Subj : Re: extreme programming (thoughts)
To   : comp.programming
From : Phlip
Date : Fri Jul 22 2005 02:22 am

Joe Seigh wrote:

> > To invent a difficult algorithm, code solo if you like, and test-last if
you
> > like. Then trivially port your tests to the project, with a pair, and
use
> > the tests to reconstruct your code.

> What?  You have a different definition of algorithm than what most of
> us have or else you're talking about a specific area of application
> with a rather narrow range of algorithms that can be described in
> inputs and outputs.  I have a program I'm using to test two different
> forms of GC and I doubt you could recreate either algorithm from that.

Oh, I forgot to mention: You must also security-wipe your scratch
implementation of your algorithm from your hard drives. No cheating and
peeking at its lines.

(If you don't want to do it the hard way, you can also cheat by reading each
line, then writing a test sufficient to force that line to exist. These are
not the same as QA-style tests that verify the algorithm...)

-- 
  Phlip
  http://www.c2.com/cgi/wiki?ZeekLand

.