Using the Mothra software testing environment to ensure software quality

The author discusses the use of Mothra, a software testing environment based on program mutation. Mutation analysis produces mutant programs by introducing likely errors into a program and then strives to construct a set of test data that distinguishes the output of the original program from that of all mutants. Mothra supports the planning, definition, preparation, execution, analysis, and mutation-based evaluation of tests of large software systems, and is designed to be used starting at the earliest stages of software development and continuing through the progressively later stages of system integration, operation and maintenance. The author discusses the application of Mothra to the problems of requirements analysis and unit, integration, and regression testing.<>