Microsoft doesn’t get Test-driven Development

That’s what Scott Bellware contends in this blog post. He does a very thorough job of explains what test-driven development in meant to accomplish and how Microsoft missed the mark. In my own experiences with test-driven development over the past couple of years, I’ve found it to be extremely helpful. The code I’ve written using this practice was quite a bit better than code written without it. The primary objection I’ve seen to using it is deadline pressure. Some developers I’ve worked with find it easier to develop test pages, since that’s what they’re used to. The idea of writing code to help them design the finished product (instead of merely testing it) doesn’t seem to appeal to them.

When clients (and bosses) go bad …

I came across this article via the Signals vs. Noise blog. While the entire piece is 100% on target, this passage really spoke to my current situation:

But the worst are the ones that become slaves to their clients–often driven by the fear of losing one.

And fear leads to underbidding. And underbidding leads to… pulling all-nighters to make an impossible deadline on too few resources. (And the dark side is in there somewhere.)

It’s more fuel to do things differently when I (finally) start my own business.