Man, I'm going to catch it for that title. Okay, let me get this out up front: this post is a hypothesis that I consider probable. That's why there's a question mark in the inflammatory title. Okay, asbestos underwear in place, let's continue.
The Hypothesis
Here's the logic flow for my hypothesis.
Unit testing (and its bosom buddy automated testing) provides substantial benefits when used regularly. These benefits are well-understood.
Ensuring or regularizing unit testing is the primary value proposition of Test-driven Development (TDD).
A majority of vocal unit testing...
One of the things that irks me when discussing certain technical topics is a tendency towards boosterism that can hinder, or even halt, deeper evaluation and discussion. Some topics, tools, or practices arrive with a divine imprimatur of authority that is hard to resist. Since I believe in being personally responsible for the software development I undertake, I sometimes find myself exploring murky territory that seems like it should be better mapped. The latest of these pre-hallowed principles is Test-driven Development.
What comes across as a casual assumption of superiority gets my hackles up. I'll show what I mean using...