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xsawyerx (8978)
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In Defense of Simple Stuff
I've just released Test::Ping version 0.09 which has a fully ported version of the Net::Ping testing suite. Basically I took all the tests from it, rewrote them to use Test::More and Test::More's functions (SKIP, TODO, etc.) and Test::Ping instead of Net::Ping. I thought it might be a time to write some of the things I have on my mind right about now.
I started Test::Ping on Apr 22nd, exactly one week ago, and I think I've already reached the high point in the functionality of it, or at least what I imagine(d) it would be. I don't anticipate many (if at all) changes to Test::Ping at this point, since most changes to Net::Ping will continue to be transparently supported in Test::Ping.
The current most interesting discussion (to me) on the Perl front right now is specific Role usage situations. Ovid, Steven Little, Chris Prather, Shawn Moore and a lot of other prolific CPAN/Perl authors I admire quietly are openly discussing it and provide a lot of interesting insight into smart programming paradigms... and I'm sitting and writing a testing module that does pings that probably won't be used by many.
Here are a few reasons why I don't think this module was completely pointless:
- It's easier to have functional programming for testing than object oriented, as long as it's not too complex. Andy Lester's Test::WWW::Mechanize is a prime example of when object oriented testing is preferred.
- It's easier to write
ping_ok( '127.0.0.1', 'testing localhost' );thanmy $p = Net::Ping->new(); my $alive = $p->ping('127.0.0.1'); ok( $alive, 'testing localhost' ); $p->close; - It has a clean and updated version of the entire Net::Ping testing suite.
- It provides another standardized test module using Test::Builder to Perl's repertoire.
- Gave me my first taste of GitHub. I love it.
- Gave me my first taste of Test::Builder. It's pretty cool.
- It's well written, well tested and well documented. If anything, it might help even out the amount of bad code that exists on CPAN.
At least I didn't spend too much time over it.
about I/O disciplines and I should retire to the Tassili-in-Aijer
mountains in Sahara as a camel herder :-)
-- Jarkko Hietaniemi
Simple is Good (Score:1)
Don't forget that you've wrapped up useful behavior in a package that's easy to understand and easier to use! That's good for everyone.
Right tool for the job (Score:1)
Right tool for the job
Sometimes procedural is the way to go, there's nothing wrong with that
my $p = Net::Ping->new(); my $alive = $p->ping('127.0.0.1'); ok( $alive, 'testing localhost' ); $p->close;
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
I found the post in the link and the comments that follow enlightening.
Thanks!
learning through small steps (Score:1)
The thing I liked that you mentioned is the way it's possible to learn about a bunch of stuff through actually tackling a relatively simple and small task. Here, you learned about Test::Builder, GitHub, and more.
I'm doing the same at the moment. I have a large, popular piece of software to rewrite in Moose. First, I'll rewrite one of my small systems that no-one uses in Moose - I'm picking up lots on structuring Roles, etc, and what feels right. It's a great way to learn with relatively low risk.