In "Unit Test Case, Subject Matter Experts and Requirements" I suggested that it's often pretty easy to get a spreadsheet of full-worked out examples from subject-matter experts. Indeed, if your following TDD, that spreadsheet of examples is solid gold.

Let's consider something relatively simple. Let's say we're working on some …

Here's a typical "I don't like TDD" question: the topic is "Does TDD really work for complex projects?"

Part of the question focused on the difficulty of preparing test cases that cover the requirements. In particular, there was some hand-wringing over conflicting and contradictory requirements.

Here's what's worked for me …

http://xkcd.com/730/

I almost wet myself. This is so typical.

I can't say enough good things about TDD.

But I'll try.

Due to an epic failure to read the documentation (this, specifically) I couldn't get our RESTful web services to work in Apache.

The entire application system has pretty good test coverage. I use the Python unittest to do integration …

Unit test coverage is a politically sensitive issue.

If you don't like (or want) unit testing, you set the threshold really high. 100% code coverage, or worse, 100% logic path coverage. Since these goals are difficult to achieve, the whole unit testing business can be made to go away.

If …

On Stack Overflow I was captivated by "What tools would you used to write a modular database in Python? " and "Implementing a 'rules engine' in Python ".

Both questions are quite amazing because they already have a modular, flexible rules engine (called "python") but it's not good enough: they want to …

Years ago, I was working with a client who was implementing their first web site.

Well, actually, it wasn't their first. It was their third. But their first two were haphazard "we hope this works" kind of web sites. They relied on third-party security and were pretty sure they were …

December 11th, the electric power went out here in the northeast, and stayed out until late on the 14th.

We have gas heat, gas cooking. But the furnace wouldn't run without AC power. So, I now have a favorite electrical appliance -- the blower on my furnace.:Apple-tab-span:``

Here's my strategy …

See Configuration Options in Code or INI Files? . Also, see Python as Configuration Language .

Here's some of the argument.

• Editing. Which is easier? Which is more expressive? Some say that Text (INI format especially) is easier -- but I don't see what. Python is just as easy as INI, and has …

Check out this StackOverflow "question": Does anyone have metrics on the utility of formal Unit Testing? . While -- technically -- it does have a question, it's more of a rant against formal unit testing than a proper question.

Here's the conflation comment. "I've worked with developers who never caught any errors in …