Solving A Bug

Solving A Bug

Title	SOLVING A BUG
Overview	JUnit is a large, mature free and open source software (FOSS) that is written in Java. Learners will read an open issue in JUnit, find resources to research and understand it, replicate the bug, produce some improved additional test cases while writing a better bug report, and describe the process required to fix the bug.
Prerequisite Knowledge	1) Including a library in a Java project 2) Running a JUnit Test Case (No in-depth knowledge of JUnit assumed)
Learning Objectives	Ability to: 1) Understand, investigate and report details on a real, poorly documented, unsolved issue in JUnit a FOSS application, 2) Reproduce a reported bug, 3) Write an improved bug report and 4) Describe the process required to fix the bug.

Background:

This project is designed to familiarize students with a FOSS that is widely used, the process for improving this mature application with a complex architecture, and raise their awareness of the FOSS community. JUnit is free and open source software (FOSS) that is written in Java. The scenario: You would like to contribute to JUnit as a tester and bug fixer. Read about the JUnit FOSS community to determine how..The instructions are intentionally obtuse. The student will examine a real world issue with no simple answer and determine how to address it. There is no answer on StackOverflow!

Directions:

We will use one specific issue in JUnit to learn about the JUnit community.

Part 1 - Install a version of JUnit

1. You will download junit-4.12.jar at https://github.com/junit-team/junit/wiki/Download-and-Install . Remember the directory location you placed the jar files in.
2. Create a project in Eclipse.
3. Add the jUnit-4.12 jar in its build path.

Part 2 - Locate and describe the JUnit Issue

1. Locate issue number #226 in the github Social Coding JUnit Issue Tracker at https://github.com/junit-team/junit/issues/226.
   1. How is the issue categorized? Is this a bug or feature request or something else?
   2. What date was it reported?
   3. Has the issue been assigned?
   4. How many participants in the discussion?

Part 3 - Reproduce the JUnit Issue

1. Using JUnit 4.12, the information supplied about the issue and any other information you may have found in your research answer the following questions:
   1. Did the code shown execute?
   2. Was your result/output the same as the author of the issue?
   3. Take a screen shot of Eclipse when you reproduce the bug, and submit it in your report that answers these questions.
2. In your opinion, was this bug well-written and easy to understand for the first two cases? Why or why not?

Part 4 - Write an Improved Bug Report

1. There is a lot of missing information in this issue. Please supply three (at a minimum) pieces of information that should have been included in the description of the issue.
2. In a clear, and succinct manner provide a better description of the problem described. Please proved 2 additional test cases: one that is successful, one that is not. Show the unsuccessful/successful conclusion for each of your new test cases in screen shots.

Part 5 - What Next?

1. Assume that this bug sparks your curiosity. State an approach that you would take to find a solution for this bug. A VERY general outline is acceptable.
2. Outline the approach you would take to commit the fix for the issue if you have successfully coded it. A general outline is acceptable.

Deliverables:

Report (in Word .docx format) that includes screen shots.

Assessment:

Suggested 100 point rubric

How do you report a JUnit bug? How do you volunteer to fix a JUnit bug? (Each worth 10 points)	Correct	Partial Credit
Bug, date reported, issue assigned, reproducible and output (4 each)	Correct	Partial Credit
2 new test cases (10 each)	Correct	Partial Credit
General outline for solution process	Correct	Partial Credit
General outline to commit a fix	Correct	Partial Credit

Comments:

None

Suggestions for the Open Source Project:

• JUnit documentation
• How to help with the JUnit FOSS

Part of your challenge is to find more resources.

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