 PM

This talk will discuss how Microsoft tests the Load Testing capabililties of Microsoft Visual Studio Team System including functional testing, performance testing, and stress testing. Time permitting, some of the Web testing and load testing capabilities will be demonstrated.

Tester Exhibition -- sponsored by Google

Tuesday, July 10 at 6:30 pm, rooms 404 and 405

This is a non-competitive event to showcase testing. The premise of the exhibition is for each of the consulting testers below to give a 15-minute presentation of how they would use their expertise to collaborate on the testing of the CAST 2007 Registration page. As lead, Jon will coordinate everyone just as he would if they worked for him on the project.

Each exhibitor is a veteran conference speaker:

  1. Harry Robinson (Google Software Test Engineer)
  2. Robert Sabourin (founder of software consulting company AmiBug)
  3. James Bach (founder of software consulting company Satisfice, Inc.)
  4. Lydia Ash (Google Engineering Manager and author of "The Web Testing Companion")
  5. Scott Barber (AST executive director and founder of performance testing consulting company PerfTestPlus)
  6. Doug Hoffman (founder of software consulting company Software Quality Methods, LLC)
  7. Danny Faught (founder of Tejas Software Consulting)
  8. Jon Bach (Manager for Corporate Intellect at Quardev, Inc.)
Refreshments will be served.

CAST Wind Down, Sponsored by Construx Software

Please join Steve McConnell, author of Code Complete, Rapid Development, and Software Estimation, and the staff of Construx Software for a complimentary CAST Wind Down, informal discussions of software development trends, beer, wine, and hors'doerves at Construx's new training facility and cafe. All guests will receive Steve's series of free software best practice posters. Construx is just two blocks from the Meydenbauer Center at 10900 NE 8th Street, Suite 1350. Construx's CAST Wind Down will run from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm Tuesday, July 10. For more detailed directions, see www.construx.com/directions.

International Institute for Software Testing announces the following events:
A Full Day Free Educational Seminar for Software Test Professional

Thursday, July 12, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm
At the Sheraton Bellevue Seattle East Hotel
(Just down the street from the Meydenbauer conference center).

Disciplined Software Test Practices 8:30 am- 12:00 pm
Effective Test Management Practices 1:00 pm- 4:30 pm

Both seminars are taught by Dr. Magdy Hanna, Chairman and CEO of the International Institute for Software Testing.

Dr. Hanna will address what test professionals must do to make software testing a recognized profession, and how to improve the image of the test organization at their companies. He will also cover the requirements for the education-based certifications, Certified Software Test Professional (CSTP) and Certified Test Manager (CTM). Continental breakfast and afternoon refreshments are also served.

International Testing Certification Week

August 27 - 31, 2007 at the same hotel in Belleview.

15 full-day courses in software testing & quality. All courses count toward CSTP or CTM certification.

For more information, see www.iist.org. Better yet, stop by the IIST booth during CAST.