Learning Test-Driven Development

Appendix C. Acknowledgments

Writing a book is a strange endeavor. The wordsmith, ancient or modern, toils alone—whether quill in hand or keyboard at hand. The gossamer-like ideas often resist being ensnared in coherent sentences, and the turns of phrase seldom come perfectly formed. When the prose works, the code doesn’t; and when the prose doesn’t yield…well, the code still doesn’t!

However, the strangest aspect of the endeavor is not this lonesome toil. It’s that behind every hermitic author is a veritable legion of supporters without whose tireless efforts, the ideas would never find a reified life in a published book.

Firstly, my fervor for writing software and for driving it from tests could not have been kindled without the impassioned and dedicated people who pioneered programming. Foremost among them are the “ENIAC Women” who invented programming—Kathleen Antonelli, Jean Bartik, Betty Holberton, Marlyn Meltzer, Frances Spence, and Ruth Teitelbaum. Kent Beck rediscovered test-driven development and wrote the endearing and enduring book on the subject. I am indebted to all of them for paving the way.

I’m grateful to the people at O’Reilly for making me a better author. The world of publishing has changed drastically since my first book almost two decades ago. Eleanor Abraham, Kristen Brown, Michele Cronin, Melissa Duffield, Suzanne Huston, and others ensured that my second foray into publishing was seamless despite the long hiatus.

Dr. Konstantin Läufer, my comp-sci teacher ...