[SciPy-dev] The future of SciPy and its development infrastructure

[Matthew Brett]

Hi,

> Yes, unit-testing is essential when you need to re-factor --- but it
> comes with a cost.    Code that is unit-tested requires those tests to
> also be re-factored when the code gets refactored, so there is such a
> thing as "unit-testing an API too early".   Thus, there is a life-cycle
> question for unit-test coverage.   Early-on fewer core unit-tests are
> appropriate.  Later, when the API is stabilized, more unit-tests are
> appropriate.    I can't give hard numbers for what is "right" or when
> the transition is made.

Yes, that's right, but code that is that provisional should not be in
Scipy - right?

And, I am learning, slowly, that writing the tests first makes the API
better. I know that not everyone likes to do this, but it does seem to
me a reasonable request, that by the time the code reaches the Scipy
trunk, it should have good test coverage and documentation.

Branches - whatever you like.  Scikits - probably also fine.  But not
Scipy trunk...

Matthew