Papers on Program Testing

Abstract : Since late 1976, we have been involved in what we believe is a new approach to computer program testing, an approach called mutation analysis (and we shall forever be indebted to Jerome Feldman for suggesting the term). The main novelties of the mutation approach to program testing are its simplicity, its empirical basis, its ease of mechanical implementation, and its tractability for scientific analysis. Although much remains to be learned about mutation as a testing tool, there is a considerable body of written material which describes our initial experience with the technique. Much of this material has appeared only in workshops or as memoranda, so we have been urged to collect it together for wider dissemination. The current collection is the result. The reader should note that the selections do not appear in chronological order; rather, they are organized so that a sufficiently patient reader may proceed from the conceptual basis of mutation analysis through implementation, application, and theoretical issues.