I ask questions

find me at Wikiversity please

Friends certainly wonder: Where is Erkan ?

I am taking a break (again). At the moment I am fullfilling an old dream of mine: I am reading a book (see here) together with secondary literature.

And this demands a lot of time (looking up facts, making notes, thinking on what you just read,…)
and I must add: it makes very much fun to also read aloud during this.

From time to time - like today - I get an edgy feeling and visit some friends also online on their blogs. But for the moment I am addicted to another drug (if it is urgent call me and let’s talk about it while playing table tennis).

Erkan YILMAZ
You certainly have also an old dream or not ? Take the time and pursue the dream again. If not now, when ?

So, this week I will surprise my team with …

… some other sweets than usual (this time I bought a 1 kg package). I hope this lasts longer and I am also curious if they like them.

People might now perhaps talk on the effects for the quality of work or other issues, but it is just nice to see their happy faces when getting some sweets.
Everybody wants sweets in some kind of way. Awake the child in others (and yourself).

What about you ?

Erkan YILMAZ

edit 17.07.2007: also get yourself one or two dices and let people dice how many sweets they will get. So you have some element of surprise. Watch how happy people get, when they see the dice numbers.
And all gets even nicer, if the person getting 12 sweets shares them with others

I asked exactly 2 months ago this question:
When was the last time you helped to make open source software better ?

So, what did you do since then ?
I have decided to e.g. help these projects primarily in my free time:
ClamWin -
a free antivirus tool (with support from ClamAV)

Pardus -
a Linux distribution (includes many things, also KlamAV)
here the story how it came to this

Tell me, did you also help somewhere ? If not, why don’t you start finally ?

See you perhaps in one of the above or the other projects,
Erkan YILMAZ

… yes, I bought a 64 bit system. You want to know why ? Read here some of the arguments.
Imagine … this is cockaigne for any tester (so many training possibilities to discover bugs).
When do you want to buy one ? Well, the whole thing makes more fun with a 64 bit operating system (don’t forget: there is also 64 bit Linux and others).

Erkan YILMAZ

Today we 4 (Andre, Erkan, Martin, Widodo) went to the park to play some table tennis. Well, since there were some already playing table tennis, we explored the playing machines nearby.

Here are some pictures:

I am boarding the carrousel:

ok, let’s make some speed to have fun:

hm, perhaps this was a little too much speed

ok, after that shock, let’s go for slow speed:

After it was our turn to play table tennis, we fought some hard battles against two brothers. Both are well known local heroes and aspirants for the title “table tennis professionals from Karlsruhe“: Salvatore and Giuseppe. Both are cool kids and I think we have made some new friends today.

BTW: here you see Salvatore giving Widodo a hard time

After that game: what might Widodo think?
Perhaps: “What did go wrong in that game?”

(btw: Martin and Andre also did not look well against the two - but unfortunately I have no pictures of that. In return for that I did let both brothers sweat a little.)

Erkan YILMAZ

After reading Christian’s article addicted about his book-buying-adventure, I feel the need to also post about this topic. For my books-to-buy-list I am still searching for some children’s books. And the kid in me needs your help !

I have recently read Peter Pan and I am thinking about the next to be:

- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
- The Book of One Thousand and One Nights
- Akbar and Birbal Stories

But I would use this opportunity to also get some advise by you too. Which children’s book did you like most as child ? Or which book should you read over and over again to your child ?

Erkan Yilmaz

When I looked in the morning outside I saw already Christian how he was learning (he has an exam on Tuesday).

(btw: you see also the place where I play table tennis - so, if you once drop by, let’s have a game)

Well, I could not let Chris learn all alone and learned with him:

Later - while interrogating him - also some other creatures showed interest in the topics: soil science, irrigation and erosion

In Germany we had a week of bad weather. And now with sun coming out - also children and animals did so. There was so much life going on: cries of children, animals of different sizes everywhere, also some nice looking ladies
I think I will relocate my learning place - then I am also away from distraction on the pc - there is nothing better than a book in the warm sun. And letting your thoughts wander while watching children play.

P.S. I hope everyone had a happy Mother’s Day.
Erkan YILMAZ

Unfortunately I did not have much time lately to do my “normal” online tasks. I was busy with: Microsoft Windows Server (TM) Code Name “Longhorn” beta 3

I will catch up with you !
Erkan

I send this baton to blogs which cover the topic testing.

(this picture is by Mullenkedheim and is licenced under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License, source: Flickr)

Testing in my view is not limited to software testing - for me testing involves asking questions. And everybody can ask questions (not only software testers).

Here are now 5 questions, which you can answer in any length and with any statement you like. The only aim is: to get to know you more personally.

“Let the games begin…”

1. Could you tell something about your first tests ?
2. What would you like to highlight as an important thing of testing - from your personal experiences ?
3. Why is testing not trivial ?
4. What do you do after testing at work ?
5. How do you think testing will evolve in the next 13 years ?

1. Can you tell something about your first tests ?
(Please tell more than just a simple yes or no )
The best testing period was as a baby / child - unfortunately I do not remember all tests from that period.
When I think back, the first thing I remember is:
I played a doctor game with a girl in kindergarten. We were in a tent in the outside. Weather was fine. And when I wanted to approach my test object (yes, I mean the girl), our governess looked into the tent. So, I can not tell you, how this test session would have evolved.
The next one I remember is: one kid and I wanted to throw stones at each other (of course I do not know the exact reason anymore for this game You know certainly how children are.) And guess what: the other kid hit me with the stone so hard at my head, that I had to get sewed in the hospital.
And the next one: it was summer and there was planned an open air bath. Well, while the other kids wore their drawers or mini bikinis, Erkan wanted to test, how this experience would be when being naked. Here again the governess interrupted me in my tests

2. What would you like to highlight as an important thing of testing - from your personal experiences ?
You could read in books what kind of goals testing has, how you perhaps could approach to testing and various things more. Of course everybody himself/herself must decide, if reading alone is really sufficient to do good testing.

I would like to point out, that for me testing means playing with things. Do not misunderstand me - this does not mean I do not take testing for sincere. On the contrary: I truly identify myself as a tester. Testing for me involves the aspect of exploring and playing respectively. There are so many unknown things in software (and much more in life). And my opinion is, that the best way to tease more info out, is to play with it. Like a child would do - a child plays and asks so unbelievably many questions.
(The text is copied form here.)

3. Why is testing not trivial ?
There could be shown examples like …

the triangle example
Check, how many tests you can design for this simple program:

…but well, my simple argument is: try testing yourself and you will see.

4. What do you do after testing at work ?
Well, for me it does not mean I test only at work and then I stop. This is nothing that you just can stop and turn on again. A friend once told: I should not test everything and I should also enjoy things for just what they are. I am working on this bug
I will keep you informed about what I do after work here on the blog.

5. How do you think testing will evolve in the next 13 years ?
It is in our own hands how it evolves.
What I really hope is, that people do respect testing as what it is - a creative, challenging, thrilling task which makes fun. It should not be seen as a stupid task.
And we should not wait 13 years to make this happen.

6. Did you hear my voice ?
Weird, there should have been only 5 questions, ain’t ? Well, as you know, during testing there are always surprises.
So, back to the question: Did you listen to my voice on this page (you can listen really to it by clicking somewhere on this page) ?
- If not, check this page more thoroughly ! If you listened then to my audio files: why didn’t you notice this earlier ? Well, bugs or features do not tell you always, that they exist, or do they ?
- If you (of course) noticed it at beginning and listened to the audio files then: congratulations
- If you noticed it at beginning, but did not investigate more: why ? Surely there is an explanation for this.

So, it is getting late now and I throw this baton first to these German speaking blogs: Frank Westphal, Christian Günzl, Christoph, Eddie, Tom, Hans Martin Kern, Der Tester and Nico Rühlemann

Erkan YILMAZ

Start with reading the blog and the questionnaire with my answers.
BTW: if this is not sufficient for you (e.g. for me this would not be sufficient), the most important thing - just ask.

Erkan YILMAZ

I have returned all of my software testing books to the library. Since I am not reading them any longer. Please don’t confuse this now that I am not interested anymore in software testing – on the contrary: TESTING MEANS A LOT TO ME.

With the benefit of hindsight now – I would associate reading these software testing books with watching a black and white slide show about animals. But now I feel like I am visiting a zoo. I can see the animals now in colour, with their natural sounds, their own special smell, can touch them to get a much better experience.
Well, this is of course only my subjective opinion.

I believe that these “other” books have a much better impact on me than the books which I read before. I will just list a few things and perhaps – from your perspective - not necessarily important ones:
e.g. Bach’s advice: when you need help for a decision: to open any book and ask that page. Feynman and Weinberg show me, how to approach different topics. Heath, McCloud (and Goodman) show interesting aspects on story telling. Von Oech has some interesting ideas (e.g. try to find 5 benefits of sleeping in your clothes) and Barrie helps me in being a kid again.

Erkan YILMAZ

BTW: the picture is blurry isn’t it? I did this on purpose so you must guess some book titles. Who knows perhaps on the search you discover some other interesting books or things?

Interesting title, isn’t it?
So far I thought I knew some things (there were also times, when I believed I knew many things). I also told from time to time the following Socrates saying: “I know that I do not know.” - without really understanding it.

I am reading at the moment children books, fairy tales and other interesting things. And the more I read, the more I wish I could forget what I have learned so far.

Best would be, if someone would erase my brain so that I can start fresh again. But perhaps this way is even better: now with this attitude perhaps the learning experience can be much better?

Let me find this out.

Erkan YILMAZ

BTW: do not tell right now that I am crazy or dumb or both - wait a few months Perhaps you also would like to be like this then?

Lately I have consumed a lot of information. Now it is time to digest this all.

I do not want to belch like people perhaps would do when they eat a lot. Let’s see if there will come more than just this kind of air through my mouth. After I have fully digested, you will see some more activity in this blog.

Erkan YILMAZ

Lately I was quite active in some online places. I did not see the consequences. Now I realize what happened.

I wanted to show and prove me that I am able of doing this and that in software testing.
But so less I knew - these are just exterior things, tools.

So, I decided to decrease my online activities to a few, so I can concentrate on my personal skills more.
And this needs reflection and time.

I hope you are not disappointed about this - be happy for me, that I made such a decision.
Like always in life, there are many ways to look on something: without these activities, I probably would not have realized, what is really important. And I am thankful for this.
I am sure, you will see, that version 2.0 of Erkan will be much better than version 1.0

Erkan Yilmaz