Borland eyes agile users in test tools release

Borland Software is offering on Monday upgrades to its Silk products for application testing, saying the tools optimize the platform for agile and traditional development by simplifying testing activities, increasing speed for test execution, and integrating with existing tools.

Geared to quality assurance, Silk 2009 makes it easier to build and automate tests and minimizes dependency on specialist skills, Borland said. Testing becomes more scalable, Borland said.

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"During our own Agile transformation, we struggled to adapt our QA practices. We not only wrestled with the cultural implications but our teams found that our own tools didn't support the new paradigm very well," said David Wilby, Borland's senior vice president of products, in a statement released by the company. "As a result, we've made significant changes to our Silk line to better address the needs of all enterprises -- including those moving towards more agile methods."

Products in the Silk line include:

• SilkTest, for functional and regression tests. Developers can automate tests in Java from within the Eclipse IDE. Testers can use a "record and play" capability to build tests. Dynamic object recognition and synchronization are featured to speed tests and enable teams to test in rapid iterations, Borland said.
• SilkCentral Test Manager, providing a framework for managing testing activities across projects. It ships with more than 25 integrations to commercial and open source tools for requirements management, source code control, and testing, including Junit and FitNesse. An agile test management template is featured also.
• SilkPerformer, for load and performance tests. A "Load Test Resource Management" capability lets teams control test environments. Integration with SilkCentral Test Manager offers agile teams fast feedback, Borland said. Eclipse and Visual Studio plugins let developers build performance tests within their IDE.

Borland also will begin offering services for agile testing, featuring evaluation of a customer's existing tools and practices. The Borland Agile Testing Process Framework then is used to provide guidance and best practices and outline steps for agile testing using Silk products.

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