Finding Bugs in Web Applications Using Dynamic Test Generation and Explicit State Model Checking

Web script crashes and malformed dynamically-generated web pages are common errors, and they seriously impact the usability of web applications. Current tools for web-page validation cannot handle the dynamically generated pages that are ubiquitous on today's Internet. We present a dynamic test generation technique for the domain of dynamic web applications. The technique utilizes both combined concrete and symbolic execution and explicit-state model checking. The technique generates tests automatically, runs the tests capturing logical constraints on inputs, and minimizes the conditions on the inputs to failing tests, so that the resulting bug reports are small and useful in finding and fixing the underlying faults. Our tool Apollo implements the technique for the PHP programming language. Apollo generates test inputs for a web application, monitors the application for crashes, and validates that the output conforms to the HTML specification. This paper presents Apollo's algorithms and implementation, and an experimental evaluation that revealed 302 faults in 6 PHP web applications

Finding Bugs In Dynamic Web Applications

Web script crashes and malformed dynamically-generated web pages are common errors, and they seriously impact usability of web applications. Currenttools for web-page validation cannot handle the dynamically-generatedpages that are ubiquitous on today's Internet.In this work, we apply a dynamic test generation technique, based oncombined concrete and symbolic execution, to the domain of dynamic webapplications. The technique generates tests automatically andminimizes the bug-inducing inputs to reduce duplication and to makethe bug reports small and easy to understand and fix.We implemented the technique in Apollo, an automated tool thatfound dozens of bugs in real PHP applications. Apollo generatestest inputs for the web application, monitors the application forcrashes, and validates that the output conforms to the HTMLspecification. This paper presents Apollo's algorithms andimplementation, and an experimental evaluation that revealed a totalof 214 bugs in 4 open-source PHP web applications

Model-Based Testing for the Cloud

Software in the cloud is characterised by the need to be highly adaptive and continuously available. Incremental changes are applied to the deployed system and need to be tested in the field. Different configurations need to be tested. Higher quality standards regarding both functional and non-functional properties are put on those systems, as they often face large and diverse customer bases and/or are used as services from different peer service implementations. The properties of interest include interoperability, privacy, security, reliability, performance, resource use, timing constraints, service dependencies, availability, and so on. This paper discusses the state of the art in model-based testing of cloud systems. It focuses on two central aspects of the problem domain: (a) dealing with the adaptive and dynamic character of cloud software when tested with model-based testing, by developing new online and offline test strategies, and (b) dealing with the variety of modeling concerns for functional and non-functional properties, by devising a unified framework for them where this is possible. Having discussed the state of the art we identify challenges and future directions

Innovation and Resources: A qualitative study of start-up entrepreneurial ventures through the lens of the Resource-Based View

Understanding how young entrepreneurial firms achieve and maintain competitive advantage is of critical importance for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists alike. Although innovation is a well-known source of competitive advantage for firms in general and for entrepreneurial start-up firms in particular, the resource-based view holds that the strategic resources (e.g., assets and capabilities) owned by a firm are determinants of a firm’s competitive advantage and thus its performance. Entrepreneurship involves creating and combining resources in profitable combinations, yet the role of the resource-based view (RBV) in explaining these actions largely remains unexplored. This research examines the relationship between innovation and resources in entrepreneurial start-up firms through the lens of the RBV. Specifically, this research aims to: (i) integrate the literature on innovation and the RBV to investigate their influence on the commercialisation of innovation in entrepreneurial firms; (ii) to identify which resources are most strategic for entrepreneurial firms; and (iii) to study how entrepreneurial firms create and combine resources to generate competitive advantage. Based on the prescriptions of extant innovation literature and the RBV, the study proposed that successful commercialisation of innovation and the performance of entrepreneurial ventures requires key resources, and that intangible resources in particular are highly strategic to entrepreneurial firms. These propositions were tested through case studies of 12 New Zealand-based entrepreneurial ventures in a wide range of fields, from technology-based to cosmetics firms. Results indicate that superior business execution capability, along with other intangible assets such as brands, patents and alliances, are crucial sources of competitive advantage for entrepreneurial start-up firms. Entrepreneurial firms should therefore focus considerable attention on the development and retention of such intangible assets and capabilities

Innovation and Resources: A qualitative study of start-up entrepreneurial ventures through the lens of the Resource-Based View

Understanding how young entrepreneurial firms achieve and maintain competitive advantage is of critical importance for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists alike. Although innovation is a well-known source of competitive advantage for firms in general and for entrepreneurial start-up firms in particular, the resource-based view holds that the strategic resources (e.g., assets and capabilities) owned by a firm are determinants of a firm’s competitive advantage and thus its performance. Entrepreneurship involves creating and combining resources in profitable combinations, yet the role of the resource-based view (RBV) in explaining these actions largely remains unexplored. This research examines the relationship between innovation and resources in entrepreneurial start-up firms through the lens of the RBV. Specifically, this research aims to: (i) integrate the literature on innovation and the RBV to investigate their influence on the commercialisation of innovation in entrepreneurial firms; (ii) to identify which resources are most strategic for entrepreneurial firms; and (iii) to study how entrepreneurial firms create and combine resources to generate competitive advantage. Based on the prescriptions of extant innovation literature and the RBV, the study proposed that successful commercialisation of innovation and the performance of entrepreneurial ventures requires key resources, and that intangible resources in particular are highly strategic to entrepreneurial firms. These propositions were tested through case studies of 12 New Zealand-based entrepreneurial ventures in a wide range of fields, from technology-based to cosmetics firms. Results indicate that superior business execution capability, along with other intangible assets such as brands, patents and alliances, are crucial sources of competitive advantage for entrepreneurial start-up firms. Entrepreneurial firms should therefore focus considerable attention on the development and retention of such intangible assets and capabilities

Toward Engineered, Useful Use Cases

been issued as a Research Report for early dissemination of its contents. In view of the transfer of copyright to the outside publisher, its distribution outside of IBM prior to publication should be limited to peer communications and specific requests. After outside publication, requests should be filled only by reprints or legally obtained copies of the article (e.g., payment of royalties). Copies may be requested from IBM T. J. Watson Research Center, P

Toward Engineered, Useful Use Cases

We explore common problems that exist in the practice of use case modeling: lack of consistency in defining use cases, misalignment between the UML metamodel and the textual representations of use cases expounded in the literature, and the lack of a semantics that allows use cases to be executable and analyzable. We propose an engineering approach to the issues that can provide a precise foundation for use case development. We next discuss four potential uses of such a foundation and identify the research problems that must be addressed to support these applications