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I cannot count the number of python and perl tests leveraging mocks that we inherited that after we dug into them, there tests were asserting that 1=1 exactly a

I cannot count the number of python and perl tests leveraging mocks that we inherited that after we dug into them, there tests were asserting that 1=1 exactly as you say. "Make the db return hello, insure we returned hello; yay, framework works?". Unit tests should validate error paths are properly exercised and that we handle expected results appropriately. It is wild how often this is not expressed in unit tests.

TeMPOraL 3y ago
On the other hand, I've been surprised just how often a simple "1=1 in a roundabout way" sanity test explodes in my face. The code people write is just that shit. And so is, often, my understanding of it. So I always like to keep around tests confirming we can shuffle some data back and forth on the "golden path" - they're good documentation, good at detecting broken refactors, ad well... if you're going to point out that a test effectively checks if String.equals() works OK - sure, but that's an implementation detail, to which the test is oblivious, and you should be too.