Having written a CIF parser, TSDBExplorer, I found that although the parsing code was correct (thanks, Test Driven Development!), it’s hideously slow.
Using exactly the same set of tests and test data, I’m refactoring a chunk of the code. Whilst it’s quite demotivating to find the majority of your unit tests suddenly failing, being able to review each one and make it pass is absolutely great. I’ve definitely found the right way to code.
To anyone who isn’t a full-time programmer and who “just wants to get on and write code” – how many times have you suffered because you’ve “just got on with it” rather than writing tests and making them pass? Give Test Driven Development a try…