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Test Driven Development (The Addison-Wesley Signature Series)
 
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Test Driven Development (The Addison-Wesley Signature Series) [Paperback]

Kent Beck
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
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Test Driven Development (The Addison-Wesley Signature Series) + Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests (Beck Signature) + Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship (Robert C. Martin)
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Kent Beck
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Product Description

Product Description

Quite simply, test-driven development is meant to eliminate fear in application development. While some fear is healthy (often viewed as a conscience that tells programmers to "be careful!"), the author believes that byproducts of fear include tentative, grumpy, and uncommunicative programmers who are unable to absorb constructive criticism. When programming teams buy into TDD, they immediately see positive results. They eliminate the fear involved in their jobs, and are better equipped to tackle the difficult challenges that face them. TDD eliminates tentative traits, it teaches programmers to communicate, and it encourages team members to seek out criticism However, even the author admits that grumpiness must be worked out individually! In short, the premise behind TDD is that code should be continually tested and refactored. Kent Beck teaches programmers by example, so they can painlessly and dramatically increase the quality of their work.

From the Back Cover

Clean code that works--now. This is the seeming contradiction that lies behind much of the pain of programming. Test-driven development replies to this contradiction with a paradox--test the program before you write it.

A new idea? Not at all. Since the dawn of computing, programmers have been specifying the inputs and outputs before programming precisely. Test-driven development takes this age-old idea, mixes it with modern languages and programming environments, and cooks up a tasty stew guaranteed to satisfy your appetite for clean code that works--now.

Developers face complex programming challenges every day, yet they are not always readily prepared to determine the best solution. More often than not, such difficult projects generate a great deal of stress and bad code. To garner the strength and courage needed to surmount seemingly Herculean tasks, programmers should look to test-driven development (TDD), a proven set of techniques that encourage simple designs and test suites that inspire confidence.

By driving development with automated tests and then eliminating duplication, any developer can write reliable, bug-free code no matter what its level of complexity. Moreover, TDD encourages programmers to learn quickly, communicate more clearly, and seek out constructive feedback.

Readers will learn to:

  • Solve complicated tasks, beginning with the simple and proceeding to the more complex.
  • Write automated tests before coding.
  • Grow a design organically by refactoring to add design decisions one at a time.
  • Create tests for more complicated logic, including reflection and exceptions.
  • Use patterns to decide what tests to write.
  • Create tests using xUnit, the architecture at the heart of many programmer-oriented testing tools.

    This book follows two TDD projects from start to finish, illustrating techniques programmers can use to easily and dramatically increase the quality of their work. The examples are followed by references to the featured TDD patterns and refactorings. With its emphasis on agile methods and fast development strategies, Test-Driven Development is sure to inspire readers to embrace these under-utilized but powerful techniques.



    0321146530B10172002

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    Customer Reviews

    Most Helpful Customer Reviews
    19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
    Short and sweet 26 Nov 2004
    Format:Paperback
    Many of the other reviews for this book have criticised it for it's length and "lack of content". However, I found the book very enjoyable for what it is: an introduction to test driven development. TDD can be (and was for me) quite an alien concept for many programmers trained in a traditional way, where testing is often an afterthought. Kent's first example of TDD, while fairly trivial, outlines all the key points in how to practice TDD properly. It also fills you with confidence and makes you think "yeah, I could probably do that".

    Perhaps you will feel differently, but I like the book simply because it is short. Huge computing textbooks that cram in too much information annoy me; I rarely have the time to read through such huge tomes or absorb everything they are trying to tell you in one sitting. I was able to read the first part of this book, and attain a reasonable understand of TDD in just over 2 hours.

    The book is not terribly expensive either, and sets the stage for further reading on TDD and agile methodologies in general.

    I would recommend this book if you are at all interested in TDD.

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    54 of 62 people found the following review helpful
    By bob
    Format:Paperback
    I'm going to list my 3 day old copy in the Used section after I've finished writing this review.

    This book is in 4 sections, each of which would be a magazine article for any other author:

    1. A tiring, trivial example of TDD strung out over a staggering 80 pages in normal Kent-Beck-six-sentences-per-page style.
    2. An overview of JUnit, bizarrely documented in Python. Nothing against Python but what's the point when the aim is to understand JUnit, not get a taster in a new language?
    3. An brief overview of Design Patterns
    4. An brief overview of Refactoring

    There is very little new in this book and even less to help with doing it on a real project.

    But wait! Before I'm branded an unthinking curmudgeon it's not all bad; for those who have pondered the vexing issue of how to add a parameter to a method then tucked away on page 190 I found this pearl of wisdom:

    1. If the method is an interface, add the parameter to it.
    2. Add the parameter to the method
    3. Use the compiler to show you the calls that need changing

    Well what can I say...eureka? Thanks for that Kent, I'll raise it at my next developer meeting but tell'em I thought of it, they'll think me a genius.

    How Addison Wesley can put this book in the same class as Martin Fowler's stuff is a mystery, the Fowler books contain more information in the Preface.

    Comment | 
    Was this review helpful to you?
    2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
    Format:Paperback
    This book could have been so much better. For me it was spoiled by the ludicrously unrealistic example which is carried throughout the book. While its always a good idea to set out the first steps in a basic example I found that half way through the book the example was still so ludicrously over-simplified and unrelated to reality that I was tempted to throw the book away.

    The principles and theories that underpin test driven development are poorly served by this book because of a lack of real-world practical examples.
    Comment | 
    Was this review helpful to you?
    Most Recent Customer Reviews
    I wouldn't advise buying this book
    I have started reading this book and given up. To atart with the book is written in a 'conversational' style which is frankly annoying. Read more
    Published 1 month ago by Jiggles
    Excellent book that's likely to be underappreciated
    This book has a problem.

    It is (in my opinion) the best introduction to TDD that you can get if you are starting from little or no knowledge, but if you are starting... Read more
    Published 3 months ago by Mr. R. Dalton
    the starting point for anyone interested in TDD
    TDD is one of the most important concepts to emerge in modern day software development and this book is where it started. Read more
    Published 3 months ago by John Broderick
    TDD thinking pattern !
    * I want to understand how thinking process need to change towards TDD.

    if you have a such feeling go for this book. Read more
    Published 6 months ago by Nishan Lakmal Satharasinghe
    Write your test first
    This book could very easily have been written in 1 page.
    Write your tests first, and when necessary start with very small steps. Read more
    Published on 16 Nov 2008 by D. S. Roberts
    beginners guide
    a good intro to testing from an XP sense. It lacks depth and therefore invites you to make you own leap to applying it to concepts not covered in the book.
    Published on 20 Aug 2004 by grewy
    worthwhile investment
    The overall tone of this review may seem a little negative. Don't be put off. I think that this book is awesome. Read more
    Published on 4 Feb 2004 by James Abley
    Test driven development by example
    This book starts as means to go on - first write a test! OK I'm exaggerating, the first test is on page 4. Read more
    Published on 7 Sep 2003 by Mr. R. J. Jepps
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