Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests

Chapter 9. Commissioning an Auction Sniper

To Begin at the Beginning

In which we are commissioned to build an application that automatically bids in auctions. We sketch out how it should work and what the major components should be. We put together a rough plan for the incremental steps in which we will grow the application.

We’re a development team for Markup and Gouge, a company that buys antiques on the professional market to sell to clients “with the best possible taste.” Markup and Gouge has been following the industry and now does a lot of its buying online, largely from Southabee’s, a venerable auction house that is keen to grow online. The trouble is that our buyers are spending a lot of their time manually checking the state of an ...