http://www.threeriversinstitute.org Thoughts on software and its development from Kent Beck Computers/Programming Copyright 2007 Three Rivers Institute http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/three-rivers-logo-small.png http://www.threeriversinstitute.org en-us 11 Oct 2007 16:00:00 -0800 120 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming Offering accountability is a powerful way to build relationships in software development. http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/Accountability%20in%20Software%20Development.htm http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/Accountability%20in%20Software%20Development.htm 11 Oct 2007 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming Tests are often described by dichotomies: unit vs. functional, black-box vs. white-box, testing vs. design, tester vs. coder. Test-driven development (TDD) doesn't fit comfortably in any of these dichotomies. This paper points out how TDD "breaks the rules". http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/Testing%20Dichotomies%20and%20TDD.htm 11 Oct 2007 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming Nested Method Objects and Conditional Factory helped simplify code in JUnit and make it more flexible. http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/TwoMoreImplementationPatterns.htm 11 Oct 2007 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming Appreciating what is going well is a powerful alternative to the common engineering problem/solution mindset. This paper describes how Appreciative Inquiry can be applied to XP. http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/AppreciatingYourWayToXP.htm 01 May 2007 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming I noticed a curious-but-effective twist on refactoring the other day--refactoring by example. It uses two of the principles of test-driven development: dividing tasks into more-approachable sub-tasks and working by example. http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/RefactoringByExample.htm 01 Sep 2007 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming This paper describes in-situ coding, an extension of test-driven development, and it's implementation in Eclipse. From a test Eclipse helps you create stub methods. Filling in the real code can sometimes best be done in the presence of real data. Changing two settings in Eclipse allows you to code with real data with a minimum of keystrokes. http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/ProgrammingInTheConcrete.htm 01 Sep 2007 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming I just received my first copy of the real book. It describes how to communicate with other people through your code. http://www.amazon.com/dp/0321413091 19 Oct 2007 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming Michael Hunter at Dr. Dobbs has published an interview with me about testing. http://www.ddj.com/blog/debugblog/archives/2007/10/five_questions_37.html 30 Oct 2007 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming Paul Krill and I talk about agile development, the agile manifesto, cowboy coding, defects, and the role of technology in agile development. http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/11/08/beck-kent_3.html 14 Nov 2007 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming Software development can learn from both how lean production manufactures and develops products. http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/LearningFromLean.html 17 Dec 2007 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming How can tools enhance agility in software development? What characterizes a "good" agile tool? http://www.microsoft.com/downloadS/details.aspx?FamilyID=ae7e07e8-0872-47c4-b1e7-2c1de7facf96&displaylang=en 7 Jul 2008 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming Easy-to-test software is "controllable". Testers can cheaply and accurately simulate the contexts in which the software needs to run. Two contradictory patterns help achieve controllability: making parameters more concrete and more abstract. This apparent contradiction resolves when looked at from a broader perspective. http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/AbstractVsConcreteParameters.html 25 Aug 2008 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming One of the beauties of the practices of Extreme Programming is that they provide a stable strap to hang onto when everything around you is swaying. The attraction of the practices can also become a trap, though. Shipping software is the goal, and the practices are a means to an end. The focus on shipping is no excuse for cutting corners, but perfect adherence to the practices is no excuse for not shipping. http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/JustShip.html 4 Sep 2008 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming Kurt and Kent discuss the origins, philosophy, and content of Implementation Patterns http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/ImplementationPatternsInterview.html 5 Sep 2008 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming Where should I test? High-level tests give me more coverage but less control. Low-level tests cover less of the system and can be broken by ordinary changes, but tend to be easy to write and quick to run. The answer to, "Where should I test?" is, as always, "It depends." Three factors influence the most profitable site for tests: cost, reliability, and stability. http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/WhereToTest.html 2 Sep 2008 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming The system will eventually have to deal with an arbitrary number of some element but for the moment it only has to deal with one. What to do? http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/FirstOneThenMany.html 30 Oct 2008 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming To effectively isolate a defect, start with a system-level test and progressively inline and prune until you have the smallest possible test that demonstrates the defect. http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/HitEmHighHitEmLow.html 13 Nov 2008 17:00:00 -0800 kent@threeriversinstitute.org (Kent Beck) Computers/Programming To debug non-terminating object programs, successively inline the methods on the stack until you have a self-referencing method. Seeing the problem in a single method helps you identify the source of the problem and identify possible fixes. http://www.threeriversinstitute.org/UntanglingTheSpaghetti.html 16 Jan 2009 17:00:00 -0800