Is it extremely rare during the software lifecycle to jettison most of the automated test tools, and then?

How can one easily do black box automated testing across multiple platforms?

• I work for a software development company that develops a certain application across multiple platforms: Web App, iOS, Android, Mac and Windows. We are looking for a way to do black box automated testing across all these platforms in an easily maintainable way. So far it seems that Watir (http://watir.com) will be the best solution for the Web app (I prefer to use Ruby), while MonkeyTalk (http://www.gorillalogic.com/ testing-tools/monkeytalk) may be the best for our Mobile platforms (because we can write one set of tests for both platforms at the same time). We still have not been able to find a good solution for our desktop platforms. We're a startup so we don't have the budget for a proprietary solution and those are looking for open source solutions. Is there a better way to tackle the situation we're in and are there any better solutions for the various platforms we want to test.

• Answer:

  I don't think there is a good freeware solution for desktop applications, especially when you say it should be maintainable. Assuming you are talking windows desktop, you could consider the support for automation in the Microsoft programming languages like C#, look for UI automation. You may also want to consider not using GUI automation, but working at the API level/below the GUI. There is a cutting edge tool - http://sikuli.org (haven't used it) I have also heard accounts of people using Auto-IT (it's a great tool, but not sure if it is scalable/maintainable). --- If I had to choose (given your situation - startup), I would first focus on a non-GUI automation solution, i.e., using API.  This also allows developers to commit to writing tests.  You can use a GUI solution later if necessary.