Using Newsletters to Analyze Curated Software Testing Content

Abstract

As software and systems continue to get more complex, software testing is an important field to ensure that software functions properly. Every day information about software testing is being discussed on the internet via blog posts, discussion boards, and more. This information is scattered among many different websites, making it hard to access. To analyze software testing content published on the internet, newsletters curated by members of the field and reflective of industry trends were used. This analysis provides a broad overview of what software testing-related content is being discussed on the internet. Common problems discussed in newsletters include properly maintaining tests, working with and fixing flaky tests, and properly analyzing test results. Javascript and Typescript are the most popular programming languages discussed, while the web is also the most popular platform. When looking at test types, automated tests are frequently discussed, followed by end-to-end tests and unit tests. Common techniques and strategies discussed include API testing, the use of continuous integration, and the use of continuous deployment. Selenium, Cypress, and the Gherkin syntax are the most frequently discussed tools and technologies. Finally, opinionated articles tend to be most common, followed by articles that introduce a technology and articles that explain a concept.