There is something ironic about an article that begins: When I hear someone start advocating Test-Driven Development as the One True Programming Methodology, that's a red flag, and I start to assume you're either a shitty (or inexperienced) programmer, and carries on to say that The whole concept of Test-Driven Development is hocus, and embracing it as your philosophy, criminal.
To summarize, the author seems to have the One True Programmer Evaluation Methodology, and is able to determine that someone is shitty, inexperienced, or a criminal from their answer to a single question. How is this different from someone who says that they can determine whether your project is shitty from the answer to the question “Do you use TDD?”
My feeling is that the author has a great deal in common with people who say that X is the One True Programming Methodology, for any value of X, including TDD.
I'll be honest and say the article started with the most inane troll about people who run their own mail servers and have beards, and was quickly changed when I realized people weren't reading beyond that ;-) Clearly my sense of humour needs work!
Well, I for one thought it funny (read your post via zite at first), and the rest of your article was a nice take on the TDD philosophy and it's adherents. It should merely be another tool in one's tool chest. Maybe a less confrontational headline would have produced a more measured response.
To summarize, the author seems to have the One True Programmer Evaluation Methodology, and is able to determine that someone is shitty, inexperienced, or a criminal from their answer to a single question. How is this different from someone who says that they can determine whether your project is shitty from the answer to the question “Do you use TDD?”
My feeling is that the author has a great deal in common with people who say that X is the One True Programming Methodology, for any value of X, including TDD.