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> Right. I think we're in this world that I like to call guard-rail programming. He picked the metaphor. He could have picked trains instead. "Who drives a t
by mrkeen 3y ago
> Right. I think we're in this world that I like to call guard-rail programming.
He picked the metaphor. He could have picked trains instead. "Who drives a train around on rails? Do they guide you places? Yes."
- naasking 3y agoExactly. Guardrails absolutely guide you places if your steering wheel doesn't quite work right. I think that's an apt analogy for modern programming languages.
- astrange 3y agoYou rarely need to implement something that has a full testsuite/proof already. You're typically building something new, which means that if you write tests/proofs for it, those are also new code which means they might also be wrong.
- eru 3y agoTo give a practical perspective: Automated tests aren't all that useful to make sure that the code you just wrote does the right thing. People can and do use informal manual testing for that, plus careful crafting and review of the code. Where automated tests really shine is in preventing your shiny new PR from accidentally messing up the feature you implemented a month ago. Yes, tests can be wrong. They are still useful for the above, though.
- taeric 3y agoOf course, that is also a useful metaphor here. They do guide you places, and prevent you from making any slight changes to your route. And make it so one stuck train blocks the line.