28 4 / 2013
Approval Tests
Just tried approval tests library today. I can tell that it is very helpful during development. Especially if trying to verify text outputs, or output that produces a lot of data and you need to find which data has changed.
Check it out on: http://approvaltests.sourceforge.net/
Available as NuGet package: http://nuget.org/packages/ApprovalTests/
Approved!
22 3 / 2013
Why does complexity always increase?
Because everyone adds complexity and nobody takes it away.
Ironically, adding complexity is easy and maintaining simplicity is hard.
08 2 / 2013
Focusing on the work, not the methodology
Want to get developers fired up? Kick off a debate about development methodologies – waterfall, agile, lean, extreme, spiral, unified, etc. At any given time it seems one method is the right one to use and the other methods, regardless of previous experience, are wrong. Some talk about having a toolbox of methods to draw on. Others say everyone must adapt to a new state of the art at each generation. Is there a practical way to build good software without first having this debate?
There’s a short answer. Do what feels right until it stops working for the team as a whole, and to do so without debating the issue to death, then iterate on your process in your context. The clock is running all the time and so debating a meta-topic that lacks a right answer isn’t the best use of time. There’s no right methodology any more than there is a right coding convention, right programming language, or right user interface design. Context matters.
