The information on testingfaqs.org started out as Frequently Asked Questions lists that Brian Marick posted to the comp.software.testing newsgroup beginning around 1994, and later also hosted on an ftp site and various web sites. The FAQ files developed a loyal following. Several years ago, Brian handed off the FAQs to Danny Faught, who gave them a more permanent home at testingfaqs.org and continues to maintain the site. Brian is no longer involved in maintaining the FAQs.
Listings must be in English (except of course for product names and other proper names).
On all pages, commercial entities will be listed using a legal company name. This is generally either the name a company is incorporated as, or a legally registered assumed name - i.e., a "d/b/a" ("doing business as") name. Sole proprietorships without an assumed name are listed under the proprietor's personal name and alphabetized on the first name.
The Test Tools List, formerly called the Testing Tools Supplier List, covers any tools that directly assist with any software testing task. Descriptions of each tool category are at the top of each category page. Listings for commercial tools are usually provided by the vendors, except for a few cases where tools are listed without the vendor's help - in these cases, the "Software Description" section is left out. Some freeware tools are submitted by someone associated with the project, and other freeware listings are created by the testingfaqs.org maintainer using text borrowed from the tool's documentation.
Tools marked with the text "(freeware)" in the "Kind of tool" section must meet strict (though somewhat subjective) criteria - they must be available at no charge to anyone who wants them, they must have enough features enabled for the tool to be useful, and the license may not be time-limited, may not limit the number of users, and may not limit the amount of data that can be processed by the tool. This includes open source tools, public domain tools, free binary-only tools, and a small fraction of commercial tool trial releases. While open source advocates often don't like to be lumped under "freeware", I haven't found a better term that describes all "free as in free beer" software.
Tools are added to the table of contents in their category in alphabetical order, and the listings are added to the pages in the chronological order based on when they are added. Each individual tool may only be listed in one category, but they may have a cross-reference from other categories if warranted. A tool that may be purchased in different configurations may be listed on more than one page, providing the name identifies it as a separately marketed tool configuration. Bundles of otherwise separately available tools may be listed on the Bundled Tool Suites page in addition to the separate listings.
The Testing Contractors and Consultants List includes everything from individual contractors to large consulting firms, all of whom provide staffing and expertise related to software testing.
The Testing Courses List lists professional courses, both public and private, related to software testing and quality.
The Testing Conferences List lists recurring conferences and peer workshops, both for-profit and non-profit.
The "Entry updated" date on each entry is typically only changed when the description is udpated, and not for more minor updates unless the vendor has reviewed the description.
Please note that testingfaqs.org does not participate in link exchanges. If you would like to link to testingfaqs.org, please do. If you would like to suggest content for the site, please contact . But these things should be done on their own merit, and posting information on testingfaqs.org will not be contingent on some other site linking here.