[IPython-dev] [Branch ~ipython-dev/ipython/trunk] Rev 1129: added ipy_gmail extension

[Ville M. Vainio]

On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 5:28 PM, Edward K. Ream <edreamleo at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Tue, Sep 2, 2008 at 4:45 AM, Ville M. Vainio <vivainio at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>> I still believe it's a matter of agreement what is in the core - the
>>> original idea is that the stuff in ipy_* is *not* in the core, but clearly
>>> it's not obvious enough so the physical location should be changed.
>
> Similar issues arise in Leo.  Imo, it was a mistake not to require
> unit tests for all "official" Leo plugins.  In practice, it seems the
> time to require unit tests is when the plugin/extension is first
> offered.  People never seem to add unit tests later. Alas, the cost of
> not having unit tests just keeps going up...

I think unit tests alone don't cut it in a system like IPython or leo.

Consider the situation where code is refactored so that interfaces
between components change, for example. Unit tests may or may not
break, but the usability does change significantly.

For large pieces of software, automatic functional tests are the
solution. With IPython, these can be implemented easily with
_ip.runlines. It may not give a perfect reflection of the behaviour in
interactive use (readline problems, for example), but still provide
better feedback on breakage than low-level unit tests.

-- 
Ville M. Vainio - vivainio.googlepages.com
blog=360.yahoo.com/villevainio - g[mail | talk]='vivainio'