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On a recent podcast conversation the topic of unit versus integration testing came up. I don’t find the distinction helpful, but I’ve never been able to explain why not, nor what distinctions I do find helpful. This note is my attempt to clear this up. How about just "tests"?
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The term "unit test" seems to be somewhat flexible. Where I work now, a "unit" is a feature. So a Unit
Test is... a test. In one place I worked, I was the "unit" that was going to do the testing.
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Well, that way it was easy to answer to the common question, whodunit?
GCS d-- s-/++ a- C++++ U+++ P- L+@ E-- W++ N+ o+ K- w+++ O? M-- V? PS+ PE- Y+ PGP t+ 5? X R+++ tv-- b+(+++) DI+++ D++ G e++ h--- ++>+++ y+++* Weapons extension: ma- k++ F+2 X
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I recall Uncle Bob saying the term "unit" is unfortunate as some might look at classes as units.
Some might even look at every method as a unit even non-public ones (in the pursuit of 100% coverage maybe?).
At my workplace, we define a "unit" as a behavior. It might be one method, or one method using several auxiliary methods or even one class depends on its size and usage.
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The best developers test their units often.
Unit Testing is the testing of a unit -- often one library function.
Integration testing is testing to be sure the newly changed unit works within a larger unit.
Regression testing is testing performed in production.
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PIEBALDconsult wrote: The best developers test their units often.
Hopefully not as a dry run!
| Ravings en masse^ |
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| "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits." - Albert Einstein | | "If you are searching for perfection in others, then you seek disappointment. If you are seek perfection in yourself, then you will find failure." - Balboos HaGadol Mar 2010 |
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If I can put the code in a library, the tests against that code are unit tests. (If not, they are "wishful thinking" tests.  )
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IMO if you're going to split tests into different buckets, arguing unit vs integration vs etc as people with too much time on their hands do the useful distinction is how fast they execute and where/when they're run.
Unless you're building a huge system using all of these buckets are probably excessive but:
0) Fast enough to run on each developer build.
1) ... on the developers machine before committing.
2) ... by the CI server after commit but before merging.
3) ... by the CI server less frequently (hourly? daily? weekly?) on the CI server and potentially limited to major branches (eg alpha, beta, release)
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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To determine the tech-skill terms with the fastest growth in job seeker search activity, we examined two years of tech job search traffic. It's VB and Netware, right? Right?
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"Anything but this" wasn't on the list?
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The objects contain antennas that reflect surrounding WiFi signals. And before anyone asks: no, you can't play DOOM on them.
I think.
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A newly released report from Kintone found that no-code solutions and citizen developers are becoming more prevalent in the software development industry, with 76 percent of respondents reporting that at least a portion of their apps are developed outside of IT. Because everyone knows building apps faster means they're always better
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Kent Sharkey wrote: no-code solutions
We use those all the time.
You don't write any wasteful code or any code at all for that matter.
Instead just stand around and curse the thing til it's blue. 
Kent Sharkey wrote: with 76 percent of respondents reporting that at least a portion of their apps are developed outside of IT
Dude, my dad's got an awesome set of tools!
I Can Fix It - YouTube[^]
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And that's where you get thousands of individual Access databases, Excel sheets, and these "apps" running around your enterprise and then sh*t yourself when you find out that's what's holding up your entire business. Oh, and no backups of them either! Good luck with that.
System.ItDidntWorkException: Something didn't work as expected.
C# - How to debug code[ ^].
Seriously, go read these articles.
Dave Kreskowiak
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Companies that get to that state deserve the s******g. So focused on making money they forgot to spend for the tools that would help them get there faster. At least in my experience... 
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Bad drivers drive faster than good drivers.
Bad lovers are quicker than good lovers.
Bad journalists turn out articles much more rapidly than good journalists.
There may just be a pattern in there somewhere, if we just take a little time to find it ...
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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Following a tutorial on how to create an application does not make you a relevant developer, whatsoever...
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Hey look! I made a web browser!
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Google says Progressive Web Apps are the future of app-like webpages. I feel a disturbance in the web. It's like a billion souls just went, "What are Chrome Apps?"
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Kent Sharkey wrote: It's like a billion souls just went, "What are Chrome Apps?"
And Nadella just went $500 million for Xamarin  !
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What does Xamarin have to do with Chrome apps? It'll still work just fine for building Android/IOS apps; which AFAIK is the only thing people use it for.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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Batman’s work ethic and self-control are arguably his greatest superpowers—even more so than his stacks and stacks of cash. But what does it take to develop those characteristics in a person? According to a new story, it could be as simple as dressing up as Batman. Way ahead of them there. Nana-nana-nana #I'mBatman
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Makes sense to me. I'm currently dressed as a drowned rat and any kind of dry costume (Batman or otherwise) would probably be raising my productivity right now.
98.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
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The descendant of DeepMind’s world champion Go program stretches its muscles in a new domain Everyone needs a hobby, I guess
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However, Mozilla claims its actions are in line with the contract that was signed at the time, which includes a clause that stipulates Yahoo must continue to make payments to Mozilla until the contract end date, even if Yahoo is no longer used as the default search engine.
Looks like a candidate for worst contract ever signed by a major company. I'd suggest firing the lawyers who approved it; except they were probably among the first people Verizon sacked when it started cutting costs after eating Yahoo.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
Training a telescope on one’s own belly button will only reveal lint. You like that? You go right on staring at it. I prefer looking at galaxies.
-- Sarah Hoyt
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