Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitlogin

I have seen many a TDD enthusiast create many more problems in terms of test maintenance than they solved in code quality. Doesn't mean TDD is bad, it just means like anything it is not a silver bullet


I certainly don't think TDD is bad; I do it myself. Though I will say that the Classicism vs Mockism debate is alive and well, and it is my (a classicist's) opinion that test-induced design damage is largely a by-product of getting so caught up in the red-green-refactor flow that the tests start to become an end in and of themselves. At which point maintainability has taken a back seat to mockability.

I'd rather have a slow test that doesn't unnecessarily concern itself with implementation details, than a test that is fast, but achieves its speed by getting its dirty little fingers all over the implementation details, and throws a tantrum and refuses to let go of them every time you attempt some spring cleaning.




Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact

Search: