I recently began using ANTS Load, a tool used to load and stress test .NET XML websites and services. The user interface is intuitive, and the test scripts use VB.NET, which is not my first choice, but I can manage to manipulate as needed. The version of ANTS Load I have installed only allows the simulation of 1 to 25 virtual clients, which is fine for now, but may require an upgrade later.

As I created a few test scripts with this tool, I began thinking more about what I was actually doing. This spawned an entirely new thought process geared towards test-driven development (TDD), which then directed me towards extreme programming (XP). These are two intricate concepts requiring more time than my lunch break allotted me for exploring. As I delved further into TDD, I started thinking about all of the projects I have which do and do not have test cases prepared. While I can agree that preparing modularize tests is important for a project, I am not sure that phase needs to occur before development because of the obstruction of the creative flow that is vital to the developer’s thought process. As I explore more on these topics, I am sure I will have more to say, but back to ANTS Load for now.

ANTS Load contains two calculated features known as the frustration coefficients and the abandonment predictions. These two numbers are determined from the results of the load test, providing insight into the level of frustration users may experience, and the percentage of users with tendencies to abandon an application with poor performance. In addition to the default information collected from each test, we also have the ability to select more criteria to monitor which can be helpful in assessing your server and network efficiency.

While this tool is fine, I more interested in the idea behind TDD and applying it to more of my applications. Thanks ANTS Load.