A proposal for using sub-domain partitioning as a testing standard

Being able to effectively compare testing methodologies has long been a goal of software testing research. The comparisons have always been on specific programs and/or specific faults. The generalizability of the results has been very limited. This paper proposes using a subdomain partitioning as a testing standard. This standard would be used to compare the effectiveness of different testing methodologies. The standard partitioning would be developed from the primitive decisions used in the decision statements. The idea of masking and blocking of partitions is developed. An example of building the partitions and evaluating a testing methodology is given.