Once you have spent long enough in this industry you realize that even the most technically adept can succumb to zeolous bigotry. It's common knowledge I take that stance myself on occasion. Fortunately, this particular post is not about me. An author I have respect for Scott Bellware recently posted a quite considerable flame concerning the recently released Visual Studio toolset. More specifically, his core issue (I believe) was with the prescriptive guidance that was released along with the product.
It's not really relevant to my post that I whole-heartedly agree with Mr. Bellware on this particular subject. It's not relevant that his core issue is dead-on, and shares concerted agreement by most of the accomplished in the industry. What is of concern to me, and the reason for this post, is the lack of finesse and precision with which he made his arguments. To say it less than elegantly: he threw the baby out with the bath-water. Thereby reducing the effectiveness of his argument and his credibility as a balanced voice in the industry.
While I share his sentiments over Microsofts obviously ignorant ploy to co-opt the term Test Driven Development (TDD), his slander over the state of the tools and their general worthiness was distressing. What he fails to realize is that for many, the choice to switch completely towards TDD is at best an impossibility. So any tools and support that increase the visibility and perceived value of testing is in itself a Good Thing.
While a trouncing for the hopefully unintentional ignorance and blatant disregard community evidenced by the Microsoft post was certainly in order, it seems excessive to dismiss and deride their entire efforts. I certainly disagree with heavy-handedness in any form, but I harbor that resentment equally towards every voice. Regardless if the voice is from a behemoth the likes of Microsoft, or tech pundit a la Bellware.
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