The other day I was going through the first few drafts of the German translation of ATDD by Example – A practical guide to Acceptance Test-driven Development. Since some days I had been watching the list of issues that Dan Woodward and Arjan Molenaar were heavily working on some updated to the UI system, and FitNesse in general. Then Mike Scott told me that he just did a presentation at the Agile Testing Days, and used the recent version of FitNesse from the CI-server – and it looked awesome. Putting all together I decided to use new screenshots from FitNesse in the German translation. Until I get to update the English version of the book, here are some screenshots for the next version, which should be officially announced within the next week or so.
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ATDD by Example
It seems that my book ATDD by Example: A Practical Guide to Acceptance Test-Driven Development is now available at least for Kindle. I received my first physical copy last week. So far amazon lists the physical copies due for end of this week.
It’s been quite a journey since I approached Kent Beck with the idea for the first time two years ago. As I was unsure whether I could actually write a book in a non-native language, I decided to give it a try during the Pragmatic Programmer’s Writing Month in November 2010, and completed the first part from three within the first month. Skip forward a few months, and there it finally is.
Now, with every book you as the author face two main struggles:
- when to stop believing that you can incorporate new stuff that you learned in the meantime so that the content will not be out-of-date
- when to stop polishing up what you have so that any mistakes that are still there get exposed to the public – and finally show your readers how bad an author and writer you are
For the first of the two points, I was glad to incorporate some of the stuff that I learned while finishing up the major draft version around New Year’s and now in a series of articles for inform IT. The first one of these will get you started with ATDD. It’s called Getting Started with ATDD: Overcoming the Biggest Mistakes Right from the Start.
For the second point, I have a deadline nearby middle of July to return any corrections for the second printing by then. So, if you happen to find any “bugs” in the final manuscript – and I know there are lots of it, although I decided to read through it several times – I would be more than glad if you dropped me line about it, so that I can get it corrected in the next printing.
I figured that I spread around some easter eggs from time to time in the projects that I am involved in. If you happen to find one, please keep it to yourself in order not to spoil others who are looking for it. I think I should set up a challenge around this some time in the future. Maybe I will spread a free copy of my next book then.
On the title, why did I call it ATDD by Example rather than Specification by Example by Example: Well, I think the name “Specification by Example by Example” would be stupid. A recent client gig where I consulted on “Specification by Example” I also found myself in the situation where a business expert asked me: “Does Specification by Example mean ‘all specifications’?” Since then I am convinced that we didn’t solve the naming problem – and I wonder if we will have to. For more on the name, make sure to read the preface. I explain why I picked that particular name – and a whole lot more on the background.
One final word: If you enjoy the book, tell others, so they read it. If you are disappointed or have any criticism, please tell me so that I can improve myself. Thanks. Enjoy.