A Cynical Introduction To Testing
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Don't Feel Bad
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- You might feel bad that you write fewer tests than you "should".

- "Testing is the dental floss of development" -- Ned Batchelder

- Don't get mad, get even.

All Code Is Terrible
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- All code is terrible.

- There is no shame in writing terrible code.

- There is only shame in having more code than is strictly necessary for a
  purpose.

- It's costly for both the originator and a future reader.

How Do I Avoid Shame?
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- Test everything.

- It's an entirely mechanical process.  Use no judgment.

- Accept that it will make you "slower".

- Requiring healthy test coverage of your code tends to mean you write less
  domain code.  This is a good thing.

I Mean Everything
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- Wrap your brain around it, roll it around on the tongue: everything.

- No function too small.

- Code that is proven to work repeatably is beautiful.  Even terrible code.

- Not unusual to have 2X more test code than "real" code in a given project.

Proving It Works Isn't The Goal
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"It's silly to prove that a function that does "return 1+1" always returns 2."

- Not the only goal.  It's at best a distant third reason.

- The first and second goals are:

   - detect regressions caused by future maintenance ("return 1+2").

   - use testing as a thinking tool for improving code in real time.

But It Makes Me Slower
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- Yup.  This is on purpose.

- I'm not a superstar developer.  You aren't either.  None of us are.

- Writing tests for everything might make you go slower "in the small" but the
  organization as a whole will go faster.

Don't Be Afraid To Throw It Away
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- I use testing as a way to think about code.  I write something terrible
  quickly, then I start to write some tests for it.  The act of writing tests
  reveals how terrible it is, and I throw some of it out, and write something
  better.  Rinse, lather, repeat until code is good.

- TDD?  Not so much me.  If it works for you sure.