Navigating Complexity: Testing Challenges in Distributed Systems

Abstract

__This Thesis differs from what may be expected in two ways: First, this paper has been written for a non-technical audience – the reader is expected to have never taken a Computer Science course. The second stems from this first difference. Namely, owing to the audience, the tone and language this paper uses will differ from the academic papers usually submitted as theses; colloquial analogies are used and the reader is addressed directly. A beta-reader described this paper’s tone and style as a “friendly textbook” – a description of which I am proud. __One of the tradeoffs in taking this approach is the fact it is impossible to fully explain all parts of this system to the satisfaction of a Computer Scientist while maintaining the abstractions required for those who are not familiar with the technologies and challenges being considered. However, this is a tradeoff that comes with a key benefit. __The advantage of this approach is the reason I decided to use this technique: nobody outside the Computer Science field understands what it is we – namely those who study and develop Distributed Systems – do. I have frequently struggled to explain the concepts at play in a clear concise manner without resorting to technical jargon. As Albert Einstein once said: “if you can't explain it to a six-year-old, then you don't understand it yourself.” __My goal in this paper is that the layman, whose experience with computers – and their software – is isolated to that of a user, should understand what Distributed Systems are, the challenges software developers face in their construction and how my Capstone Project aids in this effort. __With this introduction out of the way, I will briefly outline the structure of this paper so you know what to expect. (from Introduction) 1