When the test is wrong and other Microsoft stupidities
by jcf. Average Reading Time: almost 2 minutes.
If you provide an option to test something, make sure that it tests the right thing
The ZAPPATA crew was doing some spike testing today with different technologies, and due to the nature of the OS market, we did the tests with the tools most widely in use: Windows XP and Outlook.
The Microsoft-Way is a Wizard-Way. Unfortunately, some of the wizards need wizard like skills to operate or make sense of. One task that is automated by a wizard is the setting up of a new email account in Outlook. The friendly wizard takes you through different questions and sets up the mail account. We were trying to set up an account to a simple POP / SMTP server – but one that requires authentication. So we clicked on the correct options (“My outgoing SMTP Server requires authentication”, entered name and password) and then proceeded to click on the big Test Settings button provided. It found the POP server, it found the SMTP server, it checked of various other items as successfull and then failed the test of sending a message. Ok – wrong option, or so we thought. We went back to the advanced options. Changed settings. Tested. Fail. Changed settings. Tests. Looked at server logs.
We determined that Outlook is sending a SMTP HELO command instead of the Extended Hello (EHLO), so it never recognized that the server indeed is looking for an authenticated session. Some googling followed. We found a lot of pages that told us how to set up authentication in outlook [1]. But no mention of our problem. Frustration began to set in.
Then R. had the idea to just leave the wizard and try to see if at least the retrieval of messages from the server worked. Of course it did. Then for fun, we replied to one of the messages and hit the send button. Lo and behold – Outlook authenticated with the server and delivered the message.
The Test Settings button doesn’t honor the settings you have made – it just test something entirely different. How very stupid.
1.Did you ever notice how long it takes to describe how to set up something that is done by a wizard? Every step is documented with a screenshot. A simple operation like selecting one checkbox can easily last 3 – 7 pages… Hmm
Ok, you guys are driving me crazy – when, oh when, will you release some more info about zappata? :)
We feel for you. We have spent the last weeks looking at the problem we are trying to solve (groupware), our solution (ZAPPATA 0.3) and the gap between our excpectations and what we actually do.
More news will come soon (actually, I’m busy preparing a lot of reading material)
Stay tuned – and be prepeared to be surprised ;-)
Heh, well, now you’ve just made it worse! :)
well, I think we just made it better ;-)
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Yup. It is very difficult to develop a web site from sketch. Especially when you are the developers who are taking up the project for a company. Stress would include unability to complete task on time, unability to meet shareholder’s expectations, and unability for the user user to fully utilized the system to enhance competitive advantage of the company.