How do you test your c++ code?

[JohnW@Wessex]

There is a quote from one of Richard P. Feynman's books where he talks about his involvement in the Challenger disaster inquiry. He was very impressed with the rigour that the software team applied to testing the flight control software. They used the quite sensible method of building the code up from small and testable components, right up to the full simulation.

Apparently a manager from NASA had wanted to try to save money by cutting back on the testing and had said to the team. "Why bother with so many tests? You always pass them anyway!".

[Peter_APIIT]

There is a quote from one of Richard P. Feynman's books where he talks about his involvement in the Challenger disaster inquiry.

Do you have the article ?

[JohnW@Wessex]

No article, but here's the book

What_Do_You_Care_What_Other_People_Think

[bitshifter420]

I write small modules which can be tested easily with little overhead.
When dealing with small chunks of code, most errors are caught by eye
before they are ever even ran in the simulation and debugger.
While coding my game engine over the last four years i have written
and debugged each and every chunk in this manner.
When a module is finished i put it aside and create the next part.
I have ran into a few quirks along the way but nothing serious.
And if i decide to do something different with a chunk in the future,
it can be easily swapped out with the new chunk of code.
I am not a proffesional programmer with a deadline so i have
plenty of time so sit around and ponder my ideas.
Being in a hurry causes us to make bad decisions, thus introducing bugs.
I think the time spent pondering is time well spent in the long run.

[JohnW@Wessex]

Being in a hurry causes us to make bad decisions, thus introducing bugs.
I think the time spent pondering is time well spent in the long run.

I'd go along with that. I've met too many programmers where code appears to be approached with a 'throw-away quick fix' mentality.

If you start work as a professional programmer, pin that above your desk, and probably your managers too.

[bitshifter420]

I plan to never take on programming as a profession mainly beacuse
i believe if you do something for long enough you will learn to hate it.
(programming is fun, and i plan to keep it that way forever)
For the last 10 years i have been turning wrenches at same motorcycle dealership
and never once has my boss told me to hurry up this job, to go faster, to get 'er done.
Since allowing me to work at my own pace and in my own mindset
i have not had a machine comeback to the shop for erronous work.
He sees this and we have a mutual unverbalized agreement as to how it works.
He understands that it takes this long to do job, and twice as long if mistakes are made.
And in this buisness, time is truly money ($100.00 an hour shop rate)

[JohnW@Wessex]

I plan to never take on programming as a profession mainly beacuse
i believe if you do something for long enough you will learn to hate it.

Does that mean you'll be giving up the 'turning wrenches' soon?

I've been programming in various fields for just over 20 years and I still really enjoy it. As long as you keep learning and taking on new challenges , it stays fresh.

[bitshifter420]

I think the learning curve has a lot to do with it.
Once you stop learning its time to move on.
I have been a wrench monkey for 25 years and its getting old.
Most technology advancement here is in the 'black box'.

[JohnW@Wessex]

Most technology advancement here is in the 'black box'.

Yes. Gone are the days when you set the points with a cigarette paper and balanced the carbs with a pair of lollipop sticks.

[TheCPUWizard]

I plan to never take on programming as a profession mainly beacusei believe if you do something for long enough you will learn to hate it.

* Started programming (more than "playing" with) computers in 1972
* First paid programing work in 1975
* First fulltime programming job in 1977

Now (almost 37 years later) I still love it......

[Peter_APIIT]

I've been programming in various fields for just over 20 years and I still really enjoy it. As long as you keep learning and taking on new challenges , it stays fresh.

I agree.