Re: [TFUI] comments on my first chapter

On Thursday, April 20, 2006, at 1:44:08 AM, Phlip wrote:

> This is from an early draft of the TDD chapter:

> http://flea.sourceforge.net/TDD_in_a_nut_shell.pdf

> Now the problem is I have been advised to shorten the distance from
> the first page to the code samples (as if anyone reads these things in
> order), so I moved it to Part III, with links from the front to it.

> BTW that paper is very well reviewed, and it also has some completely
> original verbiage regarding how to make decisions at each step. It
> makes explicit quite a few nuances that other TDD verbiage takes for
> granted.

The advice to keep all that material out of the way at the beginning
was good advice in my opinion. However, a precis of that material,
focused on what TDD is, and running less than one page, could be a
valuable introductory bit without holding up progress.

Writing that precis might aid the author with the larger piece as
well.

Here, since I was passing through, are some review comments on the
section, of which you should be justly proud as it stands. The
comments are intended to make it better.

I would suggest, first, that the list of criteria be footnoted to
Kent Beck, who first published the original very similar list, in
/Extreme Programming Installed/ and likely on Ward's Wiki.

My personal reaction was that the medical digression went on too
long.

The sentence "Write failing tests, and briefly make them pass" might
better say "quickly make them pass." Briefly connotes that they only
pass momentarily. I hope for better from my own ...

"Engage each action in this algorithm" is an odd phrasing.

"Locate the next code ability" is also odd. Perhaps you mean decide
or choose.

I understand the word "beholden" to mean under a moral obligation or
owing something. Seems, again, odd in this context.

The "verbiage"[1] in this section becomes almost lyrically
metaphorical, stirring them about them in the profligate style of a
philandering mixologist. That could be just fine, of course.

  [1] The term "verbiage" connotes to me an excess of words, a
  wordiness, an overabundance, a veritable prolixity. It is not a
  compliment to call an author's work "verbiage", nor perhaps is it
  even as respectful as these hard-working individuals deserve. As
  you yourself probably now know, writing is hard work and never
  turns out as beautifully as the ideas in one's head would demand.

I'm beginning to question the rhinociboard icon. (It is some kind of
rhinoceroid creature on a snowboard, is it not?)

Ron Jeffries
www.XProgramming.com
A man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest. -- Paul Simon



To unsubscribe, email:
TestFirstUserInterfaces-unsubscribe-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org
 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TestFirstUserInterfaces/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    TestFirstUserInterfaces-unsubscribe-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/