Note: this IT radio drama starts with episode 14, Why DEvs don’t TDD. Start listening there. 

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016 Driving under the Influence of FUD

Narrator:

Last Episode, Code Dog tried to discourage Vanilla Pop from trying out TDD. Now let’s see how that affects Vanilla Pop’s ability to experiment with TDD.

 

(Office sounds, keys clattering, VPop continues doing TDD, while plagued by voices of uncertainty (use echoey voices like in a Hitchcock film.)

 

VPop:

How do I do test drive this again? This is kinda hard.

This test library. I think that’s how the assert is written. Or maybe it’s wrong. How do I know the test is correct?

 

Voice:

This test first so so backwards.

 

VPop:

Ok. Write the product code now. Huh. I’ve spent so much time writing one test. I really want to spend the rest of the day writing product code. But that’s not TDD right? But what is TDD? What is a correct test? What is life? I feel so uncomfortable! What is happening?

 

Voice:

why not write more product code? I mean who writes their test first anyways?

 

VPop:

OK, OK. Focus. (Strained) Need to focus. Must focus. Write only a stub for the product code… then run …. the … test. Not going to make it.

VPop: Uhhn! Click … run … on … test … runner. Did it! Red bar.

 

Voice:

Really? How is this a good use of your time? You’re paid too much to write tests.

 

VPop:

Huh. OK, write a bit of product code. (tap, tap) Done. A hardcoded solution that will make the test pass.

 

Voice:

why not keep writing product code? You don’t need to run the test again. You KNOW it’s going to pass.

 

VPop:

Must … run … test. (click) Huh? I got a red bar!??

 

Voice:

See? You didn’