Why Web Testing is Important?
As the W3C document explains:
| Quote: | In
order for the Web to reach its full potential, the most fundamental Web
technologies must be compatible with one another and allow any hardware
and software used to access the Web to work together. W3C refers to
this goal as “Web interoperability.� By publishing open
(non-proprietary) standards for Web languages and protocols, W3C seeks
to avoid market fragmentation and thus Web fragmentation.
Two implementations of a technology are said to be compatible if
they both conform to the same specifications. Conformance to
specifications is a necessary condition for interoperability, but it is
not sufficient; the specifications must also promote interoperability
(by clearly defining behaviors and protocols, for example). |
In order to promote these goals the W3C Process Document's Proposed
Recommendation entrance criteria include the requirement to demonstrate
two interoperable implementations of each feature in the specification.
It is not possible to make such a demonstration without testing.
Two types of testing are particularly helpful:
●Conformance testing
Focuses on testing only what is formally required in the specification
in order to verify whether an implementation conforms to its
specifications. Conformance testing does not focus on performance,
usability, the capability of an implementation to stand up under
stress, or interoperability; nor does it focus on any
implementation-specific details not formally required by the
specification.
●Interoperability testing
Focuses on finding interoperability issues between different implementations of a given specification.
Note that both forms of testing help to detect defects
(ambiguities, lack of clarity, omissions, contradictions) in
specifications and are therefore useful when conducted while the
specification is being developed.
Because testing is the key to interoperability, Working Groups are increasingly interested in this subject.
|