[Python-Dev] Breaking Test Cases on Purpose (original) (raw)

Guido van Rossum guido@beopen.com
Thu, 03 Aug 2000 12:54:55 -0500

Suppose I'm fixing a bug in the library. I want peer review for my fix, but I need none for my new "would have caught" test cases. Is it considered alright to check-in right away the test case, breaking the test suite, and to upload a patch to SF to fix it? Or should the patch include the new test cases?

The XP answer would be "hey, you have to checkin the breaking test case right away", and I'm inclined to agree. I really want to break the standard library, just because I'm a sadist -- but seriously, we need tests that break more often, so bugs will be easier to fix.

In theory I'm with you. In practice, each time the test suite breaks, we get worried mail from people who aren't following the list closely, did a checkout, and suddenly find that the test suite breaks. That just adds noise to the list. So I'm against it.

-1

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.pythonlabs.com/~guido/)