Path: csiph.com!usenet.pasdenom.info!weretis.net!feeder4.news.weretis.net!ecngs!feeder2.ecngs.de!newsfeed.freenet.ag!news2.euro.net!newsgate.cistron.nl!newsgate.news.xs4all.nl!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.001 X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 1.00; '*S*': 0.00; 'modified': 0.05; 'url:blog': 0.09; 'prevents': 0.09; 'sep': 0.09; 'terry': 0.09; 'worse': 0.09; 'cc:addr:python-list': 0.10; ':-)': 0.13; '-tkc': 0.16; 'fail,': 0.16; 'from:addr:python.list': 0.16; 'from:addr:tim.thechases.com': 0.16; 'from:name:tim chase': 0.16; 'message-id:@tim.thechases.com': 0.16; 'received:70.251': 0.16; 'received:dsl.rcsntx.swbell.net': 0.16; 'received:rcsntx.swbell.net': 0.16; 'received:swbell.net': 0.16; 'reedy': 0.16; 'run.': 0.16; 'useless.': 0.16; 'wed,': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.17; 'passes': 0.17; 'test.': 0.17; 'tests': 0.18; 'driven': 0.22; 'cc:no real name:2**0': 0.24; 'cc:2**1': 0.24; 'cc:addr:python.org': 0.25; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.25; 'header :User-Agent:1': 0.26; '[1]': 0.27; 'first,': 0.27; "doesn't": 0.28; 'run': 0.28; 'sleep': 0.29; 'usually': 0.30; 'code': 0.31; "can't": 0.34; 'fail': 0.35; 'but': 0.36; 'url:org': 0.36; 'test': 0.36; 'should': 0.36; 'being': 0.37; 'subject:: ': 0.38; 'sure': 0.38; 'step': 0.39; 'your': 0.60; 'skip:u 10': 0.60; 'most': 0.61; 'back': 0.62; 'day.': 0.63; 'more': 0.63; 'discovered': 0.83; 'received:50.22': 0.84 Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:45:52 -0500 From: Tim Chase User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux x86_64; en-US; rv:1.9.2.24) Gecko/20111120 Icedove/3.1.16 MIME-Version: 1.0 To: D'Arcy Cain Subject: Re: avoid the redefinition of a function References: <20120912174713.64537455090c4058120d9409@druid.net> In-Reply-To: <20120912174713.64537455090c4058120d9409@druid.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-AntiAbuse: This header was added to track abuse, please include it with any abuse report X-AntiAbuse: Primary Hostname - boston.accountservergroup.com X-AntiAbuse: Original Domain - python.org X-AntiAbuse: Originator/Caller UID/GID - [47 12] / [47 12] X-AntiAbuse: Sender Address Domain - tim.thechases.com X-Source: X-Source-Args: X-Source-Dir: Cc: python-list@python.org, Terry Reedy X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 31 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1347489884 news.xs4all.nl 6926 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:35520 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:29003 On 09/12/12 16:47, D'Arcy Cain wrote: > On Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:37:11 -0400 > Terry Reedy wrote: >> assures one that the test is being run. (I don't always test first, but >> I once discovered a test not being run when I modified it in a way that >> should have made it fail, but it didn't.) > > 1. Write the test > 2. Run the test - make sure it fails > 3. write code until test passes > 4. Stop writing code > > People underestimate the importance of steps 2 and 4. Number 2 is > important because a test that can't fail is worse than useless. Number > 4 is important because it prevents code that doesn't have a > corresponding test. If you feel the need to write more code then go > back to step 1. > > And run all of your tests every day. You will sleep better at night. Though I usually try to do test-driven development, I confess a fondness for Titus Brown's "Stupidity driven testing"[1] :-) -tkc [1] http://ivory.idyll.org/blog/stupidity-driven-testing.html (one of my most memorable pearls from PyCon'07)