Don't think software testing is just a function

In today's work, I told a colleague that PyDev 2.5.0 now provides cool support for TDD (test-driven development). Of course, I'm not an advocate for TDD, but it's the same for other things, but I can't avoid provoking a discussion. And at the same time, let's call him John, "in developing a feature, TDD can save time for development, but sometimes a functional requirement requires such an emergency, so we have to deliver it as quickly as possible, so software testing can only be done later," says one. ”

However, such words really make me want to cry without tears.

So I'm trying to explain that if there's no test, there's an unimaginable risk of the code being published. And as important as this function is, your product can be severely damaged. Especially when you are using the Python language, there are few problems that are displayed during the compile period (a simple writing error can lead to a attributeerror, or even worse, run time). And I think the risk is too high to be accepted. But John replied, "Maybe you're right, but it's worth the risk, and the right is in the hands of the project manager." And if you use TDD, you're actually depriving him of the right to "give up the software test and say it." “

To tell you the truth, I don't know how to answer such a logical idea. Yes, the boss has the right to decide whether to test my program, but ... Is he supposed to be like this? A builder was told that it would be reasonable to start by building the bricks and then filling them up later.

In the books I read, the idea was wrong. Software testing is not a feature. It is not a requirement that is presented by the customer. It is not "best measured."

It is the inherent composition of any piece of code in a software.

Yes, you can develop software that is not tested. It can even run, like a stack of bricks that looks a wall. But if you run into a bigger wind, it's likely to hit someone on the head.

How do you respond to people who hold such a view?

[Original English text link: testing is not a Feature]