Synchronize Outlook, Google Calendar, Gmail with Funambol/ScheduleWorld : clipclip

Really good article on the issues and solutions around syncing. More importantly, it has pretty pictures.

Synchronize Outlook, Google Calendar, Gmail with Funambol/ScheduleWorld : clipclip

From closed Windows to fresh air

I've finally taken the plunge and purchased a Mac. For the ease of image manipulation to support my expensive photography hobby, to aggregation of my personal data effects in one place, within a few hours I am up and running. . . . . I don't recall any MS Windows migration being so painless, even if it was between machines, let alone OSs.

Some top tips if you are thinking of doing it.

1. iPhone - follow links in new page. Pressing and hold a link will trigger a pop-up prompting if you want to open link in new page, or current page.
2. iMac - iTunes migration. Have all your music in one place; e.g. NAS drive. Do not move it.
3. iMac - iTunes migration. Move your iTunes library XML file, and find/replace all references to your NAS music store location. e.g. PC was file://localhost/X:/Music and I replaced with file://localhost/Jupiter/Public/Shared Music/Music/.
4. iMac - iTunes migration. Once the XML file from your decrepit PC has been COMPLETELY updated with the new absolute path on your sexy new iMac, import this into iTunes.
5. iMac - iPhone App migration for iTunes. Move the folder "Mobile Applications" in your iTunes base directory somewhere else, then drag and drop them from Finder into iTunes. Otherwise you will receive an "Error -50" and start getting pissed off.
6. iMac - general migration. Ensure you have GB ethernet. Any network file transfer will occur in minutes rather than hours, and you know how many films containing the skin end of the spectrum you have; it would aeons to transfer over 100MB.
7. iMac - SW install. Don't do it after a glass or two of wine; you end up purchasing Lightroom 3 and other things. The package arrives tomorrow.
8. iMac - SW install. Don't install the OSX updates immediately, that can wait while you get your core apps done. Kick it off after you are done or in the morning and let it do it's thing; it might require 1-2GB of updates.
9. iMac - SW config. Set Google Chrome on your PC to sync with your Google account (if you haven't got one, get one). Install Chrome on your Mac and also allow Chrome to sync. Hey presto, Bobs your Uncle, Fanny's your Aunt, wudubileevit, you now have matching bookmarks across devices.
10. iMac - iTunes/iPhone/Outlook. Firstly, export your contacts from MS Outlook to CSV (bye bye!), then import into GMail. Gmail will give you some dialogues to ensure you have minimal or in my case zero duplicates. Now update the contacts sync info in iTunes to specify sync with GMail contacts.
11. If you are tired then go to bed. No good will come of configuring your electronic life when tired. Tiredness leads to mistakes. Mistakes lead to errors. Errors lead to data loss. The road to data loss is dark and one way, and we can all feel the disturbance in the force when someone has data loss.

Product Risk Management

I'm just updating content for a training course, and I know I spend a lot of time conveying the importance of testing etc etc, but to do so in the most succinct and digestible way, to ensure the thought or lesson objective is retained.

I'm currently trying to communicate the importance of risk-based test strategies, and one of the biggest concepts ofr me is that "The main purpose of testing is to mitigate risk, therefore our testing strategy should be focused on risk mitigation, rather than purely requirements conformance".

The basis for this is my perception that the majority of testing is founded upon the idea that the requirements as defined are to be treated as 'gospel' and therefore deviation from the requirements alone is all that is required to ensure successful delivery.

In actual fact, it is the tacit knowledge; the undocumented requirements that are seemingly obvious to end users and seemingly invisible to others, that should be captured and assessed. Such things as performance, useability, security, compatibility, in fact all the other abilities, should be factored in.

So, my question, is if testing is about finding defects against system, is there a more elegant and or accurate way to describe a test strategy as the artefact that documents the focus of testing as identifying the most critical defects which would expose the system to the biggest risks.