Testing on Thin Ice and Testing Toolbox in Action

This event is a joint effort between the San Francisco JUG and East Bay JUG. Currently we are still reaching out to hosts. If you want to host us on that day please reach out via this Google form.

On this evening we will have 2 or 3 talks. You pick. The first one is a joint talk by Brian and François. The session is directly derived from Gradle's DPE SUMMIT (Developer Productivity Engineering, https://dpe.org/dpe-summit, September 23-24 in SF at the Midway, Tickets still available for 399 USD). The 2nd talk is either another testing talk by François or a fabulous session about shortcuts by Annelore.

SCHEDULE

- Testing on Thin Ice: Chipping Away at Test Unpredictability (45 min) by Brian Demeres and François Martin
- From Bugs to Brilliance: Testing Toolbox in Action (45+ min) by François Martin
- Alternative to Talk 2: Taking Shortcuts Beyond Your IDE (45 min) by Annelore Egger

TALKS

Testing on Thin Ice: Chipping Away at Test Unpredictability (45 min) by Brian Demeres and François Martin

Ever tried to catch melting snowflakes? That’s the challenge of dealing with flaky tests – those annoying, unpredictable tests that fail randomly and pass when rerun. In this talk, we’ll slide down the slippery slope of why flaky tests are more than just a nuisance. They’re time-sinks, morale crushers, and silent code quality killers.

We’ll skate across real-life scenarios to understand how flaky tests can freeze your development in its tracks, and why sweeping them under the rug is like ignoring a crack in the ice. From delayed releases to lurking bugs, the stakes are high, and the costs are real.

But don’t pack your parkas just yet! We’re here to share expert strategies and insights on how to identify, analyze, and ultimately melt away these flaky tests. Through our combined experience, we’ll provide actionable techniques and tools to make sure snow is the only flakiness you experience, ensuring a smoother, more reliable journey in software development.

From Bugs to Brilliance: Testing Toolbox in Action (45+ min) by François Martin

What if I told you that there is an entire world of lesser-known, underutilized testing tools, libraries, and features waiting to elevate your testing game? You will see live demonstrations of a plethora of these hidden gems, carefully curated to empower you in unit, integration, and end-to-end testing. This includes both tools for Java backends as well as JavaScript / TypeScript frontends and some technology-independent tools.

As you absorb the knowledge and sharpen your skills, you will accumulate an impressive set of tools in your testing toolbox. However, a word of caution: your toolbox may grow heavy with all these new additions. You will leave this talk armed with newfound knowledge, but make sure you can still lift your toolbox by the end of it!

Taking Shortcuts Beyond Your IDE (45 min) by Annelore Egger

Taking shortcuts in software development is often perceived as risky, but it does not have to be. In this talk, I will show you how adopting smart shortcuts can enhance your productivity without sacrificing code quality. While IDE shortcuts are just the beginning, we will explore ways to streamline your workflow across the entire development process. From key combinations to advanced automation techniques like code generation, I will demonstrate how you can optimize your time and enjoy coding more. Whether you are a seasoned developer or just starting, this talk will help you identify areas where you can work faster and smarter. By the end, you will be equipped with practical strategies to always be on the lookout for opportunities to improve your workflow.

SPEAKERS

Brian Demeres

Brian Demers is a Developer Advocate at Gradle, a Java Champion, and an Apache Member who contributes to the Directory, Maven, and Shiro projects. He spends much of his day contributing to OSS projects by writing code, tutorials, blogs, and answering questions. In addition to typical software development, Brian also has a passion for fast builds, security, and automation. Away from the keyboard, Brian is a beekeeper and can likely be found playing board games.

http://linkedin.com/in/bdemers
https://bsky.app/profile/bdemers.io

François Martin

François Martin is a senior full stack software engineer at Karakun AG, living in Switzerland. He is an active open source contributor and co-author of the two open source JavaFX frameworks WorkbenchFX and PreferencesFX, an active member of the Swiss Testing Board, and participates in the working group of Advanced and Expert level at ISTQB. He is also a co-author of the ISTQB Test Analyst v4.0 and the upcoming Security Test Analyst syllabus.

http://linkedin.com/in/fran%C3%A7oismartin
https://github.com/martinfrancois

Annelore Egger

Annelore is a passionate software developer from Switzerland who values high-quality code, likes working in teams, and sharing her knowledge. She also likes to meet new people, so if you see her around, feel free to say hi! Currently she works for at OpenValue.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anneloredev/
https://github.com/anneloreegger