Red Squirrel Reflections Dave Hoover explores the psychology of software development

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Code Complete and Test-Driven Development
Monday, September 22, 2003

As I read Code Complete, I'm finding descriptions that feel incredibly close to describing the test-driven development lifecycle.

A few examples...

"...find an error as close as possible to the time at which it was introduced." (page 25)

"As you're writing the routine, think about how you can test it." (page 59)

"You can catch an amazing number of subtle errors simply by allowing the compiler to detect them. ... After stepping the code in the debugger, test it using the test cases you planned while you were developing the routine." (page 69)

"The idea is to start with something concrete, worry about only one thing at a time, and build up...from simple components. Take small understandable steps as you make [the code] more general and complex. That way you minimize the amount of code you have to concentrate on at any one time and therefore minimize the chance of error." (page 344)

McConnell was so close to describing TDD, I wonder what it was that kept him from taking that step off the cliff into the world of the extreme.

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